UofG Spotlight

On this episode of Spotlight, we focus on productivity as well as the issue of skills and training policy. Graeme Roy talks to Professor Bart Van Ark, the Managing Director of the UK Productivity Institute, about why productivity is important and what the latest work of the Institute is telling us about productivity in the UK and beyond. He then chats to Professor Mel Simms, Dean of Research in th...

On this episode, we focus on public policy as it effects care experienced young people.   In October 2016, the First Minister made a commitment that Scotland would "come together and love its most vulnerable children to give them the childhood they deserve." She announced an Independent Root and Branch Review of Care ("the Care Review"), driven by those with experience of care.   A promise was mad...

On this episode we speak to Gerry McCartney, the UK's first Professor of Wellbeing Economy, about the interdependencies between the environment, society and the economy. We also talk to Professor Vittal Katikireddi from Glasgow's Social and Public Health Sciences Unit on the social determinants of health outcomes.   Timestamps   Professor Vittal Katikireddi: 01:50   Professor Gerry McCartney: 22:4...

On this episode we are joined by Dr Joanna Szostek, Lecturer in Political Communication at the School of Political and Social Sciences, and an expert on Central and Eastern European media. She talks about the War in Ukraine and the current political landscape.   We also speak to Dr Mark Wong, Lecturer in Public Policy and Research Methods in Urban Studies , about the importance of how we collect d...

On this episode we are joined by Dr Shivali Fifield from the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland to talk about access to healthy environments as a human right and how to make those rights real.    We also speak to Petra Meier, Professor of Public Health at UofG, and Director of the UKPRP-funded Sipher Consortium, a UK-wide hub for Systems Science in Public Health & Economic Research. She disc...

This episode marks a year of the Spotlight podcast. We talk to David McAllister, Communications Manager at Planning Aid Scotland, who discusses the importance of citizens having a voice and a sense of agency over the planning system.   We also speak to Spotlight podcast host Kezia Dugdale in her capacity as Director of the John Smith Centre.  She reflects on the work of the centre, talking about t...

Russia's war against Ukraine has shocked the world. Currently millions of Ukrainians have fled the country, while millions more are trapped under horrific circumstances. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed and the scale of the humanitarian crisis continues to grow.     On Thursday 17th March, our colleagues in the University's School of Social and Political Sciences' Central and E...

As hundreds of thousands of people flee Ukraine and seek refuge in Moldova, Poland and other EU countries, in this episode we're taking a moment to focus on another refugee crisis, the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, with Sabir Zazai from the Scottish Refugee Council.  Adam Smith was a former student, professor and director at the University of Glasgow and is one of Scotland's most famous...

In this episode, we're discussing Scotland's place in the world and inequalities in our economy. Professor Peter Jackson, Chair in Global Security at the University of Glasgow, tells us about the cross-university initiative, Scottish Council on Global Affairs, which aims to bring together Scotland's world-class expertise in international relations. Meanwhile, Kat Riach, Professor of Organisational...

This week, Graeme and Kezia are joined by Professor Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture at the University of Glasgow as well as Co-Director of the University's Centre for Robert Burns Studies. With Burns Night last week, it seemed the ideal time to learn more about Burns' work, his relevance for today and the research of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies. Among her...

Happy New Year! In our first episode of 2022, we chat with Gina Davidson, Political Editor of LBC Radio in Scotland, to get an expert overview of what lies in store for the year ahead. We also talk to Professor Eugenio Proto, the Alex Cairncross Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow, to find out about his research on mental health during the pandemic, including some unexpected findin...

In our last episode of 2021, we speak to  Alison Watson, Director of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland.   We also talk to Sandy Stark and Oonagh Brown from the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Difficulties (SCLD).  They discuss their new app 'Human Rights Town',  developed by and for people with learning disabilities to help people know and understand their human ri...

In this episode, with Living Wage Week having ended last week, we speak with Professor Ros Searle about her work on the relationship between the living wage, worker performance and wellbeing and business productivity.  Kezia Dugdale talks to Professor Graeme Roy about the forthcoming Scottish Budget, asking whether or not annual set piece Budget announcements – in the UK, in Scotland or anywhere –...

This episode marks the 20th edition of Spotlight. In this second COP26 special, we speak to Dr Catherine Happer about the role of the media and social media in informing people's attitudes on climate change and their trust in the political process. We also talk to Professor Jaime Toney, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions at UofG, who is an expert in the science of climate change. We...

On this COP26 special episode we speak to Dr Henry Lovat and Dr Gigi Jokubauskaite on issues around Climate Law and Governance.   We also talk to Professor John Crawford about global soil health in the context of climate change.   In the first of a three-part series, we also hear from Rory Mair, Chair of Citizens Advice Bureau Scotland, about the prospects of low-income families over the coming wi...

On this episode we look at the current legislative issue in the Scottish Parliament of assisted dying, talking to two experts in the field. We speak to Ben Colburn, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, and Ally Thomson, the Scotland Director of the Campaign for Dignity in Dying.

On this week's episode we speak to Professor Alison Phipps, UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, and Hyab Yohannes, UofG PhD scholar, about their work on refugees and their integration into the societies that they have come to.    We also talk to Dr Ali Fraser, Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, about his research on public health, youth...

On this week's episode, we consider the issues around Scottish Independence, with this week marking 7 years since the 2014 Referendum. Graeme Roy speaks to Professor Adam Tomkins, John Millar Professor of Public Law at the University of Glasgow and former Conservative Party MSP and adviser to the Strathclyde Commission. Kezia Dugdale talks to Professor Stephen Gethins, Professor of Practice at the...

This week we chat to Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of the Carnegie UK Trust, a hugely influential charitable trust, about Nicola Sturgeon's upcoming Programme for Government. We also speak with Andy Philip, Political Editor of the Press & journal, to discuss where opposition parties, businesses and lobbying/campaigning organisations fit in shaping what happens after the Programme is announced. F...

On this episode, we speak to Jim McCormick, CEO of the Robertson Trust, which provides funding and support to those tackling poverty and trauma in Scotland. We also talk to Dr Ewan Gibbs, an economic historian at the University of Glasgow, who unpacks some of the recent debates around oil and gas, renewables and Scotland's economy. Finally, Jamie Livingston from Oxfam Scotland provides analysis on...

On this week's episode we speak to Professor David Bell about the levelling up agenda and the thorny debate over the replacement for EU Structural Funds.   We are also joined by Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, which this week has published a key report on 20 years of proportional representation in the UK.   Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam in Scotland, also kicks of...

On this week's episode we take our first look at some environmental issues.  We speak to Dr Natalie Weldon, who is a Lecturer in Environmental Science at the University of Glasgow's School of Interdisciplinary Studies, who discusses the relationship between plastics and our seas. We also talk to Adam Lang, the head of Nesta in Scotland, to examine the public's relationship with tech and politician...

On this episode, Kezia Dugdale speaks to Professor Jane Mair, Head of the School of Law. Professor Mair reflects on the status of Civil Law in Scotland, how it's evolving and what the new committee make up of the Scottish Parliament might mean for advancing civil justice.   Graeme Roy talks to Professor Ellen Boeren, from the School of Education, about the adult education landscape.  She considers...

On this week's episode, we reflect upon 10 years since the publication of the Christie Commission on public services reform.   Graeme Roy speaks to Professor James Mitchell from the University of Edinburgh, a member of the Christie Commission, to get his reflections on where progress has been made.   Kezia Dugdale talks to Caroline Gardner, former Auditor General in Scotland and someone who has be...

On this week's episode, Graeme Roy speaks to Dr Heather Wardle, Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Reader in Sociology at the University of Glasgow, about the upcoming review of the UK Gambling Act and how to survive as a researcher in an area with powerful interest groups.    Kezia Dugdale also talks to Ruth Davidson, former Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, whose Channel 4 documentary exploring the rela...