Persuasion seems conspicuously absent from our politics.  Not shouting, denouncing, or trying to convince the “other side” that they’re wrong, evil, or both.  But the good faithed attempt to reach the hearts, minds, and emotions of others and persuade them to our point of view.  Why?  Why is persuasion so hard?  And is it even possible to persuade in an era of political polarization?

Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis welcomes fellow “Josh”—Josh Bandoch—on the show to discuss his latest book, How to Get What You Want: Mastering the Art and Science of Persuasion, and to explore how persuasion can engage with how the human brain is actually wired.

About Josh Bandoch

Bio from Illinois Policy

Josh Bandoch is the Head of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute.

His research focuses on empowering people to rise out of poverty, increasing social mobility, improving housing affordability, and removing barriers to opportunity (e.g. burdensome regulations). His work has appeared in popular outlets like National Review, Real Clear Policy, RealClearMarkets, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain’s Chicago Business, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, and Discourse, as well as peer-reviewed journals like Political Studies. He regularly appears in the media to discuss these and other policy issues, and speaks regularly at local and national events.

He is the author of The Politics of Place: Montesquieu, Particularism, and the Pursuit of Liberty (University of Rochester Press, 2017), which has received numerous positive reviews. He’s currently working with his literary agent to submit his book manuscript on persuasion to publishers. He’s using his persuasion research to develop strategies to advocate for policies that expand freedom and prosperity.

Josh is a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network – a policy education and professional development program for state-based leaders in public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Before joining IPI, Josh was a Research Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a speechwriter for numerous senior government officials, a strategic communications consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, and a postdoctoral fellow at Brown University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He earned his bachelor’s in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame.

To learn more about Josh, check out his website joshuabandoch.com