E33 Professor Paul Starr

We had the honor of sitting down with Professor Paul Starr, the Stuart Chair in Communications and Public Affairs at Princeton and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. So it comes as no surprise that he is a leading scholar across countless fields, including democracy, healthcare, and media. We began our conversation discussing his new work, American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now, which can be purchased now! We chatted about what drove Professor Starr to this project, the oscillating clash between the politics of revolution and the politics of revenge, and how these historical forces continue to shape our democracy today. We also chatted about the ongoing tariff wars and the implications for Canada and U.S. relations, before transitioning to universal healthcare. Drawing on his experience as senior health policy advisor to President Clinton during the Health Security Act push, we spoke about the forces that have prevented the United States from adopting such a system and the future of healthcare reform in the Trump era. Lastly, we spoke about media, a subject in which Professor Starr has plenty of experience, having co-founded The American Prospect, one of the most prominent public-policy magazines. We spoke about the degradation of the media landscape, the growing vulnerability of democracies to disinformation, and how to preserve trust while advancing genuine pluralistic debates on public policy. To wrap things up, we also got to learn about the Renaissance man side of Professor Starr and why he is truly a “trespasser” across disciplines! Check it out!