Join host Will Hutton for Season 5 of the We Society from March to hear more ideas that shape the world we live . In this podcast series, you will hear interviews from social scientists, business leaders and public figures to hear their solutions to society's most pressing issues. Tell us who we should be speaking to or what questions we should be asking by emailing wesociety@acss.org.uk This podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences....
Feb 01, 2024•3 min•Season 4Ep. 9
For the final episode of Season 4, we have one of the chief architects of Britain's Levelling Up agenda: Andy Haldane. A fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences who brings you this podcast, Andy is in the middle of an illustrious career, from chief economist of the Bank of England to chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts. He has put Social Science in motion throughout his whole career. In this episode, Andy speaks to host Will Hutton about his involvement in the Government's Levelling Up...
Nov 22, 2023•38 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Professor Lucie Cluver has spent her career improving the lot of children, especially during times of crisis. Whether that's the AIDS pandemic or the Covid pandemic, Professor Cluver has been at the coalface and in this episode she talks about her time working as a social worker in South Africa all the way through to her work as Professor of Child and Family Social Work at the University of Oxford From 2010 - 2012, she ran the Young Carers Study, which looked at the impact of being a 'young care...
Nov 15, 2023•28 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Minette Batters, President of the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales, represents an estimated 55,000 farmers and farm workers. She has changed the course of history as the first woman to become president of the NFU. Every single person in the UK owes a debt to our farmers - they ensure food is on our tables every single day, but there appears to be a dissonance in our minds of what’s on our supermarket shelves, and the producers behind our food. Outside of the NFU, Minette runs a tenan...
Nov 08, 2023•30 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Sir Andrew Dilnot is an economist who believes that statistics hold a key role in lessening inequality and making Britain fairer. He is now the warden of Nuffield College Oxford - a graduate college specialising in the social sciences. Before Nuffield, he was at the Institute for Fiscal Studies where he was the Director of the UK's leading independent economics research institute. A fierce advocate for statistics, he believes that data is at the heart of solving a whole raft of issues whether th...
Nov 01, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Ann Pettifor is an economist who is perhaps most famous for predicting the Global Financial Crisis two years before it happened. But Ann is not just a savant, but a change maker. She was a core voice in the successful international campaign to cancel billions in debt accumulated by the Global South to mark the new millennium. And in 2008, she co-authored the report, A Green New Deal, which laid out plans for better regulation of the financial system while pursuing green objectives. It's a progra...
Oct 25, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Neil Adger, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Exeter, examines human movement as a strategy and adaptation to climate change . From the Somerset levels to Chittagong in Bangladesh, he's traversed the globe to discover why some communities are more climate resilient than others. But it’s not just physical changes that Neil has been studying. While climate disasters such as flooding can cause financial turmoil for a family, they can also wreak long-term psychological harm. His team...
Oct 18, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Economist Daniel Susskind has been studying the nature of work and automation for years, long before ChatGPT entered the chat. But Daniel's work has never been more important with AI progressing at seemingly breakneck speed. As a research professor in Economics at King's College London and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, he is one of the foremost experts on AI and work. He joins host Will Hutton as they delve into how livelihoods are set to cha...
Oct 11, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Vivienne Stern is the chief executive of Universities UK, a membership organisation that represents 140 UK universities. In this role, she's had to weather a raft of challenges from Brexit to the Covid pandemic. Host Will Hutton joins her in this conversation where they delve into just how important universities are for Britain, and how these treasured institutions can be protected for future generations. This is the first episode of Season 4 of the We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social ...
Oct 04, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 1
The We Society returns on Wednesday (4 October) for Season 4. Expect to hear more conversations on ideas that shape the world we live from the world of Social Science. Our host, Will Hutton, is speaking to: Vivienne Stern from Universities UK, Daniel Susskind on the future of work in the age of AI, Neil Adger on the ongoing climate crisis, Ann Pettifor on global debt and many other fantastic guests. So join us from Wednesday and don't forget to subscribe so you're the first to know when a new ep...
Sep 29, 2023•2 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Our host, Will Hutton, chooses some 'must listen' moments from the past three seasons featuring Hillary Clinton, Ai Weiwei, Mariana Mazzuccato, Gary Younge, and Heaven Crawley. To listen to the full episodes, you can find them all on the We Society page on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back in the Autumn with a roster of new guests who are changing the world for the better with the help of the Social Sciences. Hosted by journalist and Academy President Will Hutton, w...
Aug 10, 2023•41 min•Ep. 7
Novelist Ian McEwan is one of Britain's finest fiction writers whose canon of work has won him the Booker Prize amongst countless other awards and accolades. He joins host Will Hutton as they delve into a discussion on freedom, writing, and the importance of Social Science for human progress. This is the final episode of season 3 of The We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social Sciences which tackles the big questions through a social science lens and brings you some of the best ideas to sha...
May 25, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Kenan Malik is an Observer columnist, a political thinker, and a seasoned broadcaster whose work mainly focuses on moral ethics and racism. He joins host Will Hutton in a wide-ranging discussion on racism following the publication of his latest book, Not So Black and White: A History of Race. In this conversation, Kenan sets out his case that racism is a modern concept that emerged from a post-Englightenment world. He explains how, in his view, racism could end and how the answer isn’t found in ...
May 18, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Professor Nicholas Crafts is an economic historian whose work engages with contemporary Britain. He joins host Will Hutton in a wide-ranging conversation that starts with the long-term merits of Britain’s Industrial Revolution and ends with how Artificial Intelligence could usher in a new Industrial Revolution. In this discussion, Professor Crafts sets out his view that Britain’s Industrial Revolution may have hindered us in the long run and explains what we can learn from the past in making the...
May 11, 2023•33 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Professor Louise Mansfield has dedicated her working career to improving the physical and mental health of the nation through her research on sport and exercise. She tells host Will Hutton how sport engagement is a microcosm of society by reflecting existing inequalities. They delve into issues around gender stereotypes, class, and access to facilities in this fascinating conversation along with an exploration of the London 2012 Olympic legacy. They talk about how her recent research in Hounslow...
May 04, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Polly Neate is the CEO of Shelter, a charity which champions housing and tenant rights in Britain. She joins Will Hutton in a conversation that touches on the critical need for more social housing, the spiralling number of rough sleepers, the need for a radical rethink in landownership practices, and how we perceive housing in the UK. She brings us solutions that could see an end to 120,000 Children waking up homeless every day. Before her role at Shelter, Polly Neate headed the women’s domestic...
Apr 27, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Professor Heaven Crawley has spent the past few decades leading the research on migration at some of the world’s top universities. She joins host Will Hutton to dispel the myths about the 3.5% of the world’s population who are on the move. While migration might seem like a problem that only concerns the Global North, it certainly isn’t. Most people escaping famine, inequality or war settle in neighbouring countries. And in this episode, Professor Crawley sets out her solutions to the ongoing mig...
Apr 20, 2023•38 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Join host Will Hutton for Season 3 of the We Society which launches in April to hear more ideas that shape the world we live . From how we can tackle homelessness to rebooting our stagnating economy, the podcast will encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of The We Society. In this podcast series, you will hear interviews from the top social scientists in our country. Tell us who we should be speaking to, or what questions we should be asking by emailing wesociety@acss.org.u...
Mar 17, 2023•3 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Ai Weiwei is a father, an artist, and a dissident who refuses to be silenced. He has exhibited worldwide and has gained a reputation for creating fearless artworks with a humanitarian spirit. He joins journalist Will Hutton for the final episode of Season 2 of the We Society where they discuss the possible threats to Taiwan from China, his years of exile growing up in North West China with his poet father, and the importance of protecting humanity through art. The We Society podcast on ideas tha...
Dec 12, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Becky Francis has dedicated her life to improving education. She is the chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, an independent charity that supports schools, nurseries, and colleges to improve teaching and learning. Before that, she was Director of the UCL Institute of Education at University College London. If anyone knows how the school system in the UK is doing, it’s Becky Francis and she joins Will Hutton in conversation for our penultimate episode of this season. The We Socie...
Dec 05, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Professor Ann Phoenix is a psychologist whose work at UCL Institute of Education focuses on psychosocial processes and social identities. She joins host Will Hutton to discuss the relevance of intersectionality, and how some young single mothers thrive while others flounder. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of ...
Nov 28, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Torsten Bell is the Chief Executive Officer of the Resolution Foundation, a think-tank whose aim is to improve the lot of the ordinary person in Britain. Never far from the airwaves, Torsten takes the conversation deeper with host Will Hutton as they ponder what makes Britain a ‘stagnation nation’. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and c...
Nov 21, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Professor Mike Berners-Lee is an author and a Professor at the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University. His work for the past few decades has focused on how to tackle the worsening climate emergency. Mike joins Will Hutton to discuss how there has to be a global shift in our values for us to have a chance of reversing climate change. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and h...
Nov 14, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Professor Greg Clark is an urbanist and author who has worked with more than 300 cities across the world. He talks to host Will Hutton about how cities are at the front line of the climate change challenge and why they are so important for our future. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of The We Society. This pod...
Nov 07, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In the second episode of season 2 of the We Society podcast, Professor Linda Bauld, public health specialist and advisor to the Scottish Government, joins us to reflect on Britain's response to the Covid pandemic. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of The We Society. This podcast is brought to you by the Academy ...
Oct 31, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Professor Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London joins us to talk about all things Ukraine. The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of The We Society. This podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences. Tell us who we should be speaking to, or what questions we shou...
Oct 31, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The We Society podcast on ideas that shape the world we live in. From countering social inequality to rebooting public services, host Will Hutton and his guests encourage you to think critically and collectively, as part of The We Society. This podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences. Tell us who we should be speaking to, or what questions we should be asking by emailing wesociety@acss.org.uk
Oct 24, 2022•4 min•Season 1Ep. 9
We bring to you a short re-cap of Season 1 of the We Society, brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences before Season 2 is released in October.
Sep 02, 2022•5 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In our final episode of the season, Professor Michael Bradshaw of Warwick University talks to Will Hutton about our faltering energy markets and what might be on the horizon. We'll be returning in the Autumn, so until then, thanks for listening!
Jul 19, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In the penultimate episode of this season from the Academy of Social Sciences, economist Professor Mariana Mazzucato invites Will Hutton to her department at University College London to explain how the public sector could be reshaped to benefit everyone.
Jul 12, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 6
