About this episode
Vanessa S. Williamson discusses the importance of taxes for a functioning democracy and the historical context of taxation in America.
Nobody enjoys paying taxes, but how would our nation function without them? Vanessa S. Williamson is a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of taxation in this country, why your hard-earned tax dollars are critical to a functioning democracy, and why low taxes might mean lower interest in getting your civic needs met. Her book is “ The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
People in this episode
Host: Krys Boyd
Guest: Vanessa S. Williamson
Topics covered
- taxation
- democracy
- civic engagement
- history of taxation
- government funding
Keywords
- taxes
- democracy
- civic needs
- government
- tax policy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Brookings, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center
Books & works: The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History
More episodes of Think from KERA
- The secular saints of Civil Rights · June 12, 2026 · 47 min
- Soccer is expensive, but it doesn’t make money · June 11, 2026 · 46 min
- Pope Leo finds his voice · June 10, 2026 · 46 min
- The pathogens thriving because of climate change · June 9, 2026 · 47 min
- The drug that's deadlier than opioids · June 8, 2026 · 47 min
- The heart and heartbreak of the American South · June 5, 2026 · 46 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Think from KERA podcast page.