RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor and journalist Ian Leslie are joined by this year's winner of the Nobel prize for economics (shared with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer), Esther Duflo . Duflo is co-author of Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems and Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT, where she is co-director of the Poverty Action Lab. In this wide-ranging interview she makes the case for how economics, when done right, can he...
Nov 19, 2019•44 min•Ep. 42
Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie dissect new (and sometimes controversial) research on the divide between 'anarchists' and 'centrists'; the voters who live for drama; and the real reasons people share misleading news stories online. Plus, the similarities and differences between US and UK public opinion, as Matthew meets two of the top researchers from either side of the pond: director of the Pew Research Center, Michael Dimock ; and director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, Bobby ...
Oct 10, 2019•38 min•Ep. 41
The RSA's Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, look back on the week in which BBC Parliament had more plot twists than Line of Duty.
Sep 07, 2019•29 min•Ep. 40
Matthew Taylor is joined by a live Wilderness Festival audience and John Harris from The Guardian to explore the battle between the politics of hope and the politics of fear. Hope can be a great motivating force in politics. And so can fear. In January, the teenage climate campaigner Greta Thunberg told the grown-ups at Davos: “I don’t want your hope. I want you to panic. And then I want you to act.” But on climate change and many other issues, fear can turn into fatalism. So how can we remain h...
Aug 06, 2019•38 min•Ep. 39
Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor analyse Theresa May’s final major speech as prime minister and Donald Trump’s latest racist statements, and try to predict what might happen in the first weeks of a new PM. Everything is unlikely, but something has to happen. So we grade some previous predictions and have a go at making some new ones. Plus, a new theory: the four paths to polarisation. Twitter: Matthew Taylor Ian Leslie Produced by James Shield . Brought to you by the RSA ....
Jul 19, 2019•41 min•Ep. 38
Just as our reality has seemed to take a dystopian turn, there’s been a resurgence of political imagination. Utopian dreams have returned to the forefront of our politics. How achievable are these utopias, especially when they collide with the realities of power and government? And what can we learn from past attempts to make dreams into reality? Guests: James Meadway , former economic policy adviser to shadow chancellor John McDonnell Gregory Claeys, professor of the history of political though...
Jun 22, 2019•45 min•Ep. 37
Matthew Taylor speaks to French political journalist Marie Le Conte about the European elections, French politics and being in the eye of a Twitter storm; and Paul Mason sets out the dual threats of fascism and fatalism. Share this episode Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Produced by James Shield . Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)....
May 31, 2019•44 min•Ep. 36
At long last, for a few weeks in April, climate breakdown finally seemed to be at the top of the political agenda. Extinction Rebellion shut down the streets. School children walked out of classes in protest at inaction from the grown-ups. Politicians – some of them, anyway – declared a climate emergency. Does this surge of interest mark a real shift in public opinion and political will? Can the energy behind it be harnessed? And can our politicians unite against climate change in time to stop t...
May 18, 2019•47 min•Ep. 35
Is religion still shaping our politics? And has its decline led to a wider search for meaning in public life? Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield, director of the think tank Theos. Plus, reflections on the one of the hardest questions in European politics right now: 'what's happening?' Links The Times, 16 April 2019: Americans lose their taste for going to church Theos think tank European Council on Foreign Relations: What Europeans Really Want: Five Myths Debunked Pro...
May 03, 2019•38 min•Ep. 34
Insights from three of the world's leading thinkers on how political and societal change happens: presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, 'Nudge' author Cass Sunstein, and philosopher Roberto Unger. Plus, the story of how a bar fight in the House of Commons may have inadvertently changed the course of British political history… Presented by Matthew Taylor . Featuring: Doris Kearns Goodwin , Pulitzer Prize-winning author and America’s pre-eminent presidential historian. Author of Leadership:...
Apr 20, 2019•38 min•Ep. 33
We’re living through the biggest backlash against neoliberalism for 40 years, and the biggest crisis over Britain’s relationship with Europe since the Second World War. Climate breakdown and new technologies present major threats to the way we live and work. So against that backdrop, where does the politics of conservatism – and its relationship with capitalism – go next? Presented by Matthew Taylor . Guests Economic historian Jacob Field , author of Is Capitalism Working? Commentator and LBC br...
Apr 05, 2019•55 min•Ep. 32
From climate change to vaccines, there’s a worrying tendency in our culture to bury our heads in the sand, and for a growing number of people to turn their backs on the truth. At its most dangerous, denialism can shade into extremism. Denialism is fundamentally a rejection of reality, but what drives it? What does it say about our psychology that sometimes we need to protect ourselves from what’s really going on? And what should we do about the malign online forces that are driving more people t...
Mar 21, 2019•41 min•Ep. 31
Commentators say the financial crisis and its aftermath sounded the death knell for centrist parties. Is the centre ground of British politics really dead, or could it make a comeback? And what does the ‘centre’ even mean these days? This week, Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor discuss the Independent Group, before talking to the political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol about public opinion and the centre. Plus: what is Tom Watson up to? Links Which values clan do you belo...
Mar 12, 2019•35 min•Ep. 30
Has the opening up of political parties been a vital force for change, or bad for democracy as a whole? How can politicians represent both their party members and the voters? Is it game over for the old party politics of left vs right, and for the old party establishment? This week Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are putting political parties in the spotlight. Guests: Ian Shapiro , co-author of Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself and professor of political science at Yale Isra Alliso...
Feb 25, 2019•34 min•Ep. 29
This week Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor are asking: what's the best way to talk to people we disagree with? If we want to understand the other side – to bridge divides, or even persuade people we disagree with to think differently – what’s the best way to do that? With Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel, and Maria Exner, deputy editor of German news website Zeit Online. Produced by James Shield. Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)....
Feb 13, 2019•39 min•Ep. 28
Two days after the biggest government defeat in the history of the British parliament, Matthew Taylor makes the case for another form of democracy that might help sort out the mess. With James Fishkin and David Runciman. Links The RSA's campaign for deliberative democracy James Fishkin's talk at the RSA Amazon: ' Democracy When the People Are Thinking: Revitalizing Our Politics Through Public Deliberation ' by James S. Fishkin David Runciman's talk at the RSA Talking Politics podcast Produced by...
Jan 17, 2019•31 min•Ep. 27
The phrase ‘identity politics’ has come to be used as a sort of political insult. It’s a short way of accusing someone of pandering to voters – based on race, religion or gender. From white nationalists and Donald Trump, to the politics of liberation and demands for equal rights, it feels like everyone is playing identity politics these days. Conflicts between identity groups now dominate our politics. How did we get here? Is the rise of identity politics really that big a problem? And if it is,...
Dec 24, 2018•37 min•Ep. 26
Is tribalism an indelible part of human nature? And if it is, can we overcome it? Matthew Taylor speaks to moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and The Coddling of the American Mind . Plus, Ian and Matthew discuss the recent protests in France, and we ask why the British people have claimed responsibility for 55% of all world history… Links Washington Post: The top 10 reasons American politics are so broken , by Jonathan Haidt and Sam Abrams, January 2015 The Coddling ...
Dec 06, 2018•34 min•Ep. 25
It's been a turbulent week in UK politics. What could possibly happen next? Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie talk Brexit predictions, and whether constant news updates are doing us any good. That brings us on to a discussion about the stories we tell ourselves – fake news, and the importance of myths – before Matthew tests out his new 'theory of everything', and we ask whether all of our society's problems stem from a yearning for solidarity and belonging. Links Ian Leslie on fake news – New States...
Nov 21, 2018•32 min•Ep. 24
Is democracy falling apart? How worried should we be? And how can we fix it? With Niheer Dasandi, author of 'Is Democracy Failing?', and Eliane Glaser, author of 'Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State'. Links Matthew Taylor's blog: Could politics ever be a source of wisdom rather than anxiety? Is Democracy Failing? by Niheer Dasandi Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State Ian Leslie in the New Statesman: Why the invention of the f...
Nov 01, 2018•28 min•Ep. 23
Have feelings taken over the world? Have we lost our collective grip on rationality? And what can a panic about nothing at Oxford Circus last year tell us about our relationship with the truth? With author of 'Nervous States', William Davies . Plus a recommendation for another podcast (because we're generous like that) about social network theory. Links Nervous States - Penguin Books How feelings took over the world | Culture | The Guardian Dastardly Cleverness episode featuring Mirta Galesic Pr...
Oct 18, 2018•35 min•Ep. 22
Anger is all the rage, but is anger itself the problem? Some people say we need to push back against anger in our politics, and respond with tranquil civility. But what if anger is the only rational response to a crisis in our democracy, and crumbling political norms? Claire Fox, director of the Academy of Ideas, joins Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie to discuss anger, snowflakes, and inevitably, Brexit. Links Martha Nussbaum's piece, 'Powerlessness and the Politics of Blame' David Adler in the New...
Aug 24, 2018•30 min•Ep. 21
Is it really true that we all live in our own echo chambers? Fake news and the filter bubble, post-truth and alternative facts… Are we all, as President Obama put it, ‘absorbing an entirely different reality’? In this episode we’re asking: Is our sense of a shared reality becoming even more fragile? And is fragmentation of the media the cause – or just the symptom – of our polarised politics? With guest Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at ...
Jul 25, 2018•27 min•Ep. 20
Are economic divides to blame for everything else that’s broken in our politics? Does 'economic anxiety' explain the Trump and Brexit votes? And what deeper cultural undercurrents are at play in unequal societies? Ian and Matthew speak to Faiza Shaheen , director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) about inequalities in the UK and the US. And Matthew interviews the Emmy-winning director and photographer Lauren Greenfield , whose new documentary ' Generation Wealth ' (out in the U...
Jun 28, 2018•36 min•Ep. 19
The third episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them. In this episode: Is it inevitable that the internet and social media drive us to the extremes? Or do they just hold up a mirror to an already rotten culture? And we explore the dark side of the internet – trolls, racist memes, hate-filled comment sections and increasin...
Jun 20, 2018•29 min•Ep. 18
The second episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them. In this episode they ask: How effective were Cambridge Analytica's methods? Can ‘psychographic microtargeting’ really swing elections and referendums? And is it already driving a wedge in our politics? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android Produced by James...
Jun 12, 2018•34 min•Ep. 17
The first episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them. They start by asking the sociologist Paula Surridge whether we've become a nation divided into two tribes: liberals and authoritarians. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android Produced by James Shield, with production help from Alex Atack in Bristol. Artwork d...
May 18, 2018•31 min•Ep. 16
A trailer for the new podcast series from the RSA: 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them.
May 11, 2018•2 min•Ep. 15
Rachel O’Brien talks to ‘Tom’ – not his real name – who although still young, has spent nearly half of his life inside. Despite some fantastic governors and staff, the prison service is still under acute pressure due to cuts in funding and staffing. Ironically, the officer due to join us for this episode was unable to do so because of an incident in the prison where he now works. Rachel talks to ‘Tom’ about the nature of prisoners’ relationships with frontline staff, and whether or not the priso...
Mar 06, 2018•22 min•Ep. 14
Having been convicted for trafficking, CJ served her sentence in Japan and the UK. Studying a law degree through the Open University, CJ now works for SOS, part of the St. Giles Trust, a charity working to break the cycle of reoffending. While still in prison, the Longford Trust matched CJ with Jessica Jones, a barrister working in human rights law. She is CJ’s career mentor. Rachel O’Brien sat down with CJ and Jessica to talk about their relationship, and what they’ve learned from each other. “...
Mar 06, 2018•26 min•Ep. 13
