Transforming Society podcast

While it’s easy to become fixated on cybersecurity’s technological aspects, one of the central ideas in Tim Stevens’ 'What is Cybersecurity for?' is the importance of remembering it’s primarily about and for people. In this, the second of three short conversations, Tim expands on this idea and responds to the question of whether, given the power of Big Tech, individual users’ interest can ever tru...

John Bissett is a community worker, activist and author of 'It’s Not Where You Live, It’s How You Live', a ground-breaking and compelling book that takes us deep into the world of a public housing estate in Dublin. Aiming to change perspectives on public housing, John talks about what life is like for the people who live on the estate and how it is shaped by gender and class, not simply deprivatio...

In the second of three short conversations with Rhodri Davies, author of 'What is Philanthropy For?', George Miller asks Rhodri about the difference between philanthropy and charity. The tension between them is sometimes characterised as a head versus heart conflict, with philanthropy the more rational and systemic of the two, while charity is more emotional and immediate. But does this distinctio...

In this episode, Chris Cunneen, author of 'Defund the Police: An International Insurrection', speaks to Rebecca Megson-Smith about the broad need to defund the police. They discuss why defunding is the best route forward instead of further investment and reform, what viable alternatives there might be and what we would need in order to make this vision of society a reality. Find out more about the...

In this episode, George Miller speaks to Jack McDonald, author of 'What is War for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Jack explains why he chose to focus on war’s twenty-first century character rather than its ancient origins, and talks about writing the book as the events of the Russo-Ukra...

In this episode, George Miller speaks to Tim Stevens, author of 'What is Cybersecurity for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Tim explains what got him interested in cybersecurity in the first place and why it’s too important to treat it as solely the domain of IT professionals, given how m...

We take the existence of the all-powerful stock market for granted, but we should engage with it because it affects us as individuals and wider society in very deep ways. Philip Roscoe's new book 'How to Build a Stock Exchange' enables us to do this. In the episode, he speaks to Jess Miles about this darkly comedic secret world, prompting us to demand better. Find out more about the book: https://...

In this episode, George Miller speaks to Rhodri Davies, author of 'What is Philanthropy for?', one of the first titles to be published in Bristol University Press’s new What Is It For? series. In the first of three short conversations, Rhodri explains why he thinks this is a good time to ask questions about the purpose of philanthropy, and its relationship to democracy, inequality and the market....

From the Alcatraz East Crime Museum and Jack the Ripper guided tours to the Phnom Penh killing fields, ‘dark tourism’ is now a multi-million-pound global industry. What is the attraction and where is the line between acceptable and problematic dark tourism drawn? In this episode, Becky Taylor speaks with Adam Lynes, Craig Kelly and James Treadwell, editors of '50 Dark Destinations' about what dark...

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Nicholas Gilmour and Tristram Hicks, authors of 'The War on Dirty Money', about why financial investigation needs to be done in parallel with the criminal justice system. They discuss the danger of the 'sophisticated’ money launderer myth, how so many criminals keep the proceeds of their crimes and why asset recovery is so important. Find out more about th...

In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Luke Billingham and Keir Irwin-Rogers, authors of 'Against Youth Violence', about a new way of making sense of ‘youth violence’ by putting it in the context of social harm. They discuss the extent of the violence affecting children and young people, how harmful the way it is reported and talked about can be, and how we should be talking to young people about...

The Changing Realities project shines a light on what life is really like for households on low incomes, and pushes for urgent and permanent change. 'A Year Like No Other', published by Policy Press, features the stories of those involved in the project. In this episode, Jess Miles speaks to them about their experiences of life on a low-income. They discuss their involvement in the project, what t...

Mick Cooper, author of ‘Psychology at the Heart of Social Change: Developing a Progressive Vision for Society’, speaks to Richard Kemp about why we need to apply psychology to politics. How do rogue goals hinder our growth? How can we make necessary changes without using blame? What strategies could we implement for a psychology-informed progressive society? Find out more about the book: https://p...

In this episode, Tim Bodley-Scott and Ersel Oymak, authors of ‘University–Industry Partnerships for Positive Change’, speak to Rebecca Megson-Smith about why robust university–industry partnerships are vital to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a better world for everyone. They discuss the key concepts at the heart of these partnerships, the concept of the fifth genera...

In this episode, Sarah Morton and Ailsa Cook, authors of 'How do you know if you’re making a difference?’, speak to Jess Miles about the challenges of tackling complex issues and trying to achieve change in the public services. They discuss why and how public services need to measure and demonstrate impact in different ways and the impact of the cost of living crisis. Find out more about the book:...

In this episode, Simon Winlow and Steve Hall, co-authors of 'The Death of the Left: Why We Must Begin from the Beginning Again', speak to Richard Kemp about the book and whether there is any hope for the political Left. They discuss the Left's current focus on culture instead of economics, the surface level nature of diversity policies in organisations, and what the Left needs to do in order to th...

In this podcast, Chris Ogden, author of 'The Authoritarian Century', speaks to Becky Taylor about China's rise and whether this signals the demise of Western democracy. They discuss the increasing illiberal trend in international affairs, future scenarios for world politics and illuminate points of hope for democracy and human rights. Find out more about the book: https://bristoluniversitypress.co...

Angry white masculinity powers right-wing populism around the world, and it’s a death sentence for everyone — men included. In this episode, Karen Lee Ashcraft, scholar, former right-wing populist and author of 'Wronged and Dangerous', speaks to Jess Miles about the rise of populism and the true cost of a world run by manly grievance. They discuss the evolution of toxic masculinity to viral mascul...

During adolescence, young people are exposed to a range of risks beyond their family homes including sexual and criminal exploitation, peer-on-peer abuse and gang-related violence. Carlene Firmin, co-author of 'Safeguarding Young People Beyond the Family Home', speaks to Jess Miles about these extra-familial risks and harms and how our social work system was only ever designed to protect children...

In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Dan McQuillan, author of 'Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence', about what artificial intelligence really is. They discuss how artificial intelligence damages society in ways that are not easily fixed and why it needs to be restructured from the ground up, as well as how these fundamental changes to AI can help create a better...

In this episode, Oscar Berglund and Elizabeth A. Koebele, Co-Editors of the Policy & Politics journal, talk to Jess Miles about the latest special issue – ‘Transformational change through public policy’. They discuss what transformational change is, how public policy academia needs to adapt to bring about this transformational change and their hope to inspire a new generation of scholars by se...

Multiple crises have led many to conclude that the current economic and political system is broken. The present and future look increasingly precarious. Rebecca Megson-Smith speaks to Stephen McBride about his book ‘Escaping Dystopia: Rebuilding a Public Domain’ about radical solutions to global issues such as economic catastrophes, inequality, climate change and political failure. Are there means...

How can we reimagine society in an era of climate change, pandemic, hunger, poverty, questions of racial, ethnic and gender justice and other pressing global societal challenges? In this episode, Jess Miles speaks with Sue Scott and Siddharth Mallavarapu, two of the co-editors in chief of the new non-profit, Open Access ‘Global Social Challenges Journal’, published by Bristol University Press and...

Our rules of democracy are out of date and urgently need to evolve to fit with a changed world. In this episode, Marcial Bragadini Boo, author of 'The Rules of Democracy', explains why it’s time to make democracy better again. Marcial speaks with Jess Miles about why the current rules of democracy aren't working, what the new rules should be and how these would work in practice, including politici...

In this episode, Anna Sergi, author of 'Chasing the Mafia: 'Ndrangheta, Memories and Journeys', speaks with Richard Kemp about the book and her background and proximity to the subject. They discuss her childhood growing up on the Aspromonte mountain, the long reach of the 'Ndrangheta and the delicate balance of emotional distance when it comes to analysing such an emotive topic. Find out more abou...