Jacob Hacker is director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and a professor of political science at Yale University. He is the author of The Great Risk Shift: The Assault on American Jobs, Families, Health Care, and Retirement and How You Can Fight Back, Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer--and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class and American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper. He is the editor of Health at Risk: America's Ailing Health System--and How to Heal It.
Hacker is a former co-director of the Center for Health, Economic, and Family Security at the University of California, Berkeley.
Jacob Hacker on KCRW
More from KCRW
North Tustin wants its own zip code to pay fewer taxes
Orange CountyResidents of North Tustin say sharing a zip code with Santa Ana raises their taxes. A proposal aims to give them their own.
Will Trump or Harris win undecided voters?
Election 2024The final campaign days are here. How are early voters affecting candidate strategies? Plus, the panel discusses how abortion rights may change the Nevada battleground.
Why can’t Los Angeles fix its broken sidewalks?
ArchitectureLA spends tens of millions of dollars settling sidewalk injury lawsuits each year. But the city says that actually fixing the sidewalks would cost more.
Will Trump’s ABC lawsuit put pressure on the media?
PoliticsShould media outlets be concerned about free press under Trump? What were the biggest stories of the year? Plus, the panel answers questions from listeners.
Why are public health experts wary of RFK Jr. as HHS head?
PoliticsWhat can we expect if RFK Jr. becomes health secretary? Will Trump take action on Dreamers? Plus, KCRW analyzes how progressives influenced the Democratic mandate.
Why does 2025 feel a lot like 1981?
PoliticsWill the Senate defer to Trump on Cabinet nominees? Why does the transition to Trump’s second term feel familiar? KCRW looks at what’s ahead for 2025.
The enviable life of a true American publisher
PoliticsFewer people in the world had access to the personal moments experienced by Steve Wasserman, Heyday Books publisher, former LA Times Book Review editor and former editor at several of…
Trump and Harris try distancing themselves from campaign mistakes
PoliticsKCRW provides an election outlook with a week to go. Can the electorate stop being driven by hate? Plus, what was the Washington Post’s real mistake?
Voters feel less polarized post-Trump win, unlike divided Democratic Party
PoliticsNew polling shows Americans feel less divided post-election. Can Donald Trump “end all wars” this term? Plus, KCRW analyzes the future of the progressive agenda.