Issues & Answers
Public Policy Discussion and Debate
The vision of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy is to create a space where important policy decisions affecting our future are made through a process of civil discussion, critical analysis of facts, and informed participation of all citizens.
Our Issues & Answers online webcasts advance that vision by providing a way for citizens to learn about public policy issues affecting them by hearing from experts in the field and engaging with balanced and fact-based discussion and debate at a time and place convenient to them.
The Economy: Inflation, the Fed, and You
A Three-Part Webcast Series Inflation in America is happening for the first time in forty years. Why have prices gone up, and when might they come down? What role do monetary policy, the Federal Reserve and legislators play? And how is inflation playing out regionally and affecting you? Episode One: Why Inflation Happens John Cochrane,…
November 2024 General Election: How Are Secretaries of State Preparing Nationwide?
50 states are each in charge of their elections. Join the O’Connor Institute and National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to learn how our nation’s elections officers are preparing for the November 5th election. How are the elected officials in charge of American elections preparing for November? Click to Listen Click to Watch Play…
Water and the West
Some 40 million people in the American West rely on water from the Colorado River. But the river’s flow has diminished, and those decreases will likely continue. What does this mean for the American West in general and Arizona in particular? Will booming metro areas-Maricopa County, for example-have to halt their growth? Will vast expanses…
The Future of Urban America
Empty office buildings. Workforce changes allow for more remote work. American downtowns are struggling. The pandemic-led changes in where and how we work and live have weakened and withered many urban cores. The office vacancy rate in Houston is some 26 percent; in Phoenix it is above 20 percent. This shift means fewer workers, fewer…
“What’s the Deal with the Electoral College?”
Perhaps no extant product of the U.S. Constitution has received more bipartisan animus than the Electoral College. Since 1800 there have been more than 700 proposals introduced in Congress to amend or eliminate the way in which America chooses its presidents. Yet the Electoral College lives on. Why do we have this system? Why does…
The Pros and Cons of Open Primaries and Ranked Choice Voting
Do open primaries and ranked-choice voting have the potential to improve American elections, or will they create more problems than they solve? Kevin Meyer, former lieutenant governor of Alaska, 2018-2022; Steve Goldstein, executive director of Save Democracy; and Jaime Molera, former Arizona superintendent of public instruction join the O’Connor Institute Civics for Life webcast to discuss the issue. Click…
The Future of the Court
Thank you to Professor Rodríguez and Mr. White for a fascinating online conversation and diverse perspectives on the Future of the Court. Click to Listen Click to Watch Play Video Featured Panelists Cristina Rodríguez Co-chair, Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law and Counselor to the…
Campaign Contributions: Disclose or No?
Among the questions that will be put to Arizona voters this November is one asked by Proposition 211: should the original source of campaign contributions be disclosed? To elucidate the matter and present the strongest positions for their opposing opinions, Terry Goddard and Jon Riches will join the Institute for a moderated, live, online debate…
Rule Of Law Town Hall Series
The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute is pleased to currently collaborate with the International Bar Association on a national series of Town Hall discussions focused on the Rule of Law. This series debuted on Constitution Day, September 17, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona and is currently traveling the country. Most recently the Rule of Law Town Hall visited Dallas,…
Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana
Event Recorded September 13, 2016 The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, in collaboration with the ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Maricopa County Bar Association, presented the Issues & Answers Forum, featuring credentialed panelists who provided fact-based information for the Regulation and Taxation of…