Season 8 of the Academy’s podcast, The We Society, the first to be 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 expert guests and public figures from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their evidence-led solutions to some of society’s most pressing problems.
Will said, “I’m very excited to be hosting season 8 of the We Society podcast, the first to be produced in collaboration with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust. I’ve had the pleasure of discussing topical research and evidence with leading social science academics and practitioners, and public figures, highlighting just how vital and important the social sciences are to addressing societal challenges and shaping the way we live. I hope listeners find this season’s conversations as thought-provoking and inspiring as I have.”
The first episode, released today, features Will in conversation with Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation, discussing the economic inactivity crisis in the UK. Gavin draws on his expertise as an economist and policy leader, to highlight the causes, consequences, and the implications for us all of economic inactivity, as well as the possible solutions to this issue. Gavin particularly focuses on the nearly 1 million young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs), many of which have a long term health condition, and the consequences of this for them, their families and wider society. He said, “This is not a short-term acute crisis this is a chronic crisis. This is young people who have got a health issue, many of them are going to need different types of support alongside employment opportunities. So, we’re going to have to tailor a package for this generation which is going to feel different to the packages that governments have come up with in the past.”
Other guests this season include Lisa Harker (Nuffield Family Justice Observatory), Professor Katy Hayward FAcSS (Queen’s University Belfast), Professor Alison Liebling (University of Cambridge), Professor Tom Shakespeare (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Professor Eleanor Shaw FAcSS (University of Strahclyde) and Professor Andy Tatem FAcSS (University of Southampton), discussing big issues ranging from reform in the UK prison system, and what we can learn from the latest research in entrepreneurship, to how the social sciences further our understanding of disability, and how pioneering approaches to using big data can help us reach the sustainable development goals.
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 50 episodes of the past seven 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.