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PODCAST

The We Society

Beyond the politics, beyond our geography are the intangible connections that hold us together – The We Society. The We Society podcast is here to tell you about the thousands of ways the Social Sciences can help us understand and enhance this complicated and fascinating human network. What can we do to fix the NHS? How can we better manage climate change? How do we end the cost of living crisis? Brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield

science social sciences

All Episodes

28:31

S8 Ep5: Care or Incarceration? How some of the UK’s...

The We Society ·

2025/06/18

We speak with Lisa Harker, the Director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, who gives us an insight into the alarming rise in the use of Deprivation of Liberty Orders on children. She explains how vulnerable children, many born into poverty and facing complex needs, are increasingly subjected to severe restrictions on their freedom through these court orders. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Justice, 1,280 children were subject to applications to deprive them of

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29:59

S8 Ep4: Taking entrepreneurship beyond business with...

The We Society ·

2025/06/11

What is the link between social science and entrepreneurship? To give us the answer, Will Hutton speaks to Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, an academic specialising in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Strathclyde to delve into the social science dimension of entrepreneurship. Eleanor believes that entrepreneurial spirit stems from recognising and addressing unfulfilled societal needs. In the conversation, they discuss successful entrepreneurs who contribute to communities and not

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30:51

S8 Ep3: Population, Data & Destiny with Andy Tatem

The We Society ·

2025/06/04

Professor Andy Tatem talks to us about WorldPop, the research programme he heads that is based in the School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton. The team at WorldPop uses satellite imagery and mobile phone data to map population distributions in areas of the Global South and this data is used by governments for resource allocation and policy-making. In this episode, Andy shares case studies emphasising the impact of timely data on healthcare decisions in countries

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28:59

S8 Ep2: Morality in UK prisons with Alison Liebling

The We Society ·

2025/05/28

We probe the UK prison system with Professor Alison Liebling, a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Cambridge and the Director of the Institute of Criminology’s Prisons Research Centre.In this episode, she discusses the complexities surrounding prison officers, their often-underappreciated skills, and the critical role they play in maintaining order and humanity on the wings. Professor Liebling’s research on prisons spans over three decades with a particular

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33:29

S8 Ep1: How to get work working for everyone with...

The We Society ·

2025/05/21

Gavin Kelly is the Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation and has spent the past 30 years of his career putting Britain’s economic inactivity problem under a microscope. For Gavin, one of the main problems is the nearly 1 million young people who are not in education, employment or training. They are the ones being left behind and their numbers are rising. But what can be done to solve this? The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust funding research that informs social

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35:05

S7 Ep7: Keep Calm and Chill with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The We Society ·

2025/02/26

As US President Donald Trump threatens trade tariffs, the We Society invited the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to share her thoughts during this period of uncertainty.The first woman and the first African to serve as Director General of the WTO, Dr Okonjo-Iweala also gives her perspectives on women in leadership positions and her history of fighting corruption in Nigeria that led to the kidnapping of her elderly mother. This is the final interview

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31:06

S7 Ep6: Improving social mobility through education...

The We Society ·

2025/02/19

Professor Lee Elliot Major, who is Britain's first professor of Social Mobility based at the University of Exeter, is our guest in this penultimate episode of Season 7.In his latest book, Equity in Education, he argues for a new approach and language to improve upward mobility. In his book, children are not disadvantaged instead they are under resourced. Does language matter? Season 7 of the We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social Sciences continues to tackle the big questions through a

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28:29

S7 Ep5: Tracking and stopping domestic abuse with...

The We Society ·

2025/02/12

Around one in four women have experienced domestic abuse, according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales. But abuse is not usually a one off event, it’s part of a protracted pattern, and by studying the timeline, perhaps this shocking statistic and may change. Prof Jane Monckton-Smith has dedicated the majority of her career to studying this pattern and is Professor Of Public Protection at the University of Gloucestershire. She researched and created the Homicide Timeline, a tool for police

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29:20

S7 Ep4: Should the 9 to 5 be a thing of the past?...

The We Society ·

2025/02/05

'Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest' was the rallying cry of Robert Owen, a Welsh textile manufacturer turned labour reformer in the early 19th century. For those toiling in factories, Owen’s slogan was a socialist dream that only became commonplace in the early 20th century. But, the 9 to 5 is still standard while technology has moved on - we have Artificial intelligence, automation, intuitive software at our fingertips. Shouldn’t we be more productive while spending

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33:42

S7 Ep3: Making a responsible budget with Sir Robert...

The We Society ·

2025/01/29

The Institute for Fiscal Studies - or IFS - has become the nation’s go to institution for judgements about tax, spending and borrowing. And the Office for Budget Responsibility – the OBR – is the independent official watchdog that assess the viability and sustainability of the government’s economic plans.Our guest today, Sir Robert Chote has run both organisations and knows better than anyone on the planet how they both work. He now heads the UK Statistics Authority. Season 7 of the We Society

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28:57

S7 Ep2: Anxiety, Artificial Intelligence and work...

The We Society ·

2025/01/22

Pick, Pack, Post, Repeat….warehouses around the world are now using Artificial Intelligence to fulfil customer orders. So, are workers on their way out? As the speed of innovation when it comes to artificial intelligence accelerates, power sits firmly in the hands of Silicon Valley and big tech companies. Governments and the public are on the side-lines. How should we be feeling about this? To tell us is Anthony Elliott - Professor of Sociology at the University of South Australia who has just

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27:43

S7 Ep1: The future of liberal democracy with Anand Menon

The We Society ·

2025/01/15

It's now 80 years since the end of the Second World War and the creation of the liberal world order: free trade, globally managed finance, and a commitment to liberal democracy. But these ideas seems to be in retreat with the re-election of Donald Trump, and the accompanying dramatic increase of right-wing populist nationalism almost everywhere, including Europe. Can liberal democracy survive? With us to discuss this and more is political scientist Professor Anand Menon, the director of the UK in

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1:53

S7 Ep1: The We Society Season 7 Trailer

The We Society ·

2025/01/08

Join host Will Hutton for Season 7 of the We Society from next week to hear some of the best ideas to shape the way we live. Launching January 15th with an interview with Anand Menon, the Director of the UK in a Changing Europe. 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. Please subscribe, rate and share with your friends. This podcast is brought to you by the Academy

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38:23

S6 Ep7: Stopping hate crime with Matthew Williams and...

The We Society ·

2024/08/21

The recent riots in Britain, which emerged following the Southport stabbings, demonstrate how hate is bubbling just under the surface of our society, ready to erupt at any moment. Behind the violence and destruction are statistics. Between 2012 and 2023, hate crimes in England and Wales rose by 252%, according to research undertaken by the Home Office. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.Professor Neil Chakraborti and Professor Matthew Williams join host Will Hutton to discuss the impact of

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30:25

S6 Ep6: Why the war on drugs has failed with Alex...

The We Society ·

2024/08/14

No war has been more of a failure than the war on drugs. Despite all the crackdowns, prison sentences and moral posturing, drug use in Britain is on an epic scale. Yet, drug debate and policy are full of moral declarations, with evidence often being made to take a backseat. Why is this? Alex Stevens is a professor of Criminology at the University of Sheffield (having recently moved from the University of Kent). He was a member of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs from 2014 to 2019,

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28:10

S6 Ep5: Improving adult education with Anna Vignoles

The We Society ·

2024/08/07

One in six people are said to have ‘very poor literacy skills’ according to the National Literacy Trust. As a country, we value Literature, high quality research skills and further education, yet our values are not reaching all sections of our society.Looking to challenge this is Professor Anna Vignoles, her past research focused on issues of equity and value in education, particularly the relationship between educational achievement and social mobility, and the role played by education and skills

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28:36

S6 Ep4: The hidden army of young carers with Saul Becker

The We Society ·

2024/07/31

Professor Saul Becker has studied the hidden world of young carers for 30 years. Nearly 1 million children in the UK find themselves – some as young as five - having to look after sick or elderly family members. Saul Becker is the pro vice chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Education at Manchester Metropolitan University and is regarded as the world leader in young carers research, policy, and practice. Season 6 of the We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social Sciences continues to

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35:22

S6 Ep3: How to make housing fair with Vicky Spratt...

The We Society ·

2024/07/24

Housing is one of the most pressing problems this new Government must fix. Will Hutton is joined by Vicky Spratt, the inewspaper's housing correspondent, and Auriol Miller, the CEO of Cynon Taf Community Housing Group, a major not-for-profit organisation providing affordable homes in Wales.Housing is an issue that has thwarted a long line of Governments, and it feels like we are no closer to solving the crisis. Latest figures show that almost 1.3 million people in England are on social housing

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26:14

S6 Ep2: Separating emotion from Brexit with Professor...

The We Society ·

2024/07/17

Professor Sarah Hall’s job is to approach the emotive topic of Brexit with a cool head and focus only on the evidence. She is the 1931 Chair in Geography, a Fellow of St John’s College at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Hall is an economic geographer who specialises in going out in the field to imbue data with conversations with those in the thick of the action. Her latest work has looked at how financial services around the UK have been

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21:23

S6 Ep1: Election 24 special with Will Hutton

The We Society ·

2024/07/10

Host Will Hutton hears from four leading social scientists on how the new UK government should tackle the country's most pressing challenges.In this special episode marking the end of the general election and the start of Season 6, we apply a social science lens to issues concerning the stagnating economy, the climate crisis, adult social care, and universities. We speak to Professor Jagjit S. Chadha, an economist who is the Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Jo

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