In our first episode of the Economics of Flourishing Series, Dr. James Heckman and Dr. Ramsus Landersø explore how various elements like markets, family structures, and educational systems contribute to social mobility and human development. They discuss the significant impact of parental engagement and the structure of family life on children's futures. Social mobility rates in Denmark and the United States are also compared, shedding light on the crucial role of parental quality and the...

In the third and final episode of “True Progress: Polarization,” we look for hope. Our experts share paths forward to leave behind the division and hate separating us. To solve this problem, we must all find ways to keep our social fabric from unraveling.

In the second episode of “True Progress: Polarization,” we continue our exploration of the division affecting all of us. Our experts focus on understanding how polarization impacts our society and its structures. It’s not a pretty picture.

In the premiere episode of “True Progress: Polarization,” we delve into one of the biggest issues dividing Americans and the world today: polarization. Our experts try to define what polarization is and how we can best understand its impact.

Just days before Christmas, Profectus editors Ben Wilterdink, Clay Routledge, and Kali Keller are back for another Profectus Cultural Convo. This time they discuss Clay's latest book Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life and make the case for their favorite Christmas movies.

Profectus editors Ben Wilterdink, Clay Routledge, and Kali Keller are back for another Profectus Cultural Convo. This time they focus on the ongoing discussion about the struggles of men, navigating the tricky questions of single-sex spaces, and conclude by discussing some of the best best representations of men in popular culture.

In this episode of the Podcast, Profectus Co-editors Ben Wilterdink and Clay Routledge talk with with Kathryn Wilson. Kathryn is a practicing psychotherapist and has her master's in counseling, psychology, and biblical counseling. Along with her husband, Eamon, Roderick Hare, and Pastor Paul VanderKlay, Kathryn has been one of the regular conversation partners in a series of discussions on the marriage crisis.

Profectus editors Ben Wilterdink, Clay Routledge, and Kali (now) Keller are back for another Profectus Cultural Convo. Joined by Archbridge President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz, they discuss the American Dream and the recent Archbridge survey on how Americans feel about it, the disconnect between economic and social progress, and touch on the big dilemma of the approaching Barbenheimer weekend.

In this episode of the Podcast, Profectus Co-editors Ben Wilterdink and Clay Routledge talk with Dr. Angela Rachidi. Dr. Rachidi is a senior fellow and the Rowe Scholar in opportunity and mobility studies at the American Enterprise Institute, where she studies poverty and the effects of the federal safety net programs on low-income people in America. Before joining AEI, Dr. Rachidi spent almost a decade researching benefits programs for low-income populations in New York City. She is the...

Debuting a different format, Profectus Magazine editors Ben, Clay, and Kali discuss some recent cultural topics that grabbed their attention. The discussion hits on purpose in America, to the costs and benefits of smartphones, and a close look at the new Tetris movie from Apple TV.

In this episode of the Podcast, Profectus Co-editors Ben Wilterdink and Clay Routledge talk with Ian Rowe. Ian is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the co-founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a network of character-based high schools located in the Bronx, and the co-founder of the National Summer School Initiative. Ian is also the author of Agency, the four-point plan (F.R.E.E.), for all children to overcome the victimhood narrative and discover their pathway to power.

In this episode of the Profectus Podcast, Profectus co-editor Ben Wiltedink and Archbridge President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz are joined by Michael Gibson, co-founder and general partner of the 1517 Fund and author of Paper Belt On Fire, How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University.

Thank you for listening to this edition of the Profectus Interview. A project of the Archbridge Institute, Profectus Magazine is dedicated to kickstarting a cultural conversation around the key drivers of human flourishing, progress and the barriers that prevent individuals from reaching their full potential. I'm Ben Wilterdink, and for this interview my co-editor, Clay Routledge and I are joined by John Tillman. John is CEO of the American Culture Project and chair of the Illinois Policy...

This episode of the Archbridge Podcast features a conversation centered on higher education, its biggest problems, and some possible solutions. Praj Kulkarni is a writer and former space-physicist living in the Denver, Colorado area. His writing focuses on the “college-for-all” trend and what he terms the “academic approach to learning.” He is currently working on a book project taking a closer look at issues with American higher education and offering ideas for reform. Will Krumholz is a...

In this edition of the Profectus Podcast, co-hosts Ben Wilterdink and Clay Routledge are joined by Magatte Wade. Magatte is an accomplished entrepreneur, speaker, and all-around advocate for African prosperity. They discuss the power of entrepreneurship to solve problems, the importance of mindset in overcoming challenges, and how climate activism is becoming a threat to global economic development.

The first in an ongoing series of Profectus podcasts, join co-editors of Profectus Mag, Ben Wilterdink and Clay Routledge, for a wide ranging conversation with Lenore Skenazy. Lenore is an author, journalist, and founder of LetGrow, where she works to empower both parents and kids to recapture the kind of independent childhood that prepares kids to handle whatever the future might throw at them.

In this episode, Archbridge Director of Programs Ben Wilterdink talks with John Mozena, President and Co-founder of the Center for Economic Accountability. They discuss what economic development programs are, why they almost always fail to achieve their goals, and what can be done to increase transparency and rein in the waste.

In this podcast episode, Archbridge Director of Programs Ben Wilterdink talks with Ross Emmett and Mason Hunt about their 2021 Doing Business North America Index. They talk about the importance of new and growing businesses, how the business climate has changed over the years, and which parts of North America they expect to prosper or decline going forward.

Archbridge Director of Programs Ben Wilterdink talks with Priya Sarathy Jones of the Fines and Fees Justice Center about how excessive fines and fees trap Americans in poverty. The two discuss how this problem has grown, the downward spirals that can occur once a person is stuck with a fine they cannot pay, and how states and localities are working to address the problem. Priya is the National Policy and Campaigns Director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center where she is principally...

This episode of the Archbridge Podcast, Ben Wilterdink talks with Vincent Geloso and Justin Callais about their recent research demonstrating the connection between economic freedom and economic mobility. The three discuss what restrictions on economic freedom mean for the poor, the importance of property rights, and how markets make systems antifragile but won't create utopias. Justin is a Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Applied Economics at Texas Tech University, a research fellow with...

This episode is a webinar originally streamed on November 30, 2021. During the presentation, Dr. Scott Winship Talks with Archbridge Director of Programs Ben Wilterdink about his third and final paper in the Economic Mobility State-of-the-Art Primer series. This paper focuses on trends in economic mobility in the United States. Dr. Winship begins by discussing the paper's main findings, answers some of Ben's questions, and finally answers a few audience questions as well.

In this episode, Ben Wilterdink talks with James Whitford, the Executive Director of Watered Gardens Ministries in Joplin, Missouri and True Charity. They discuss how relationships are key to truly addressing the needs of individuals, why community-based nongovernmental organizations do so much better than government when it comes to helping people flourish, and how we can take action in our own lives and communities. James received his doctorate from the University of Kansas Medical Center...

Archbridge Institute Founder and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz returns to the podcast to discuss the American Dream 2021 Snapshot—our second annual nationally representative survey gauging how Americans view The American Dream, issues of equality, and priorities of public policy. After discussing the survey’s key findings and results, Gonzalo goes on to discuss what he’s learned after working on economic mobility for the past five years and where the field should go next.

Archbridge Institute Director of Programs Ben Wilterdink talks with Mason M. Bishop, an adjunct fellow at AEI and the owner and principal at WorkED Consulting LLC, where he works on federal and state workforce development and higher education policies, practices, and programs. From 2001 to 2007, Mason served as deputy assistant secretary for employment and training at the US Department of Labor. Before that he coordinated the legislative efforts to create Utah’s Department of Workforce...