We are a month away from the U.S. presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Polls have consistently shown the candidates locked in a tight race, suggesting that voter turnout could be crucial in deciding the winner. Our guest today is Mindy Romero, director of the USC Price School’s Center for Inclusive Democracy. She has conducted research focused on turnout for voters of color, who remain under-represented at the polls despite substantial population growth. We’ll discuss her survey’s findings, what’s driving racial disparities in voter participation and how we can get more people to the ballot box.

In this episode, the PricePod goes to Hollywood. Since the turn of the century, dozens of states have collectively given billions of dollars in tax breaks for an unusual purpose: to subsidize the development of movies and TV shows. Local governments across the country offer tax breaks to attract film productions, which proponents say stimulate the economy with new jobs and spending. But are the subsidies good public policy? Michael Thom, an associate professor at the USC Price School, shares his research into whether the programs are meaningfully creating jobs and economic activity.

Are you feeling happy today? California lawmakers want to know. A newly formed legislative committee is taking on an unusual public policy challenge: They want to make California residents happier. Our guest today, Mark Baldassare, recently testified before the committee and shared his insights into how Californians are feeling. Baldassare, who is Senior Fellow at the USC Price School’s Bedrosian Center on Governance and statewide survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California, has surveyed Californians on their happiness. We’ll discuss his research into happiness, his advice to lawmakers, and why policymakers should care about how happy – or unhappy – constituents feel.