Season 9 of the Academy’s podcast, The We Society, produced in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust, has begun today.
Hosted by acclaimed author, journalist and the Academy’s President Will Hutton FAcSS, The We Society invites guests from the world of social science, including academics, public figures and business leaders, to explore the stories behind the news and hear their evidence-led solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges.
Will said, “The We Society is a simple formula. A leading social scientist – or public figure with a social science background – takes the opportunity we offer to set out their thinking on one of the great societal challenges we face. It could vary from how to inoculate ourselves against misinformation or how to lift children out of poverty, and I try to draw the best of their thoughts out of them. Each podcast is compelling listening and the We Society is finding a growing following. I find them nothing short of inspiring. This season really is a must-listen – do join us.”
The first episode, released today, features Will in conversation with Professor Lucy Easthope. They explore the hidden world of emergency planning, how disaster recovery has changed as a result of what we have learned from many recent disasters, and the importance of community responses and the emotional significance of preserving personal belongings after a disaster. Lucy is one of the UK’s leading experts on disaster recovery and Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard at the University of Durham. She draws on her expertise as an international adviser on the recovery of various disasters including the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, the Salisbury Poisonings, the Grenfell Tower fire and the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said, “I am a fan of the checklist, the thing that takes you to the next place. And, also, the role of the plan as a psychological device to calm everybody down. So, the value of something like a meeting agenda, regardless of the type of incident. I think it’s been a huge window into the world having so much social media because people ask me questions all the time and people think we’re very much more scenario dependent than we are as planners. The plan is designed to fit multiple types of emergency.”
Other topics this season offer expert insights into how to support families through the cost-of-living crisis, how to reduce child poverty in the UK, how to design cities that are inclusive for all ages, how forensic linguistics helps to solve crimes, how to inoculate ourselves against misinformation, the changing nature of travel in a changing world, and China in a changing geopolitical climate.
Our other guests this season include Alex Beer (Assistant Director of Strategy at the Nuffield Foundation), Professor Tine Buffel FAcSS (University of Manchester), travel journalist and broadcaster Simon Calder, Professor Tim Grant FAcSS (Aston University), Eleanor Ireland (Programme Head, Education at the Nuffield Foundation), Dr Julia King (LSE), Professor Sander van der Linden FAcSS (University of Cambridge) and Professor Rana Mitter FBA (University of Oxford).
New episodes will be released every Wednesday and listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the podcast on their preferred platform so they don’t miss an episode. All 58 episodes of the past eight seasons, featuring guests including Hillary Clinton, Ai Weiwei, Professor Mariana Mazzuccato FAcSS, Professor Gary Younge FAcSS, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are available to listen now.