{"podcast":{"title":"Defending Ideas","slug":"defending-ideas-6476805","podcast_index_feed_id":6476805,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910917/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://defendingideas.org/","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/2d8d8ed650ae1e51d4ca0cfbd5a2a62d.jpg","author":"Sutherland Institute","episode_count":150,"summary":"Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org .","last_synced_at":"2026-06-10T02:17:22.462995+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/defending-ideas-6476805"},"episode":{"title":"America’s safety net needs an aspirational vision","slug":"america-s-safety-net-needs-an-aspirational-vision","published_at":"2026-04-28T11:50:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/defending-ideas-6476805/america-s-safety-net-needs-an-aspirational-vision","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/defending-ideas-6476805","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/america-s-safety-net-needs-an-aspirational-vision--71679549","audio_url":"https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71679549/di_podcast_144_full.mp3","summary":"America’s safety net wasn’t designed all at once. It was built piece by piece over decades, and that may be part of the problem. On this episode of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn asks what real progress in social welfare reform should look like and whether it’s time to rethink the system from the ground up. He explores how benefit cliffs and program fragmentation can hold families back, why states like Utah are already leading the way on reform, and how new approaches could better support upward mobility and long-term independence. Show notes: State Innovation to Address Benefit Cliffs Stranded by the Safety Net: How to Fix the Benefit Cliff Problem Sutherland Institute's Work & Opportunity Initiative Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.","meta_description":"America’s safety net wasn’t designed all at once. It was built piece by piece over decades, and that may be part of the problem. On this episode of Defend…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":691,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/defending-ideas-6476805/episodes/america-s-safety-net-needs-an-aspirational-vision/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/defending-ideas-6476805/america-s-safety-net-needs-an-aspirational-vision.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}