Not Another Politics Podcast Reaches 100,000 Download Milestone

Not Another Politics Podcast, Harris Public Policy’s premier podcast delving into the most important and timely political research, has quickly surpassed 100,000 downloads a little over a year after its debut.

“It’s been exciting to see the momentum continue to grow after taking a gamble with this new kind of academic-driven podcast,” said Professor William Howell, one of the show’s co-hosts and a preeminent scholar exploring separation-of-power issues and political institutions. “American politics is an area where there’s such an abundance of interest and, at the same time, so much noise to cut through. Serious people appreciate learning what political science has shown to be true – and sometimes we find that it’s very different than what the conventional wisdom offers.”  

Hosted by three Harris scholars – Howell, Wioletta Dziuda, and Anthony Fowler – Not Another Politics Podcast occupies a unique niche, a show that seeks to find the answers to the most important issues facing our politics today – not through opinion and anecdote like so many other podcasts offer, but through what rigorous, evidence-based scholarship, massive data sets, and a deep understanding of the political science literature reveal to be true.

The podcast burst onto the field in late January 2020 and quickly gained accolades, earning a spot on Apple Podcast’s lists of top government podcasts. It averages 4.7 stars and the reviews attest to the show’s uniqueness. One review entitled “A thinking person’s political podcast” had this to say:

“YES! This podcast is such a breath of fresh air!!! It’s like sitting around the coffee table asking your favorite college professor what’s ‘really’ going on in politics. It’s an intelligent and engaging look at the research behind today’s headlines. I love how the hosts are willing to pressure test what the evidence tells us…The world needs more ‘thinking’ podcasts like this one!”

Now 33 episodes in, Not Another Politics Podcast has touched on issues of systemic racism, authoritarianism, political scandal, the Supreme Court, and more. And in its “Just Another Politics Podcast” series, our hosts reacted to the bizarre norm-shattering election season of 2020 while it happened.

“Though we are focused entirely on finding answers to the most vexing problems in political science, it’s also gratifying to see the issues we’re discussing in the news,” said Dziuda, whose recent research has focused on the effects of legislative bargaining on the nature of policy. “We strive to make the academic research accessible to serious-minded people everywhere in a way that they want to tune in for every other week.”  

The hosts are joined each episode by the author of a relevant academic paper or text. Guests have included Katherine Baicker and James Robinson of Harris, Donald P. Green of Columbia, Gregory Huber of Yale, Shanto Iyengar and Jonathan Rodden of Stanford, Paul Pierson of UC Berkeley, and Lynn Vavreck of UCLA.

The podcast has been gaining momentum, with downloads increasing month over month.  And the podcast has been visible, as well, having been mentioned in media outlets ranging from the Chicago Tribune to Vice.

“Now that we are in our second year with the show and a new presidential administration is taking shape in the United States, we’re eager to continue grappling with the research that informs the most important political issues of our time,” said Fowler. “It’s been a fascinating experience to hear from students, fellow political scientists, and others, who have heard the most recent episode and want to know more.”

Not Another Politics Podcast is a part of the UChicago Podcast Network, is produced by Matthew Hodapp, and can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. All three of the hosts are affiliated with the Center for Effective Government at Harris.