The We Society Podcast
Tackling the big questions through a social science lens, the We Society Podcast brings you some of the best ideas to shape the way we live.
Join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems.
The We Society is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.
Investing in the Early Years: Can policy catch up with evidence?
How do we get it right for children in the early years? To unpack this, Eleanor Ireland, Programme Head of Education at the Nuffield Foundation, joins Will Hutton to discuss how setting children up for better educational outcomes, and better health and employment prospects in later life, starts before birth and encompasses maternity services, health visitors and parenting support, as well as affordable high quality early education.
Available to listen now
Episodes from season 9 will be made available below as they are released:
- S9 Ep7: Investing in the Early Years: Can policy catch up with evidence?
- S9 Ep6: Can language convict a criminal? with Tim Grant
- S9 Ep5: Evidence for change: rethinking child poverty policy with Alex Beer
- S9 Ep4: Inoculating the mind: protecting against misinformation with Sander van der Linden
- S9 Ep3: Our love affair with travel with journalist Simon Calder
- S9 Ep2: Saving the 86 bus and designing better cities for the old and young with Tine Buffell and Julia King
- S9 Ep1: Emergency planning is more about tea than being James Bond with Lucy Easthope
All season 8 episodes listed below:
- S8 Ep8: Solving the Productivity Puzzle with Ed Balls, Anna Stansbury and Dan Turner
- S8 Ep7: The Social Life of Pain with Tom Shakespeare
- S8 Ep6: Borders, Brexit, and Fault Lines with Katy Hayward
- S8 Ep5: Care or Incarceration? How some of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being failed with Lisa Harker
- S8 Ep4: Taking entrepreneurship beyond business with Eleanor Shaw
- S8 Ep3: Population, Data & Destiny with Andy Tatem
- S8 Ep2: Morality in UK prisons with Alison Liebling
- S8 Ep1: How to get work working for everyone with Gavin Kelly
All season 7 episodes listed below:
- S7 Ep7: Keep Calm and Chill with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- S7 Ep6: Improving social mobility through education and language with Lee Elliot Major
- S7 Ep5: Tracking and stopping domestic abuse with Jane Monckton-Smith
- S7 Ep4: Should the 9 to 5 be a thing of the past? with Clare Kelliher and Brendan Burchell
- S7 Ep3: Making a responsible budget with Sir Robert Chote
- S7 Ep2: Anxiety, Artificial Intelligence and work with Anthony Elliott
- S7 Ep1: The future of liberal democracy with Anand Menon
All season 6 episodes listed below:
- S6 Ep7: Stopping hate crime with Matthew Williams and Neil Chakraborti
- S6 Ep6: Why the war on drugs has failed with Alex Stevens
- S6 Ep5: Improving adult education with Anna Vignoles
- S6 Ep4: The hidden army of young carers with Saul Becker
- S6 Ep3: How to make housing fair with Vicky Spratt and Auriol Miller
- S6 Ep2: Separating emotion from Brexit with Professor Sarah Hall
- S6 Ep1: Election 24 special with Will Hutton
All Season 5 episodes listed below:
- S5 Ep7: A life of public service with Lord Chris Patten
- S5 Ep6: Exposing the underbelly of Britain with Dr Ella Cockbain
- S5 Ep5: Protecting local councils with Professor Andy Pike
- S5 Ep4: Is geography destiny? with Professor Rosie McEachan
- S5 Ep3: We can't let our high streets fail with Dr Ed Jones
- S5 Ep2: How society disables us with Professor Anna Lawson and Dr Shani Dhanda
- S5 Ep1: Should governments care about wellbeing? with Professor Lord Richard Layard
All Season 4 episodes listed below:
- S4 Ep9: The We Society Season 5 trailer
- S4 Ep8: Levelling up isn't a pick n mix with Andy Haldane
- S4 Ep7: Helping children in a time of crisis with Lucie Cluver
- S4 Ep6: Food for thought with Minette Batters
- S4 Ep5: The case for public consumption with Sir Andrew Dilnot
- S4 Ep4: Cancelling the Global South's debt with Ann Pettifor
- S4 Ep3: Reframing the climate crisis narrative with Neil Adger
- S4 Ep2: Will Artificial Intelligence see us lose our jobs? with Daniel Susskind
- S4 Ep1: Do we value universities enough in Britain? with Vivienne Stern
All Season 3 episodes listed below:
- S3 Ep7: Summer recap with Hillary Clinton, Ai Weiwei and Gary Younge
- S3 Ep6: What does the future hold? With Ian McEwan
- S3 Ep5: The history of racism with Kenan Malik
- S3 Ep4: Artificial Intelligence and the next Industrial Revolution with Professor Nicholas Crafts
- S3 Ep3: Can sport change the wellbeing of the nation? With Professor Louise Mansfield
- S3 Ep2: Housing for living, not investment with Polly Neate
- S3 Ep1: Can migration drive development? With Professor Heaven Crawley
All Season 2 episodes listed below:
- S2 Ep8: Ai Weiwei: You're either protecting humanity or hurting it
- S2 Ep7: Becky Francis: Education, Education, Education
- S2 Ep6: Ann Phoenix: It takes a village to raise a child
- S2 Ep5: Torsten Bell: The UK is a stagnation nation
- S2 Ep4: Mike Berners-Lee: Market forces won’t solve climate change
- S2 Ep3: Greg Clark: Cities are our future
- S2 Ep2: Linda Bauld: We must do better for the next pandemic
- S2 Ep1: Sir Lawrence Freedman: Military defeat happens gradually then suddenly
All Season 1 episodes listed below:
- S1 Ep8: The We Society Season 1 Recap
- S1 Ep7: Michael Bradshaw: You Can't Build a Plan Around Armageddon
- S1 Ep6: Mariana Mazzucato: Going To The Moon and Back
- S1 Ep5: Gary Younge: You Have to Take A Stand For What's Right
- S1 Ep4: Kate Pickett: We Are Connected To Each Other In Important Ways
- S1 Ep3: Sir Ian Diamond: Every Citizen In The Country Should Have A Voice In Our Data
- S1 Ep2: Hillary Clinton: They're Stoking People's Fears Rather Than Providing Hope
- S1 Ep1: Sir Cary Cooper: It's Not About Bean Bags, Ping Pong and Sushi At Your Desk
“Only found this thanks to a suggestion from the ‘great algorithm in the sky’ well cloud, all the episodes I’ve listened to are informative, entertaining and generally positive, making listening to them a really enjoyable experience. Really good stuff.”
Apple podcast listener
“Intelligent, informative, and entertaining conversation about subjects that should be of interest to all who live in a society, which is everyone.”
Spotify listener
“Quickly became one of my favourite podcasts! I love learning about why we humans behave the way we do and love listening to smart people tell me why. This ticks all those boxes and more…”
Apple podcast listener
“A really great listen and find. Would recommend highly.”
Apple podcast listener
“My favourite podcast right now. I’m enjoying learning about the role of the social sciences. I studied Sociology at university in the late 80’s. I don’t think that I was ever told what it was really for or encouraged to turn my studies into a career. If only I could do it over! This will have to do. And it will do quite well. Thank you.”
Apple podcast listener
Solving the Productivity Puzzle with Ed Balls, Anna Stansbury and Dan Turner
The Social Life of Pain with Tom Shakespeare
Borders, Brexit, and Fault Lines with Katy Hayward
Care or Incarceration? How some of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being failed
Taking entrepreneurship beyond business with Eleanor Shaw
Population, Data & Destiny with Andy Tatem
Morality in UK prisons with Alison Liebling
How to get work working for everyone with Gavin Kelly
Keep calm and chill with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Improving social mobility through education and language with Lee Elliot-Major
Tracking and stopping domestic abuse with Jane Monckton-Smith
Should the 9 to 5 be a thing of the past? With Clare Kelliher and Bredan Burchell
Making a responsible budget with Sir Robert Chote
Anxiety, Artificial Intelligence and work with Anthony Elliot
The future of liberal democracy with Anand Menon
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The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust.
