RSA Events

How do we rebuild our international stature, form value-based alliances, and ensure a meaningful and active role for the UK on the global stage after the 31 January? Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan and candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party, visits the RSA to explore the future role for the UK in the post-Brexit international landscape. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Wednesday 15th...

The RSA Student Design Awards is a global curriculum and competition for emerging designers that’s been running since 1924. We challenge students and recent graduates to tackle pressing social, environmental and economic issues through design thinking. This audio was recorded in 2019 and is part of the annual SDA competition

The RSA Student Design Awards is a global curriculum and competition for emerging designers that’s been running since 1924. We challenge students and recent graduates to tackle pressing social, environmental and economic issues through design thinking. This audio was recorded in 2019 and is part of the annual SDA competition.

As we near the end of 2019, a panel of commentators gathers to reflect on the forgotten moments that have shaped a year consumed by politics. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 12th December 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/092/2019-review-of-the-year

Social innovation pioneer Geoff Mulgan argues that we need new solutions designed to meet social needs if we’re to solve our most urgent global challenges. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 10th December 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/092/how-societies-find-the-power-to-change

Behavioural geneticist Robert Plomin argues that the DNA revolution has profound implications for parenting and education. If so, how should we respond? This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 5th December 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/092/how-dna-makes-us-who-we-are

Changemaker Paul Sinton-Hewitt tells the story of parkrun, the uniquely accessible and social initiative which has opened the possibility of wellbeing and social cohesion to all. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 3rd December 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/092/a-social-movement-for-the-common-good

Mark Major RDI, incoming Master of the RDI Faculty, will give the 2019 Address on the way in which his experience of illuminating public space has helped him develop some key principles for successful design leadership and excellence. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 28th November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/dont-forget-the-ma...

A fresh look at how we humans have evolved and remade the world around us. What’s our next chapter? With science writer Gaia Vince. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 28th November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/the-story-of-us

How did internet companies take over the world? Economic analyst Rana Foroohar explores how we can challenge the power of the tech giants. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 21st November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/how-big-tech-betrayed-us

In his annual Chief Executive’s Lecture, Matthew Taylor will discuss the scale and nature of economic insecurity today and collective solutions to confront it. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Friday 22nd November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/an-age-of-insecurity

A clarion call from economist Vicky Pryce to radically reform our economic system so that it stops failing women. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 14th November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/women-vs-capitalism

What is the emotional impact of living our lives online? Model and writer Naomi Shimada explores how social media is changing everything. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 7th November 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/11/a-survival-guide-to-social-media

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency and UK Commissioner to the Global Commission on Adaption, calls for collective action to protect the environment and build climate resilience. This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 31st October 2019. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/the-new-normal-leadership-in-the-climate-crisis

We are amidst another technological revolution and Carl Benedict Frey explores what lessons from the past, can help us to better face the present and the future of work. This event was recorded live on Thursday 31st October 2019 at the RSA. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/the-automation-age-the-winners-and-the-losers

After winning the Cold War, did the West lose the peace? Political scientist Ivan Krastev sheds light on the East/West divide, thirty years on. This event was recorded live on Tuesday 29th October 2019 at the RSA. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/liberalism-lost---30-years-after-the-fall-of-the-wall

How can a decarbonised, socially just global system be achieved? Economist Ann Pettifor discusses the radical plans laid out in the Green New Deal. This event was recorded live on Thursday 25th October 2019 at the RSA. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/system-change-not-climate-change/

We’re living through a crisis of distraction. Behavioural designer Nir Eyal teaches us how to regain focus on what really matters. This event was recorded live on Wednesday 17th October 2019 at the RSA. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2019/10/how-to-control-your-attention-and-choose-your-life

How should anti-racism work in ‘super-diverse’ societies? For as long as humans have lived together, we have grappled with questions about difference, identity, and tolerance – but what we really mean by these things must continue to be evaluated as the makeup of society and the degree of interconnection between its members change. Anti-racist politics of recent decades have been important in maki...

Should pretty people pay more tax? Does truth really matter? Why are self-confident uninformed people so often believed? These are just some of the questions that behavioural experts Steve Martin and Joseph Marks tackle in their new book Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why. Drawing on the latest research, they identify the powerful forces that result in some becoming society’s prev...

Do we get the politics we deserve? A panel of commentators reflects on a period of extraordinary political events and public discussion The turbulence in Westminster has captured a great deal of public attention, with political moments trending daily on social media and record numbers of viewers tuning in to BBC Parliament. But are we actually any more engaged with our political institutions and p...

Our clothes are some of our most treasured possessions: they keep us warm, dry and protected; they help us feel comfortable, to fit in and show affiliation, or to stand out and show difference. To mark the launch of the 2019/20 RSA Student Design Awards, a panel of design, systems-thinking and fashion futures experts will bring a range of perspectives on how we can accelerate the transition to a r...

Early Facebook investor and Zuckerberg mentor Roger McNamee exposes the threats posed by the internet giants to our political order and public health. From early 2016, his concerns about the company’s business model, culture and priorities became ever graver, leading to a crusading new role that turned him from fervent champion to fierce critic. In the years since, as tech-driven scandal and crisi...

Rowan Conway, Charles Leadbeater, Jennie Winhall and Payal Dalal present a new approach to accelerating and sustaining social innovation. See a problem; develop a solution; help it scale and spread; change the system for good. This is the goal of every social venture. But the reality for many social businesses is that they often struggle to spread their ideas locally, let alone globally. Do we nee...

Journalist Jack Shenker uncovers the root causes of our institutional chaos and explores the new political movements putting the people at the centre of power. Years of uncertainty and stagnation have exposed the failings of a political system no longer fit for purpose, from our leaders and their parties to the processes that select them. But disillusionment with the traditional levers of governme...