Filter by:

The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Politics & Society

Lavin’s politics and society speakers are chosen for their ability to cut through spin, bridge the left-right divide, and deliver informed, comprehensive commentary: what are the political trends, how do they affect your industry, and what’s next?

33 Politics & Society
Speakers

Yaël Eisenstat

Former National Security Official | Former Facebook Elections Integrity Head | Berggruen Institute Future of Democracy Fellow | Anti-Defamation League VP

We can—and must—realign technology to better serve democracy.

Jonathan Metzl

Physician | Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University | Award-winning author of Dying of Whiteness

Gun violence is a symptom of our nation's unresolved conflicts. We need to step back and think of the broader questions if we want to build a better, healthier world.

Stephen Marche

Novelist and Culture Writer | Author of The Next Civil War

ChatGPT is blurring the line between human and machine—which means uniquely human creativity is more important now than ever before.

Jay Van Bavel

PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND NEURAL SCIENCE AT NYU | AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF The Power of Us

We gain so much more from working together than apart.

David Wallace-Wells

Bestselling author of The Uninhabitable Earth | New York Times columnist

The most important driver of climate change is human action. We have our hands on those levers.

Andrew Marantz

New Yorker Writer | Author of Antisocial

Social media is what we make it—here’s how we can use it to create a kinder, more imaginative world.

Marc L. Busch

Expert On International Trade Policy and Law | Renowned International Trade Policy Professor

Trade affects every company—But few companies understand its full implications for their business.

Emily Bazelon

New York Times bestselling author of Charged | New York Times Magazine staff writer | Political Gabfest co-host

Justice in America is at a crossroads. We have the opportunity to forge a better, fairer future.

Robb Willer

Prof. of Social Psychology & Organizational Behavior at Stanford | Director of the Polarization and Social Change Lab

Trying to get someone to see your side? Start by connecting it to their underlying moral values.

Jared Diamond

Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, and Upheaval

Nations and individuals share the same techniques to survive a crisis—and thrive beyond it.

Kwame Anthony Appiah

One of America's leading public intellectuals | President of the American Academy of Arts & Letters

Honor and shame can be used to change the world for the better.

Danielle Wood

Director of MIT’s Space Enabled Research Lab | Assistant Prof. of Media Arts and Sciences

Space technology is imperative for sustainable development on Earth—and for the benefit of all.

James Robinson

FAMED ECONOMIST AND POLITICAL SCIENTIST | Co-author of Why Nations Fail

A nation's prosperity relies on its institutions: the more inclusive, the better.

Derek Thompson

Host of Plain English | Bestselling author of Hit Makers | Staff writer at The Atlantic

The winners of the market are those who can capture attention in an age of distraction.

John Ibbitson

AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF EMPTY PLANET

Contrary to popular belief, the world’s population is shrinking, not growing—and we need to prepare.

George Packer

Bestselling author of The Unwinding and Last Best Hope | The Atlantic staff writer

The passion for equality is the "hidden code" that will drive us toward a unified America.

Naomi Klein

Internationally bestselling author of On Fire, This Changes Everything, The Shock Doctrine, and No Logo

The climate crisis isn't only fighting for a greener planet—it's fighting for our lives.

David Rohde

Online News Director, The New Yorker | Two-Time Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

Our political dynamic—toxic, dispiriting, polarized—is increasingly dangerous, but can be reversed.

Anthony Wilson-Smith

CEO of Historica Canada | Former Editor-in-Chief at MacLean's

To find out how to best move towards the future, we must look to the past.

Yascha Mounk

Author of The Great Experiment and The People vs. Democracy | Contributing Editor at The Atlantic | Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins

Protecting democracy is our greatest challenge—diversity is our best hope.

Graeme Wood

National Correspondent for The Atlantic | Author of The Way of the Strangers

What does ISIS want? What’s it going to do next? And how do we stop it?

Matt Taibbi

New York Times bestselling author of Hate, Inc., Insane Clown President and The Divide | Rolling Stone Writer

We can counter the spread of misinformation in a post-truth era—if we’re smart about it.

Eric Klinenberg

Author of Palaces for the People and Going Solo

The future of democratic societies rests on shared values, and the social infrastructure to support them.

James Fallows

National Correspondent for The Atlantic | National Book Award Winner | Co-Author of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America

To fight false narratives and hyperbole, we must meet people where they live. Literally.

Ian Bremmer

Creator of The Wall Street Global Political Risk Index

To lead in a rapidly evolving world, we must embrace geopolitical risks and opportunities.

Chuck Klosterman

Renowned Cultural Critic | Author of Ten Books, Including Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

The goal of being alive is to figure out what it means to be alive.

Suki Kim

New York Times bestselling author of Without You, There Is No Us, Expert on North Korea

What can we learn from totalitarian regimes? And how can we connect with their human victims?

Lewis MacKenzie

One of the World’s Most Respected Military Heroes

The true mark of leadership is not how we handle the good times, but how we manage the bad.

Molly Crabapple

Award-winning artist and journalist | Author of Brothers of the Gun

Beauty is survival, not distraction—a way of fighting, a reason to fight.

Rick Mercer

Host of The Rick Mercer Report for 15 years | Author of Talking to Canadians and Rick Mercer Final Report | WINNER OF THE STEPHEN LEACOCK MEDAL FOR HUMOUR

Canada is a nation worth loving—and ranting about.

Steven Pinker

One of the world's top public intellectuals | Author of Rationality: WHAT IT IS, WHY IT SEEMS SCARCE, WHY IT MATTERS and Enlightenment Now | Harvard Professor

The world is getting better, not worse. The Enlightenment ideals of reason and science are a major reason why.

Deborah Fallows

Co-author of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey Into the Heart of America

Firsthand stories of America’s strength, ingenuity and grassroots growth.

Abdul El-Sayed

County Public Health Director | Author of Healing Politics and Medicare for All | Host of America Dissected

A great leader needs to find their unifying story—one that explains who they are to three key stakeholders: themselves, their team, and their future allies.