Shows
RSA ConversationsIs conflict a good thing?Global crises cause big changes and reveal deep structural weaknesses. In this special interview series from the RSA its chief executive, Matthew Taylor, puts a range of practitioners on the spot - from scholars to business leaders, politicians to journalists - by asking for one big idea to help build effective bridges to our new future.Ian Leslie is a journalist, cultural commentator and author of Conflicted. A Tempo & Talker production for the RSA. In this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than...2021-03-1637 min
RSA ConversationsWho can fix the problem of polarisation within the British Labour party?A new decade has dawned. But following their most devastating election defeat in 80 years, what new dawn awaits the British Labour party? If there’s one thing the Corbyn years will be remembered for it’s the rampant ideological in-fighting between the left and the right of the party, Momentum versus the Blairites, leavers and remainers. But now with the leadership contest in full swing, and a new successor to be named on the 4th of April, will the party seize the opportunity to elect a leader who can heal the deep divides within the...2020-01-1442 min
RSA ConversationsHave we reached peak populism or is this just the start of it?The British people have spoken. In the first December election since 1923, it’s turned out to be Christmas with all the trimmings for Boris Johnson, while Corbyn’s Labour party have been cruelly thrown out into the cold. Many called this our most polarised election in living memory. So in the wake of this Tory triumph and Labour drubbing, where do we go from here? With Britain now finally set to leave the EU on the 31st of January, will we see our politics becoming even more tribal and divided? Are the populist movements of the righ...2019-12-1937 min
RSA ConversationsAre our broadcasters fit for purpose?More than ever our broadcasters are accused of bias and spin, and the subject of wild conspiracy theories. Have they brought these attacks upon themselves? For those at the top of our broadcast media, what’s the right response to a polarised political landscape? And can they win back the growing minority who have lost trust in what they see and hear?Recorded the day after the Channel 4 climate change debate, Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie speak to Dorothy Byrne, the broadcaster's head of news and current affairs, and author of, ‘Trust Me, I’m Not a Politi...2019-12-0544 min
RSA ConversationsBig tech and the future of democracyThe tide of public opinion has turned against the big tech firms. How serious of a threat are these companies to democracy? Are they having a malign impact on our economies? And if they are, can people and governments stand up to Silicon Valley?The RSA's director of economy, Asheem Singh, speaks to Roger McNamee, an early investor in Facebook – now turned vocal critic – and author of ‘Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe’.Plus: Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor dish out some free advice to the tech giants. You're welcome, Mr. Zuckerberg.Watch Ro...2019-11-2835 min
RSA RadioPolarised: Good Economics for Hard TimesRSA chief executive Matthew Taylor and journalist Ian Leslie are joined by this year's winner of the Nobel prize for economics (shared with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer), Esther Duflo.Duflo is co-author of Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems and Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT, where she is co-director of the Poverty Action Lab.In this wide-ranging interview she makes the case for how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our times.Produced by...2019-11-1900 min
RSA ConversationsGood Economics for Hard TimesRSA chief executive Matthew Taylor and journalist Ian Leslie are joined by this year's winner of the Nobel prize for economics (shared with Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer), Esther Duflo.Duflo is co-author of Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems and Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT, where she is co-director of the Poverty Action Lab.In this wide-ranging interview she makes the case for how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our times.Produced by...2019-11-1944 min
RSA ConversationsDo you understand public opinion as well as you think you do?Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie dissect new (and sometimes controversial) research on the divide between 'anarchists' and 'centrists'; the voters who live for drama; and the real reasons people share misleading news stories online.Plus, the similarities and differences between US and UK public opinion, as Matthew meets two of the top researchers from either side of the pond: director of the Pew Research Center, Michael Dimock; and director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, Bobby Duffy.LinksAnarchy in the UK (and Everywhere Else): The Ideological Roots of PopulismA “Need for Ch...2019-10-1037 minRSA RadioPolarised: Do you understand public opinion as well as you think you do?Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie dissect new (and sometimes controversial) research on the divide between 'anarchists' and 'centrists'; the voters who live for drama; and the real reasons people share misleading news stories online.Plus, the similarities and differences between US and UK public opinion, as Matthew meets two of the top researchers from either side of the pond: director of the Pew Research Center, Michael Dimock; and director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, Bobby Duffy.LinksAnarchy in the UK (and Everywhere Else): The Ideological Roots of PopulismA “Need for Ch...2019-10-1000 minRSA RadioPolarised: The Week Politics Jumped the SharkThe RSA's Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, look back on the week in which BBC Parliament had more plot twists than Line of Duty.2019-09-0700 min
RSA ConversationsThe Week Politics Jumped the SharkThe RSA's Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, look back on the week in which BBC Parliament had more plot twists than Line of Duty.
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the RSA.
2019-09-0729 min
RSA ConversationsThe Four Deadly Sins of Modern PoliticsIan Leslie and Matthew Taylor analyse Theresa May’s final major speech as prime minister and Donald Trump’s latest racist statements, and try to predict what might happen in the first weeks of a new PM. Everything is unlikely, but something has to happen. So we grade some previous predictions and have a go at making some new ones.
Plus, a new theory: the four paths to polarisation.
Twitter:
Matthew Taylor
Ian Leslie
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the RSA.
2019-07-1940 minRSA RadioPolarised: The Four Deadly Sins of Modern PoliticsIan Leslie and Matthew Taylor analyse Theresa May’s final major speech as prime minister and Donald Trump’s latest racist statements, and try to predict what might happen in the first weeks of a new PM. Everything is unlikely, but something has to happen. So we grade some previous predictions and have a go at making some new ones.
Plus, a new theory: the four paths to polarisation.
Twitter:
Matthew Taylor
Ian Leslie
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the RSA.2019-07-1900 min
RSA ConversationsExtinction Rebellion: what next?At long last, for a few weeks in April, climate breakdown finally seemed to be at the top of the political agenda.
Extinction Rebellion shut down the streets. School children walked out of classes in protest at inaction from the grown-ups. Politicians – some of them, anyway – declared a climate emergency.
Does this surge of interest mark a real shift in public opinion and political will? Can the energy behind it be harnessed? And can our politicians unite against climate change in time to stop the worst of it?
This week, Matthew Taylor and Ian...2019-05-1847 minRSA RadioExtinction Rebellion: what next?At long last, for a few weeks in April, climate breakdown finally seemed to be at the top of the political agenda.
Extinction Rebellion shut down the streets. School children walked out of classes in protest at inaction from the grown-ups. Politicians – some of them, anyway – declared a climate emergency.
Does this surge of interest mark a real shift in public opinion and political will? Can the energy behind it be harnessed? And can our politicians unite against climate change in time to stop the worst of it?
This week, Matthew Taylor and Ian...2019-05-1800 minRSA RadioPolarised: ReligionIs religion still shaping our politics? And has its decline led to a wider search for meaning in public life?
Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield, director of the think tank Theos.
Plus, reflections on the one of the hardest questions in European politics right now: 'what's happening?'
Links
The Times, 16 April 2019: Americans lose their taste for going to church
Theos think tank
European Council on Foreign Relations: What Europeans Really Want: Five Myths Debunked
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the...2019-05-0300 min
RSA ConversationsReligionIs religion still shaping our politics? And has its decline led to a wider search for meaning in public life?
Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield, director of the think tank Theos.
Plus, reflections on the one of the hardest questions in European politics right now: 'what's happening?'
Links
The Times, 16 April 2019: Americans lose their taste for going to church
Theos think tank
European Council on Foreign Relations: What Europeans Really Want: Five Myths Debunked
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the...2019-05-0337 min
RSA ConversationsDenialism, with Caroline Lucas MP & Keith Kahn-HarrisFrom climate change to vaccines, there’s a worrying tendency in our culture to bury our heads in the sand, and for a growing number of people to turn their backs on the truth. At its most dangerous, denialism can shade into extremism.
Denialism is fundamentally a rejection of reality, but what drives it? What does it say about our psychology that sometimes we need to protect ourselves from what’s really going on? And what should we do about the malign online forces that are driving more people to construct their own truth?
Guests
...2019-03-2141 minRSA RadioPolarised: Denialism, with Caroline Lucas MP & Keith Kahn-HarrisFrom climate change to vaccines, there’s a worrying tendency in our culture to bury our heads in the sand, and for a growing number of people to turn their backs on the truth. At its most dangerous, denialism can shade into extremism.
Denialism is fundamentally a rejection of reality, but what drives it? What does it say about our psychology that sometimes we need to protect ourselves from what’s really going on? And what should we do about the malign online forces that are driving more people to construct their own truth?
Guests
...2019-03-2100 min
RSA ConversationsIs the centre ground dead?Commentators say the financial crisis and its aftermath sounded the death knell for centrist parties. Is the centre ground of British politics really dead, or could it make a comeback? And what does the ‘centre’ even mean these days?
This week, Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor discuss the Independent Group, before talking to the political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol about public opinion and the centre.
Plus: what is Tom Watson up to?
Links
Which values clan do you belong to?
‘Values clans’: how clusters of the electorate have shaped t...2019-03-1234 minRSA RadioPolarised: Is the centre ground dead?Commentators say the financial crisis and its aftermath sounded the death knell for centrist parties. Is the centre ground of British politics really dead, or could it make a comeback? And what does the ‘centre’ even mean these days?
This week, Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor discuss the Independent Group, before talking to the political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol about public opinion and the centre.
Plus: what is Tom Watson up to?
Links
Which values clan do you belong to?
‘Values clans’: how clusters of the electorate have shaped t...2019-03-1200 min
RSA ConversationsResponsible PartiesHas the opening up of political parties been a vital force for change, or bad for democracy as a whole? How can politicians represent both their party members and the voters? Is it game over for the old party politics of left vs right, and for the old party establishment? This week Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are putting political parties in the spotlight.
Guests:
Ian Shapiro, co-author of Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself and professor of political science at Yale
Isra Allison, executive director of Brand New Congress
Nasim Thompson, co-founder of Justice Democrats
2019-02-2533 minRSA RadioPolarised: Responsible PartiesHas the opening up of political parties been a vital force for change, or bad for democracy as a whole? How can politicians represent both their party members and the voters? Is it game over for the old party politics of left vs right, and for the old party establishment? This week Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are putting political parties in the spotlight.
Guests:
Ian Shapiro, co-author of Responsible Parties: Saving Democracy from Itself and professor of political science at Yale
Isra Allison, executive director of Brand New Congress
Nasim Thompson, co-founder of Justice Democrats
2019-02-2500 minRSA RadioPolarised: Talking to the Enemy, with Michael Sandel & Maria ExnerThis week Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor are asking: what's the best way to talk to people we disagree with? If we want to understand the other side – to bridge divides, or even persuade people we disagree with to think differently – what’s the best way to do that?
With Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel, and Maria Exner, deputy editor of German news website Zeit Online.
Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).2019-02-1300 min
RSA ConversationsTalking to the Enemy, with Michael Sandel & Maria ExnerThis week Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor are asking: what's the best way to talk to people we disagree with? If we want to understand the other side – to bridge divides, or even persuade people we disagree with to think differently – what’s the best way to do that?
With Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel, and Maria Exner, deputy editor of German news website Zeit Online.
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Produced by James Shield.
Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).
2019-02-1338 minRSA RadioPolarised: Francis Fukuyama on IdentityThe phrase ‘identity politics’ has come to be used as a sort of political insult. It’s a short way of accusing someone of pandering to voters – based on race, religion or gender. From white nationalists and Donald Trump, to the politics of liberation and demands for equal rights, it feels like everyone is playing identity politics these days. Conflicts between identity groups now dominate our politics. How did we get here? Is the rise of identity politics really that big a problem? And if it is, what should we do about it?
Francis Fukuyama, author of 'The End...2018-12-2400 min
RSA ConversationsIdentity, with Francis FukuyamaThe phrase ‘identity politics’ has come to be used as a sort of political insult. It’s a short way of accusing someone of pandering to voters – based on race, religion or gender. From white nationalists and Donald Trump, to the politics of liberation and demands for equal rights, it feels like everyone is playing identity politics these days. Conflicts between identity groups now dominate our politics. How did we get here? Is the rise of identity politics really that big a problem? And if it is, what should we do about it?
Francis Fukuyama, author of 'The End...2018-12-2436 minRSA RadioPolarised: The psychology of tribalism, with Jonathan HaidtIs tribalism an indelible part of human nature? And if it is, can we overcome it? Matthew Taylor speaks to moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and The Coddling of the American Mind.
Plus, Ian and Matthew discuss the recent protests in France, and we ask why the British people have claimed responsibility for 55% of all world history…
Links
Washington Post: The top 10 reasons American politics are so broken, by Jonathan Haidt and Sam Abrams, January 2015
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff
YouTube: Why a 21st...2018-12-0600 min
RSA ConversationsThe psychology of tribalism, with Jonathan HaidtIs tribalism an indelible part of human nature? And if it is, can we overcome it? Matthew Taylor speaks to moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind and The Coddling of the American Mind.
Plus, Ian and Matthew discuss the recent protests in France, and we ask why the British people have claimed responsibility for 55% of all world history…
Share this episode on Twitter
Links
Washington Post: The top 10 reasons American politics are so broken, by Jonathan Haidt and Sam Abrams, January 2015
The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Ha...2018-12-0633 minRSA RadioPolarised: Stories, Myths and BelongingIt's been a turbulent week in UK politics. What could possibly happen next? Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie talk Brexit predictions, and whether constant news updates are doing us any good.
That brings us on to a discussion about the stories we tell ourselves – fake news, and the importance of myths – before Matthew tests out his new 'theory of everything', and we ask whether all of our society's problems stem from a yearning for solidarity and belonging.
Links
Ian Leslie on fake news – New Statesman
The problem for democracies isn't "fake news" but pa...2018-11-2100 min
RSA ConversationsStories, Myths and BelongingIt's been a turbulent week in UK politics. What could possibly happen next? Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie talk Brexit predictions, and whether constant news updates are doing us any good.
That brings us on to a discussion about the stories we tell ourselves – fake news, and the importance of myths – before Matthew tests out his new 'theory of everything', and we ask whether all of our society's problems stem from a yearning for solidarity and belonging.
Links
Ian Leslie on fake news – New Statesman
The problem for democracies isn't "fake news" but pathological consum...2018-11-2131 minRSA RadioPolarised: Is democracy failing?Is democracy falling apart? How worried should we be? And how can we fix it? With Niheer Dasandi, author of 'Is Democracy Failing?', and Eliane Glaser, author of 'Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State'.
Links
Matthew Taylor's blog: Could politics ever be a source of wisdom rather than anxiety?
Is Democracy Failing? by Niheer Dasandi
Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State
Ian Leslie in the New Statesman: Why the invention of the fridge could be responsible for our love of fake news
Produced by James Shield...2018-11-0100 min
RSA ConversationsIs democracy failing?Is democracy falling apart? How worried should we be? And how can we fix it? With Niheer Dasandi, author of 'Is Democracy Failing?' (part of the Big Idea series from Thames & Hudson), and Eliane Glaser, author of 'Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State'.
Links
Matthew Taylor's blog: Could politics ever be a source of wisdom rather than anxiety?
Is Democracy Failing? by Niheer Dasandi
Anti-Politics: On the Demonisation of Ideology, Authority and the State
Ian Leslie in the New Statesman: Why the invention of the fridge could be responsible for our...2018-11-0127 minRSA RadioPolarised: AngerAnger is all the rage, but is anger itself the problem? Some people say we need to push back against anger in our politics, and respond with tranquil civility. But what if anger is the only rational response to a crisis in our democracy, and crumbling political norms?
Claire Fox, director of the Academy of Ideas, joins Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie to discuss anger, snowflakes, and inevitably, Brexit.
Links
Martha Nussbaum's piece, 'Powerlessness and the Politics of Blame'
David Adler in the New York Times: 'Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not...2018-08-2400 min
RSA ConversationsAnger, with Claire FoxAnger is all the rage, but is anger itself the problem? Some people say we need to push back against anger in our politics, and respond with tranquil civility. But what if anger is the only rational response to a crisis in our democracy, and crumbling political norms?
Claire Fox, director of the Academy of Ideas and author of 'I Find That Offensive!', joins Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie to discuss anger, snowflakes, and inevitably, Brexit.
Links
Martha Nussbaum's piece, 'Powerlessness and the Politics of Blame'
David Adler in the New York Times...2018-08-2430 minRSA RadioPolarised: The Media and Echo ChambersIs it really true that we all live in our own echo chambers? Fake news and the filter bubble, post-truth and alternative facts… Are we all, as President Obama put it, ‘absorbing an entirely different reality’?
In this episode we’re asking: Is our sense of a shared reality becoming even more fragile? And is fragmentation of the media the cause – or just the symptom – of our polarised politics? With guest Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford.
Links
The Leave case for a second refere...2018-07-2500 min
RSA ConversationsThe Media and Echo ChambersIs it really true that we all live in our own echo chambers? Fake news and the filter bubble, post-truth and alternative facts… Are we all, as President Obama put it, ‘absorbing an entirely different reality’?
In this episode we’re asking: Is our sense of a shared reality becoming even more fragile? And is fragmentation of the media the cause – or just the symptom – of our polarised politics? With guest Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford.
Links
The Leave case for a second refere...2018-07-2526 minRSA RadioPolarised: Inequality and Generation WealthAre economic divides to blame for everything else that’s broken in our politics? Does 'economic anxiety' explain the Trump and Brexit votes? And what deeper cultural undercurrents are at play in unequal societies?
Ian and Matthew speak to Faiza Shaheen, director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) about inequalities in the UK and the US. And Matthew interviews the Emmy-winning director and photographer Lauren Greenfield, whose new documentary 'Generation Wealth' (out in the UK on 20th July) looks back at her career, and tells the story of how the American Dream came to be...2018-06-2800 min
RSA ConversationsInequality and Generation Wealth, with Faiza Shaheen & Lauren GreenfieldAre economic divides to blame for everything else that’s broken in our politics? Does 'economic anxiety' explain the Trump and Brexit votes? And what deeper cultural undercurrents are at play in unequal societies?
Ian and Matthew speak to Faiza Shaheen, director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) about inequalities in the UK and the US. And Matthew interviews the Emmy-winning director and photographer Lauren Greenfield, whose new documentary 'Generation Wealth' (out in the UK on 20th July) looks back at her career, and tells the story of how the American Dream came to be...2018-06-2836 minRSA RadioPolarised: How Internet Culture Poisoned PoliticsThe third episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them.
In this episode: Is it inevitable that the internet and social media drive us to the extremes? Or do they just hold up a mirror to an already rotten culture? And we explore the dark side of the internet – trolls, racist memes, hate-filled comment sections and increasingly virulent culture wars – and ask whether it hijacked the White House.
Su...2018-06-2000 min
RSA ConversationsHow Internet Culture Poisoned Politics, with Whitney PhillipsIs it inevitable that the internet and social media drive us to the extremes? Or do they just hold up a mirror to an already divided culture? And we explore the dark side of the internet – trolls, racist memes, hate-filled comment sections and increasingly virulent culture wars – and ask whether it hijacked the White House.
Guest
Whitney Phillips, Assistant Professor of Communication, Culture, and Digital Technologies at Syracuse University, and author of ‘This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture’
Links
Whitney Phillips on Twitter
Whitney...2018-06-2028 minRSA RadioPolarised: Silicon Valley's Persuasion MachineThe second episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them.
In this episode they ask: How effective were Cambridge Analytica's methods? Can ‘psychographic microtargeting’ really swing elections and referendums? And is it already driving a wedge in our politics?
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Produced by James Shield. Artwork design by Emily Power.
Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the en...2018-06-1200 min
RSA ConversationsSilicon Valley's Persuasion MachineBy now, lots of us have heard at least part of the story of the Facebook election scandal. Cambridge Analytica, the company in the eye of the storm, has closed its doors and is under investigation. But how effective were its methods? Can ‘psychographic microtargeting’ really swing elections and referendums? And is it already driving a wedge in our politics?
Guests
Chris Sumner, research director of the Online Privacy Foundation
Martin Moore, director of the Centre for the Study of Media, Communication and Power at King's College London
Links
'Who's zoomin' who?' – Ian's short...2018-06-1234 minRSA RadioPolarised: Liberals and AuthoritariansThe first episode of a brand new podcast series from the RSA, 'Polarised'.
Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them.
They start by asking the sociologist Paula Surridge whether we've become a nation divided into two tribes: liberals and authoritarians.
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Produced by James Shield, with production help from Alex Atack in Bristol. Artwork design by Emily Power.
Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society fo...2018-05-1800 min
RSA ConversationsLiberals and AuthoritariansCommentators have written at great length about left vs right, the young vs the old, ‘somewheres’ vs ‘anywheres’. But what if there’s one big divide they’re missing? Are we now a nation of liberals vs authoritarians?
Divides in politics are nothing new – but are they deepening? And does the old left/right split still apply, or are there newer, different splits in British politics?
The political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol joins the RSA’s Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, to discuss.
Links
Pau...2018-05-1830 minRSA RadioTrailer: PolarisedA trailer for the new podcast series from the RSA: 'Polarised'. Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, investigate the forces driving us further apart – and what can be done about them.2018-05-1100 min