Podcasts by Analysis

What's the future of nudge? from 2023-11-20T21:00

The term nudge has become a byword for the application of behavioural science in public policy, changing how governments the world over create policies designed to encourage, or nudge, people to...

Can reading really improve your life? from 2023-11-13T21:05

Most educational research now suggests that reading for pleasure is strongly linked to a child’s future outcome, educational success, and even wellbeing. But the latest studies also show that re...

Can the UK afford a mental health crisis? from 2023-11-06T21:00

A record 2.6 million people are off work due to long-term sickness, with mental health conditions the biggest single contributor. The problem is particularly acute among younger people, who are ...

France: a constitutional crisis in the making from 2023-10-30T21:00

The USA, the UK and France, which have led the democratic world, are all suffering problems with their constitutions. But the problem is most acute in France, where President Macron has lost his...

What on earth is the national interest? from 2023-10-23T20:00

Should we be sceptical when politicians claim to act in "the national interest"? The phrase is frequently trotted out to elevate policy and actions as unimpeachably serving us all. But what does...

What makes a good school? from 2023-10-16T20:00

How should we evaluate schools? Is it about delivering a wide range of subjects, or extra activities and pastoral care that make a “good” school? Who gets to decide what is a good school and wh...

How can we grow the UK economy? from 2023-10-09T20:00

The cost of living crisis followed a decade in which people’s wages and incomes barely grew. The idea that each generation does at least as well as the one before, has for the moment ended. We’l...

The Democratic Brain from 2023-10-02T20:00

Our brain is a wonderful machine, but it can also short-circuit. What happens to us when emotions and politics intersect, when the democratic, listening brain is cut off, or when we succumb to ‘...

How far should reparative justice go? from 2023-08-01T10:04

Amid mounting claims for reparations for slavery and colonialism, historian Zoe Strimpel asks how far reparative justice should go. Should we limit reparations to the living survivors of state...

Is there a new elite? from 2023-07-17T20:00

People have always fought back against “The elite”, and until recently they were easily recognisable: rich, privileged and often born into money. Old Etonians, billionaires, oil barons, media ty...

Why are so many workers on strike? from 2023-07-10T20:00

Will 2023 be known as the summer of discontent? This year, nearly every corner of the country has been affected by some kind of industrial action, and more is coming. Teachers, doctors, nurses...

Does work have to be miserable? from 2023-07-03T20:00

How can employers in all sectors of the UK economy get the best out of their workers, retain experienced staff, improve productivity and increase profits at the same time?

The principles ...

Do single people get a raw deal? from 2023-06-26T20:00

Single people make up a large proportion of the population in Britain. People are marrying later and less, getting divorced more often, and living longer. Although not all people who live alone ...

What’s changing about childbirth? from 2023-06-19T20:00

The past decade has seen important shifts in when women become mothers, with 31 years now being the average age for this to occur. This has implications for fertility, pregnancy and birth experi...

What are companies for? from 2023-06-12T20:00

Ruth Sunderland, the group business editor of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, asks industry leaders and thinkers about the purpose of companies. Should they be organisations designed to gener...

Do Boycotts Work? from 2023-06-05T20:00

Boycotts are big at the moment. On a global scale, many countries are boycotting Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. There are campaigns to boycott products produced in Turkey, Israel or C...

We know how to stop knife crime, so why don’t we do it? from 2023-05-29T20:00

In the last five years in the UK, more than 100 children have died from knife wounds. But violence isn't inevitable and evidence shows that we need more mentoring, therapy, family support and po...

Lessons from the vaccine task force from 2023-04-03T20:00

In May 2020 a group of experts came together, at speed, to form the UK’s Vaccine Task Force. Born in the teeth of a crisis, its efforts were responsible for allowing Britain to be among the fir...

Can the Met police change? from 2023-03-27T20:00

How difficult is it for a police force to change? A review of the Metropolitan police by Baroness Louise Casey says racism, misogyny, and homophobia are at the heart of the force. The Met's comm...

Is Britain exceptional? from 2023-03-20T21:00

Is Britain Exceptional? Historian, author and Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel believes so, and sifts through the layers of Britain’s culture, politics and religious history to find the r...

King Charles' Challenge from 2023-03-13T21:00

The Queen’s funeral appeared a resounding reassertion of our enduring commitment to monarchy, but was it a tribute to her rather than the institution? As the coronation approaches, polls suggest...

Does it matter who our MPs are? from 2023-03-06T21:00

Classic theories of representative democracy argue that it’s the representation of ideas not our personal characteristics - such as age, gender, race or class - that should matter. But current d...

The death of globalisation? from 2023-02-27T21:00

Professor Ian Goldin explores globalisation, and asks how far the world is fragmenting politically and economically, and what the consequences of that could be.

Since around 1990, with th...

From Brother to Other from 2023-02-20T21:00

It’s a year since Russia launched its war in Ukraine; a year that has brought failure, humiliation, defeat and heavy losses on the battlefield, and international isolation. The conflict has impa...

Has economic crisis put net-zero plans on the backburner? from 2023-02-13T21:00

The UK has pledged to reach net-zero by 2050. But has a pandemic, the fallout from the war in Ukraine and now an economic crisis derailed our plans to decarbonise? Or have they provided an infle...

Blaenau Ffestiniog and the Foundational Economy from 2023-02-06T21:00

In the search for stability and growth, policy and debate often focuses on looking for multi-million pound inward investment, or industries with big ideas such as technology and manufacturing. B...

Can we ever really tackle rising public spending? from 2022-11-21T21:00

Last week, the government unveiled around £30bn worth of cuts to public services as it attempts to plug a fiscal hole. Governments have attempted to rein in spending in the past and struggled to...

Why do we assume women care? from 2022-11-14T21:00

In spite of progress on men's involvement in childcare the statistics show that women are still doing far more caring of young children. That is extended throughout life to the caring of ill and...

Economic Growth - can we ever have enough? from 2022-11-07T21:00

As the twin storms of economic turmoil and worsening climate change grip the UK and many other countries around the world, Analysis examines the future of economic growth. Does it offer a route ...

Is 'Political Blackness' gone for good? from 2022-10-31T21:00

Over the decades, a string of umbrella terms and acronyms have been used in the UK to describe people who aren’t white. “Politically Black”, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME), ethnic mino...

Can Effective Altruism really change the world? from 2022-10-24T20:00

If you want to do good in the world, should you be a doctor, or an aid worker? Or should you make a billion or two any way you can, and give it to good causes? Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried argu...

How Xi Jinping did it from 2022-10-17T20:00

Just over a decade ago, President Xi Jinping was a virtual unknown. Few would say that now. In ten years, he’s reworked the Chinese Communist party, the military and the government so that he’s ...

Is ethical surrogacy possible? from 2022-10-10T20:00

Does becoming a surrogate mother exploit or empower a woman? UK surrogacy law is under review, and there's a renewed debate around how it should be regulated. The war in Ukraine highlighted thi...

What's the point of street protest? from 2022-10-03T20:00

Is a protest march worth your effort? About a million people attended the Stop the War street protest in 2003. About half a million had marched to protest against the fox hunting ban a year earl...

Addiction in the age of the metaverse from 2022-07-25T19:30

Are we past the point of no return when it comes to our obsession with online technology? Elaine Moore considers her own tech use and explores our future in the metaverse.

According to a Y...

Is the UK the new sick man of Europe? from 2022-07-18T19:30

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the United Kingdom was sometimes characterised as the 'sickman of Europe' due to industrial strife and poor economic performance compared to other European countr...

What is childcare for? from 2022-07-11T20:00

Is formal childcare for pre-school children there to provide an early years education? Or to allow parents to go out to work?

Politicians would say both, but many argue the UK’s system is...

Beyond the cost of living crisis from 2022-07-04T20:00

The Bank of England says inflation might reach 11 per cent this year. There are warnings that some people will have to choose between heating and eating.

But what does it mean for the who...

Cashing in on the green rush from 2022-06-27T20:00

Some countries have legalised cannabis, often with the hope of kick-starting a lucrative new source of tax revenue - but just how profitable has it been?

Aside from a few fact-finding trip...

Germany and Russia: It's Complicated from 2022-06-20T20:00

In late February, three days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a landmark speech in the German parliament, the Bundestag. The invasion, he declared, r...

The Advertising Trap from 2022-06-13T20:00

Digital advertising fuels the digital economy, but is it all based on smoke and mirrors?

Ed Butler investigates what some claim is a massive collective deception - a trillion dollar marke...

Can Nationalism be a Force for Good? from 2022-06-06T20:01

Arguments over the value of nationalism seem to have been raging for centuries, even though the nation state as we know it has only become widespread in the last two hundred years.

In this...

From Russia with love from 2022-05-30T20:00

As Russia’s brutal war with Ukraine enters its fourth month, Edward Stourton asks who Russia's allies and friends are and looks at the nation's influence overseas.

While President Putin ...

The Court of Putin from 2022-03-21T21:00

In the wake of the greatest crisis to hit Europe since the Second World War, former Moscow correspondent Tim Whewell examines the president, people and processes that led to that momentous decis...

Can the UK ever be a low tax economy again? from 2022-03-14T21:00

As tax rises hit pay packets next month is this an end to traditional Conservative low tax policy? The UK government has so far defied calls from across the political spectrum to shelve the plan...

Ending Violence from 2022-03-07T21:00

Is a world without violence possible? Violence blights the lives of countless individuals each year. The Crime Survey of England and Wales suggests there were 1.2 million incidents of violent cr...

The case for public service reform from 2022-02-28T21:00

Chris Naylor asks if there's a better way to deliver public services. Many of these were designed nearly a century ago to address the challenges of that time; from cradle to grave, offering help...

Planning, Housing and Politics from 2022-02-21T21:00

How can the planning system adapt so we can build new homes without alienating voters? Barrister and author Hashi Mohamed investigates, focussing on the system in England. The government has ple...

Tackling Inequality from 2022-02-14T21:00

Probing the results of a major study into our unequal society. Faisal Islam, BBC Economics Editor, talks to two leading experts on inequality, who have together been working for several years on...

Why worry about future generations? from 2022-02-07T21:00

What do we owe future generations? Everyone who is alive, has rights. And governments have obligations to their citizens. But what about people who are not yet born? Should their interests b...

Can we create a universal Covid vaccine? from 2022-01-31T21:00

Can scientists develop a vaccine which can combat the coronavirus and all its variants? There have been three lethal outbreaks caused by coronaviruses this century: SARS in 2002, MERS in 2012 an...

Finding Things Out from 2021-11-15T21:00

Finding things out during the pandemic has been hit and miss: there’ve been miracles, and there’s been junk. What matters is not just what we think we know about how to intervene to improve huma...

Baby Boom or Bust from 2021-11-08T21:02

Birth rates in many countries, including China, Japan, Italy and the UK have dropped below replacement level. Clare McNeil asks if we should be concerned about this, and the burden it will plac...

Revenge of the Workers from 2021-11-01T21:02

The shortage of HGV drivers has been hitting the headlines, but other sectors are affected by a lack of staff too, from care homes to restaurants. This despite wages going up, and the end of the...

Parental Alienation from 2021-10-25T19:58

Splitting up where children are involved is tricky. Especially when it ends up in the family courts. It’s even more tricky when a child decides they don’t want a relationship with one of the par...

Look who's talking - the rise of ‘voice cloning’ from 2021-10-11T20:00

When you listen to a radio programme, watch an animated film, or even receive a phone call, it’s unlikely you’ll question whether the words you’re hearing are coming from the mouth of a human be...

Who Defends Europe? from 2021-10-04T20:00

This summer's hasty and poorly executed withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan caused shock and profound unease among Washington's allies, just as they hoped the unilateralism of the Trump era...

Reimagining the Nation from 2021-09-27T19:55

What keeps a nation together? For political scientist Benedict Anderson, it was the idea of the 'imagined community'. Although people from different backgrounds in a country might not know one a...

Cancelling Colston from 2021-07-19T19:30

In June 2020 the statue of slaver trader Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into the harbour in Bristol – one of the most visible moments of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK. The sta...

Science in the Time of Cancel Culture from 2021-07-12T20:00

In an age of social media ’cancel culture’ might be defined as an orchestrated campaign which seeks to silence or end the careers of people whose thoughts or opinions deviate from a new set of p...

Stalemate: Israel and the Palestinians after Gaza from 2021-07-05T20:00

After another round of violence, a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict appears farther away than ever. Edward Stourton examines the future.

Guests include: Ahmad Samih Kha...

A Hundred Glorious Years? from 2021-06-28T20:00

The first, modest Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took place in late July 1921. Of the twelve original members, only Mao Zedong and one of his closest aides survived to take part i...

A New Unionism? from 2021-06-21T19:30

Unionism in Northern Ireland is facing a highly uncertain future. Its divided party politics make the headlines. But beyond that, post-Brexit border rules and talk of a possible vote on Irish r...

Funny Money from 2021-06-16T12:08

What is the money in your pocket really worth?

Come to think of it now we’re virtually cashless, do you even keep money in your pocket?

Maybe you’re worried about the growth of gov...

Marvellous Medicine from 2021-06-14T19:30

Most of us were blindsided by the novel virus SarsCov2, but infectious disease experts had been warning about the possibility of a global pandemic for some years. For them it was never a matter ...

The Zoomshock Metropolis from 2021-05-31T19:40

Our towns and cities are facing an existential crisis. The rise of online shopping has left gaping holes in high streets. And if hybrid working takes off, some economists predict a dramatic 'zoo...

What the Foucault? from 2021-05-24T19:00

Last December Liz Truss made a speech. The Minister for Women and Equalities spoke about her memories of being at school in Leeds. She was taught about sexism and racism, she said, but not enoug...

Global Britain: is there substance behind the slogan? from 2021-03-29T20:00

Having left the EU, the UK is now re-branding itself as "Global Britain", but what does that actually mean? A key plank of the new foreign policy is a pivot to the "Indo-Pacific". How is this se...

Science in the Time of Covid-19 from 2021-03-22T20:40

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen the best of science and the worst of science. New vaccines have been produced in less than twelve months. But at the same time we’ve seen evidence exaggerated and ...

The Fine Art of Decision Making from 2021-03-15T20:35

Margaret Heffernan explores the fine art of decision making in times of uncertainty. We make decisions all the time which affect our personal lives, but what about the decisions which affect the...

Levelling Up Wakefield from 2021-03-08T20:30

With its low-wage economy, Wakefield is the kind of place the government has promised to help level up. But what kind of help do people there most need? Anand Menon returns to his home city to f...

Magic Weapons from 2021-03-01T20:40

There used to be a romantic notion of globalisation that all countries would simply have to get along as we were all so interconnected. Why fight when your interests are aligned? It’s an idea th...

Boiled Rabbits of the Left? from 2021-02-22T21:00

George Orwell chastised the "boiled rabbits of the Left" for disliking what he called "the spiritual need for patriotism". He was writing in 1940 during Hitler's Blitz of London and other Briti...

Flying Blind from 2021-02-15T21:00

What do we really know about the policy choices confronting us? Covid-19 has been a brutal lesson in the extent of our ignorance. We face hard decisions, and argue about them ferociously, when i...

Rogue Cops from 2021-02-08T20:30

Is it possible to identify rogue cops before they commit offences? Can we change police culture to improve police interactions with the public? The brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapol...

Personality Politics from 2021-02-01T21:00

Are we predisposed by our personality to be drawn to certain political policies or certain ideologies? And if so, should we take account of this when our views differ from other people? James Ti...

The Spirit Level: the theory of everything? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

The Spirit Level is a book that aims to change the way you see the world. It has impressed politicians on both sides of politics, with David Cameron and Ed Milliband taking note of its message. ...

Whatever Happened to the Sisterhood? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Women will be hit disproportionately by the Budget cuts already announced by the government: A new study suggests that they will shoulder nearly three quarters of the burden, because they rely mor...

What's Wrong with Child Labour? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

What is childhood for? It is commonly seen as a time for play and learning, but should employment play a more important part? Fran Abrams examines the subject of children at work in the UK, ...

Foreigner Policy from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

In the past decade, Britain has experienced mass immigration on an unprecedented scale. A former government aide recently suggested this was a deliberate policy, motivated in part by a desire to in...

Divorcing Europe from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

What would happen if Britain chose to leave the European Union? The new Lisbon Treaty contains a clause whch sets out the exit process for the first time. But, as Chris Bowlby reports, the final de...

Chasing Unicorns from 2020-11-16T20:40

We live in a world of unicorns. From hailing taxis to ordering pizza to renting a holiday home, the world has come to rely on huge tech startups known in Silicon Valley as unicorns. But in a pos...

Who Runs that Place? from 2020-11-09T20:30

Increasingly, Western governments see China as a problem to deal with because, as it has grown more powerful, it has re-committed to being a Leninist state.

But under President Xi Jinping...

This Fractured Isle from 2020-11-02T21:00

On February 1st this year nearly every news bulletin began with the words 'the UK has officially left the European Union'. Boris Johnson could have been forgiven for congratulating himself for f...

The Future of Welfare from 2020-10-26T20:40

The furlough scheme, introduced in response to Covid-19, has raised a question: should Britain’s social insurance be a bit more German? Germany has what’s known as an earnings-related contribut...

The Rise and Fall of the Bond Market Traders from 2020-10-19T19:35

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher famously said that 'You can’t buck the markets' and Governments back then feared that, if they borrowed too much, they'd pay a terrible price in the markets in te...

Trouble on the backbenches? Tory Leaders and their MPs from 2020-10-12T19:30

Despite winning a large majority at the last election, Prime Minister Johnson’s relationship with his party is an uneasy one.

Just a few months after achieving its long term aim of leavi...

Planning for the Worst from 2020-10-05T20:00

How ready are we for the next pandemic, cyber attack, volcanic eruption, or solar storm?

Our world, ever more interconnected and dependent on technology, is vulnerable to a head-spinning a...

Is the Internet Broken? from 2020-09-28T20:00

The internet is a cornerstone of our society. It is vital to our economy, to our global communications, and to many of our personal and professional lives. But have the processes that govern how...

Behavioural Science and the Pandemic from 2020-07-20T20:00

There were two narratives that emerged in the week before we locked down on 23rd March that could go some way to explaining why the UK was relatively slow to lockdown. One was the idea of “herd ...

Humans vs the Planet from 2020-07-13T19:35

As Covid-19 forced humans into lockdown, memes emerged showing the earth was healing thanks to our absence. These were false claims – but their popularity revealed how seductive the dangerous id...

Thinking for the Long Term from 2020-07-06T20:00

"The origin of civil government," wrote the Scottish philosopher David Hume in 1739, is that "men are not able radically to cure, either in themselves or others, that narrowness of soul, which m...

The Post-Pandemic State from 2020-06-29T20:00

Government intervention on an unprecedented scale has propped up the British economy - and society at large - during the pandemic. But what should be the state's role from now on? Can Conservati...

Radical Self-Care from 2020-06-22T20:00

Wellness is easy to lampoon. A vast, trillion-dollar industry, at its worst it offers bogus cures, prescribing over-priced paraphernalia and dubious advice for ailments that might be treated els...

Modern Parenting from 2020-06-15T20:00

More time and money is being spent on children than ever before. And it's a global trend. Professor Tina Miller, who has studied how parenting styles have changed over several decades, considers...

The Smack of Firm Leadership from 2020-06-08T20:00

What does the way in which rival political systems around the world have managed the Covid-19 pandemic tell us about the global political future?

Writer and broadcaster, John Kampfner, con...

The Return of Reality? from 2020-06-01T20:00

Before Covid-19 hit, the latest research showed we were more polarised than ever. We broadly agree on the issues - it's the emotions where things get tricky. If someone is part of the other trib...

Identity Wars: lessons from the Dreyfus Affair and Brexit Britain from 2020-05-25T20:00

The episode "tore society apart, divided families, and split the country into two enemy camps, which then attacked each other …”   A description by some future historian looking back at Britain ...

Command and Control? from 2020-03-28T11:00

When Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer in February rather than accept Boris Johnson's reported demand that he dismiss his own team of special advisers and accept a new one draw...

The Roots of 'Woke' Culture from 2020-03-23T21:00

Barack Obama condemned it. Black American activists championed it. Meghan Markle brought it to the Royal Family. “Wokeness” has become a shorthand for one side of the culture wars, popularising ...

Unequal England from 2020-03-09T21:00

Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies explores what the world of work can tells us about inequality and why some towns and cities feel left behind. He finds England is one of the most...

China's Captured "Princess" from 2020-03-02T21:00

If you want to understand the global reach of a rising China, visit Vancouver. Canada has been sucked in to an intractable dispute between the US and China after the arrest on an American warran...

It's Not Easy Being Green from 2020-02-24T21:00

If the future of politics must include tackling climate change, it holds that the future should be bright for the Greens. In parts of Europe, their influence is growing. In Germany the Green Pa...

Do voters need therapy? from 2020-02-17T21:00

In a poll last year, two thirds of people suggested that Britain’s exit from the EU was negatively affecting the nation’s mental health. But is that really about customs unions and widget regula...

The Early Years Miracle? from 2020-02-10T21:00

The government spends billions on free early years education. The theory goes that this is good for children, their parents and society as a whole. But does the evidence stack up? Despite the ...

The NHS, AI and Our Data from 2020-02-03T21:00

The NHS has a unique resource - data. David Edmonds asks whether a combination of data and Artificial Intelligence will transform the future of the NHS. The programme features among others Sir ...

Get woke or go broke? from 2020-01-27T21:00

When you buy your trainers, do you want to make a political statement? Businesses want to attract consumers by advertising their commitment to liberal causes like diversity and tackling climat...

NATO at 70 from 2019-11-18T21:00

NATO’s military strength and unswerving trans-Atlantic solidarity enabled it to contain and ultimately defeat the Soviet Union. But with Vladimir Putin’s Russia resurgent, and eager to restore ...

The uses and misuses of history in politics from 2019-11-11T21:00

Barely a day passes when an MP doesn’t reach for an historical analogy to help explain contemporary events. But to what extent do the Battle of Agincourt and World War II really help us better ...

Can I Change Your Mind? from 2019-11-04T21:00

There’s a widespread belief that there’s no point talking to people you disagree with because they will never change their minds. Everyone is too polarized and attempts to discuss will merely re...

State Aid: Brexit, Bailouts and Corporate Bonanzas from 2019-10-28T21:00

When the steelworks at Redcar went bust in 2015 the government said it couldn’t bail out the company that ran the plant because of the EU’s state aid rules, which regulate how much money the gov...

The New Censorship from 2019-10-21T20:00

Democracy flourishes where information is free flowing and abundant, so the logic goes.

In the West the choice of information is limitless in a marketplace of ideas. While authoritarian ...

A question of artefacts from 2019-10-14T20:00

How should museums deal with contentious legacies?

Two years since the French President, Emmanuel Macron, called for the restitution of objects taken at the height of Europe’s empires, so...

The Problem with Boys from 2019-10-07T20:00

The data is indisputable: in developed countries boys now lag behind girls in several significant areas of education.

For years, women lagged behind men in educational attainment. More bo...

Whiteness from 2019-09-30T20:00

For many white people their race is not part of their identity. Race, racial inequality and racism are things that people of colour are expected to talk about and organise around. Not anymore. Listen

A shorter working week from 2019-07-22T20:00

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the working week gradually got shorter and shorter. As technological advances powered economic growth, workers reaped the gains not just in the for...

Going the way of the dodo? The decline of Britain's two main parties. from 2019-07-15T20:00

Recent polling data and election results paint a picture of woe for Britain's two main political parties. Of course both Labour and the Conservatives have suffered periods of decline throughout...

The Forgotten Half from 2019-07-08T20:00

More and more young people now go to university. But what's on offer for those who don't? Public and political attention is far more focused on the university route. Paul Johnson discovers why ...

Understanding the risks of terrorism from 2019-07-01T20:00

How do the authorities, business and the public perceive and respond to the risk of violent terrorism?

With unprecedented access to the work of an active MI5 officer, home affairs corresp...

Can computer profiles cut crime? from 2019-06-24T20:00

David Edmonds examines how algorithms are used in our criminal justice system, from predicting future crime to helping decide who does and doesn’t go to prison.

While police forces hope c...

Green technology and early adoption from 2019-06-17T20:00

Climate change has shot up the current political agenda in part due to the Extinction Rebellion protests. An urgent question now facing UK policymakers is whether they should accelerate the adop...

The Real Gender Pay Gap from 2019-06-10T20:00

Women are paid less than men and do more unpaid work. The gender pay gap doubles after women become mothers. Female-dominated professions tend to be lower-paid than male-dominated ones. What's g...

Maintenance from 2019-06-03T20:00

Maintenance is an unfashionable word. But as Chris Bowlby discovers, keeping our infrastructure in good condition is one of the most crucial and creative challenges we face. Key assets such as c...

Love Island, dating apps and the politics of desire from 2019-05-27T20:00

For centuries we have met our other halves through family, friends, work, or religious institutions. But they have all now been outstripped: meeting online is now the most common way to meet. No...

Will China and America go to war? from 2019-03-25T21:00

Will the growing competition between China and the United States inevitably lead to military conflict? One leading American academic created huge attention when in 2017 he posed the idea of what...

Are we heading for a mass extinction? from 2019-03-18T21:00

Will human actions result in the demise of huge numbers of other species - in a mass die-off, comparable to the end of the era of the dinosaurs? Neal Razzell assesses the evidence that species a...

Will humans survive the century? from 2019-03-11T21:00

What is the chance of the human race surviving the 21st century? There are many dangers – climate change for example, or nuclear war, or a pandemic, or planet Earth being hit by a giant asteroi...

Deliberative Democracy from 2019-03-04T21:00

Is there a better way to heal political divides - through panels of ordinary citizens? Sonia Sodha asks if the idea of citizens' assemblies, which have been used around the world to come up with...

Irish Questions from 2019-02-25T21:00

Voters and politicians in Britain claim to be perplexed that economic and political relations between the UK and the Republic of Ireland seem to be decisive in determining the course of Brexit. ...

Fair Exchange? from 2019-02-18T21:00

Does a falling currency help or harm the economy? It's an urgent question for the UK, as the pound fell sharply in value against other major currencies after the referendum on Britain’s membersh...

Conspiracy Politics from 2019-02-11T21:00

Are we living in a ‘golden age’ of political conspiracy theories and what does belief in them tell us about voters and politicians? James Tilley, a professor of politics at the University of Oxf...

Do children of married parents do better? from 2019-02-04T21:00

Does being born to non-married parents affect a child's prospects? It is a question that is notoriously hard to answer. BBC Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys investigates research from Princeto...

The War for Normal from 2019-01-28T21:00

We live in a world where everyone is trying to manipulate everyone else, where social media has opened up the floodgates for a mayhem of influence. And the one thing all the new propagandists ha...

America's Friends from 2019-01-14T18:00

From a US president who is turning the world upside down – with a relish for dismantling global agreements – the message is clear: it’s America first. But where does that leave old European alli...

The Trumped Republicans from 2019-01-08T20:40

Republican insider Ron Christie discovers how Donald Trump's presidency is changing his party. Trump arrived in the White House offering a populist revolt in America, promising to drain what he ...

The Next Crash from 2018-11-19T21:00

What could cause a future financial crash? Ian Goldin, professor of globalisation and development at Oxford University, talks to some of the world's leading economists about whether we have lear...

The Replication Crisis from 2018-11-12T21:00

Many key findings in psychological research are under question, as the results of some of its most well-known experiments – such as the marshmallow effect, ego depletion, stereotype threat and t...

How to kill a democracy from 2018-11-05T21:00

How many democracies around the world are gradually being dismantled. Democracies today are less and less likely to be overthrown in violent coups. Today’s methods of establishing one party rule...

Do Assassinations Work? from 2018-11-02T18:35

Poison, exploding cigars and shooting down planes: tales of espionage and statesmanship. Government-ordered assassinations may seem the stuff of spy novels and movie scripts, but they seem to h...

The Pupil Premium from 2018-10-22T20:00

How do you increase the attainment of disadvantaged children? Poorer children consistently perform worse at school by not reaching higher grades at age 16, compared to richer children. There is...

Northern Ireland - Where Next? from 2018-10-15T20:00

Could Northern Ireland soon face a huge decision - whether to leave the UK? Andrea Catherwood returns to where she grew up to discover why the biggest question of all is looming beyond Brexit. ...

Operation Tory Black Vote from 2018-10-08T20:00

Can the Conservatives ever win over non-white support? Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are as diverse in their values and beliefs as the rest of the population, yet there is a histo...

Power Shift from 2018-10-01T19:45

How power moved from West to East after the 2008 financial crisis. Ian Goldin, professor of globalisation and development at Oxford University, explores how Asian nations, especially China, demo...

The Truth About Britain's Beggars from 2018-08-31T16:53

Former homeless drug-addict Mark Johnson explores our relationship with street beggars

What's Fair? from 2018-07-23T20:00

As well as marking the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service, this year marks a similar milestone in adult social care. But whereas our notions of fairness in treating those who fall i...

Trump and Trade from 2018-07-16T20:00

In 2016, during the American presidential election campaign, Edward Stourton travelled to the rustbelt of the United States to report on the new political power of Protectionism. Now, as Donald...

British Politics: A Russian View from 2018-07-09T20:00

Peter Pomerantsev asks why new techniques in political campaigning have succeeded and what the consequences are for society. He has a different view to most from his past career working inside t...

The Middle East Conundrum from 2018-07-02T20:00

Edward Stourton asks if there any chance of a long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Tensions have been rising following the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the deadly c...

Can Technology Be Stopped? from 2018-06-25T20:00

Can the Big Four - Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple - be reined in and forced to play by the rules society sets, rather than imposing their own standards on society? It seems like news breaks ...

Death Is a Bore from 2018-06-18T20:00

Most of us are resigned to the fact that we won't escape death in the end. But there are people who have dedicated their entire lives to conquering death. This relatively new movement of 'transh...

Disconnected Britain from 2018-06-11T20:00

New infrastructure such as major transport projects promises huge benefits. London and the South East are currently looking forward to Crossrail, the start of HS2 and much more besides. But how ...

Algorithm Overlords from 2018-06-04T20:00

How can we be sure that the technology we are creating is going to do the right thing? Machines are merging into our lives in ever more intimate ways. They interact with our children and assist ...

#metoo, moi non plus from 2018-05-28T20:00

Do French women really think differently about sexual harassment - and if so, does feminism have national borders?

Catherine Deneuve was one of 100 prominent women who signed an open lett...

Too Young to Veil? from 2018-04-24T19:40

This year, St. Stephen's primary school in east London found itself at the centre of an incendiary and increasingly far-reaching debate that is rocking not only Muslim communities and campaigner...

The End of Arms Control? from 2018-03-26T20:00

Existing arms control treaties are under threat - at the same time that new types of weapon emerge, with nothing to regulate them. There is a growing crisis in the arms control regimes inherited...

Screens and Teens from 2018-03-19T21:00

Do we need to "do something" about the effects of smartphones on teenage children? The backlash against the omnipresent devices has begun. Parents on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly ...

What Are Universities For? from 2018-03-12T21:00

Almost half of the UK's school leavers are now going to university. But the university sector is under more scrutiny than ever before. Sonia Sodha argues that it's time to take a profound look a...

Town v Gown: New Tribes in Brexit Britain from 2018-03-05T21:00

In the 2016 referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, a stark division emerged: those with university degrees were far more likely to vote remain than those with few educati...

The Dictator's Survival Guide from 2018-02-26T21:00

How do dictators and authoritarians stay in power? James Tilley, a professor of politics at Oxford University, finds out what's in the dictators' survival guide. How do they control ordinary peo...

Political Electricity from 2018-02-19T21:00

Electricity is crucial to modern life - and in the digital or electric vehicle age, that dependence is going to grow even more. But will we all get the power we need? Chris Bowlby discovers what...

A Very British Battle from 2018-02-12T21:00

The latest round in the fight over the future of the UK armed forces is raging in the corridors of Whitehall. As politicians and military top brass argue about money, wider questions about what ...

The Illiberal Democrats from 2018-02-05T21:00

Poland and Hungary appear to be on paths to what the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called "illiberal democracy". What does this mean for the European Union? Naomi Grimley hears how in Hu...

Why Are Even Women Biased Against Women? from 2018-01-29T21:00

Women are sexist too. Even avowed feminists are found to be unconsciously biased against women when they take 'implicit association' tests. Mary Ann Sieghart asks where these discriminatory atti...

The Invisible Hand of Donald Trump from 2017-12-01T16:40

Donald Trump's surprise elevation to the office of president last November stunned the world and electrified the financial markets. Promises to cut red tape, bring huge infrastructure projects t...

Offence, Power and Progress from 2017-11-20T21:00

In 2017 it's easier than ever to express offence. The angry face icon on Facebook, a sarcasm-loaded tweet or a (comparatively) old-fashioned blog post allow us to highlight the insensitivities o...

Authenticity from 2017-11-13T21:00

These days when we talk about politicians we are more likely to discuss whether they are authentic than whether they are great orators or statesmen or women. Few of us take the time to listen to...

Primate Politics from 2017-11-06T21:00

Professor James Tilley finds out what we can learn about politics from the power struggles within chimpanzee groups and how our evolutionary past may affect the political decisions that we make ...

Courting Trouble from 2017-11-01T11:01

When does flirting go too far? In a changing world, can we agree on what is acceptable behaviour? Sexual harassment is much in the news, new laws and codes are in place. Legal definitions are on...

Europe Unbound from 2017-10-30T21:00

Edward Stourton asks how the European Union might change after Britain leaves. "The wind is back in Europe's sails", according to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. In September,...

Parliament - A Building Catastrophe? from 2017-10-23T19:59

What does the dangerous state of the Houses of Parliament tell us about our politics? There are increasing fears of a catastrophic fire, asbestos leak or major systems failure in the famed build...

Can We Teach Robots Ethics? from 2017-10-16T20:00

From driverless cars to "carebots", machines are entering the realm of right and wrong. Should an autonomous vehicle prioritise the lives of its passengers over pedestrians? Should a robot carin...

What would war with North Korea look like? from 2017-10-09T20:00

What could spark a major conflict on the world's most sensitive front line, and just how devastating would it be? Alarm about North Korea has spiked. It claims to have successfully test-launched...

The Fintech Revolution from 2017-10-02T20:00

Will technology radically reshape the highly profitable world of finance? Technology can revolutionise industries, making goods and services cheaper and more accessible. Television is going the ...

Reducing re-offending from 2017-08-30T19:30

'The Fix' brings together twelve of the country's bright young minds and gives them just one day to solve an intractable problem. This week we have asked our teams to come up with ways to stop c...

The Fix: Childhood Obesity from 2017-08-23T19:20

The teams have just one day to find solutions to the problem of childhood obesity

The Fix: Setting Up Home from 2017-08-17T11:53

In the first of a new series, twelve of the country's brightest young minds gather to solve difficult social problems. This week - how do we improve access to affordable housing? Using policy pl...

Understanding Prevent from 2017-07-26T09:13

David Anderson examines the government's controversial counter-terrorism strategy Prevent

Minimum Wage: Too Much of a Good Thing? from 2017-07-24T20:00

Has the initial success of the minimum wage meant politicians have extended the policy to damaging levels? All the major political parties agree: the measure has been a success, and in the 2017 ...

Yascha Mounk on democracy at risk from 2017-07-17T20:00

An extended interview with the political theorist who argues that liberal democracy is in grave danger. Ngaire Woods, dean of the Blavatnik School at Oxford, speaks to Harvard scholar Yascha Mou...

Is work too easy? from 2017-07-10T20:00

Michael Blastland asks if it's desk-bound work, rather than over-eating, which is making more and more of us obese. He hears about remarkable research which, despite received wisdom, suggests th...

Constitutions at Work from 2017-07-03T20:00

Constitutions put controls on the people who run countries - but how are they created and how well do they work?

In ordinary times constitutional debate often seems an abstract business wi...

Who Speaks for the Workers? from 2017-06-26T20:00

Union membership is in decline whilst structural changes in the economy - including the rise of the so-called gig economy - are putting downward pressure on wages, and creating fertile condition...

Brexit: A Tale of Two Cities from 2017-06-23T10:30

A year on from the Brexit referendum, Anand Menon contrasts Wakefield, which voted leave, with Oxford which voted remain, to find out how they feel now.

What went wrong with Brazil? from 2017-06-19T20:00

During Brazil's boom years the country's rising economy created a new middle class of gigantic proportions - tens of millions escaping from poverty. Brazil felt confident and even rich enough to...

Germany - Anxious Giant from 2017-06-12T20:00

With angst over European security growing, why is Germany such a reluctant military power? Chris Bowlby discovers how German pacifism has grown since World War Two. The German army, the Bundeswe...

Implicit Bias from 2017-06-05T20:00

Do we unconsciously harbour racist and sexist attitudes? Far fewer people are explicitly racist than a couple of decades ago. They won't express or admit to racist sentiments. But what happens b...

Aid: Something to Boast About? from 2017-05-30T13:54

Why is the UK such a generous global aid donor and should it be? The coalition government legislated to ensure Britain spent 0.7% of its national income on international development and it is no...

Adventures in Social Mobility from 2017-04-11T19:30

What are the unwritten rules you must learn to get a top job? Hashi Mohamed came to the UK aged nine, as an unaccompanied child refugee, with hardly any English. His academic achievements at sch...

Detoxifying France's National Front from 2017-03-20T21:00

Has Front National leader Marine Le Pen really detoxified the party founded by her father 40 years ago? Is it a right-wing protest movement or a party seriously preparing for power? Anand Menon,...

Holland's Challenge to Tolerance from 2017-03-13T21:00

Why is liberal, tolerant Netherlands home to one of Europe's most successful anti-immigration, anti-Islamic parties?

Geert Wilders' radical right-wing Party For Freedom (PVV) - which wants...

How do the SNP sell a second referendum? from 2017-03-06T21:00

Could a second referendum on Scottish independence yield a different result? In September 2014 when Scotland voted against becoming an independent country it seemed like the question had been se...

How Voters Decide: Part Two from 2017-02-27T21:00

What makes us change our mind when it comes to elections? We are all swingers now. More voters than ever before are switching party from one election to the next. Tribal loyalties are weakening....

How Voters Decide: Part One from 2017-02-20T21:00

What does the story of the Downing Street cat reveal about the way voters decide? We are not taught how to vote. We rely on intuition, snap judgments and class prejudice. We vote for policies th...

Analysis Extra: The Pull of Putin from 2017-02-16T16:49

Why do populist politicians across the West want warmer relations with Russia? Are they just Kremlin agents? Or are they tapping into a growing desire to find common cause with Moscow – and end ...

Is Talent a Thing? from 2017-02-13T21:00

When hiring people, is the concept of talent so ill-defined as to be useless? Entrepreneur and author Margaret Heffernan thinks so and explores what characteristics recruiters might want to look...

How Not to Do It from 2017-02-06T21:00

Jacqui Smith, the former Labour home secretary, investigates why government policies fail, focusing on one of her party's most cherished reforms.

Indeterminate sentences for public protect...

Atom Man from 2017-01-30T21:00

The journey of an American 'cold warrior' from nuclear deterrence to nuclear disarmament. Former US Secretary of Defence William J Perry has spent his entire seven-decade career on the nuclear b...

Hospital Trust? from 2017-01-23T21:00

Is public affection for the NHS preventing it from becoming fit for the future? Polling suggests that despite many complaints about the public health service, it is regarded as a much-loved and ...

Brexit: What Europe Wants from 2016-11-14T21:00

How political forces in other countries will shape any future UK-EU deal.

As a younger man, Anand Menon spent a care-free summer Inter-railing around Europe. Some decades later, and now a ...

How Did We Save the Ozone Layer? from 2016-11-07T20:45

On 30 June this year, a study was released in one of the world's top scientific journals. It explained how a group of scientists who had been measuring the amount of ozone in the stratosphere ha...

Trusting Inmates from 2016-10-31T21:00

Should we place more trust in prisoners to help them change their lives? "Trust is the only thing that changes people," says Professor Alison Liebling, the director of the Prisons Research Centr...

The Myth of Mobs from 2016-10-24T20:00

In popular imagination, being in a crowd makes people scary and irrational. But is this true? In this edition of Analysis, David Edmonds asks social psychologists - including a leading expert on...

Brexit and Northern Ireland from 2016-10-17T20:00

Is the island of Ireland where Brexit will matter most? Edward Stourton visits Londonderry, right on the Irish border, to explore what's at stake as the UK leaves the EU. Some locals fear the bo...

Gentrification from 2016-10-10T20:00

Can the process of gentrification be controlled? It is often hailed as a sign of social and economic progress. Places which were originally poor and downtrodden are transformed into prosperous a...

Breaking Promises from 2016-10-03T20:00

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, asks if the time has come for the government to break pledges made to pensioners. He charts how the average income of senior citizens h...

Tearing Up the Politics Textbook from 2016-09-26T20:00

British politics has been going through a period of rapid and remarkable change. That's a headache for the politicians and for the voters. But spare a thought also for politics professors like R...

How Low Can Rates Go? from 2016-07-25T10:42

Martin Wolf, Chief Economic Commentator of the Financial Times, examines how policymakers are testing the norms of economic life as they seek solutions to slow growth. The payment of interest go...

A Subversive History of School Reform from 2016-07-18T20:00

Change, change, change - conventional wisdom is that the classroom is the site of an endless set of reforms, a constant stream of White Papers and directives that promise 'revolution' and sudden...

Money for Nothing from 2016-07-11T20:00

Should the state pay everyone a Universal Basic Income? Sonia Sodha finds out why the idea is winning support from an unlikely alliance of leftists and libertarians. Producer: Helen Grady.

Obama's World from 2016-07-04T20:00

Politico foreign correspondent Nahal Toosi examines the international record of President Obama's eight years in office and tries to discern the governing principles behind his foreign policy. T...

The Charitable Impulse from 2016-06-27T20:00

Charity is big business. In the UK, over £9 billion is donated to charitable institutions each year. But fundraising can also be controversial as recent news stories about expensive electricity ...

Marxism Today from 2016-06-20T20:00

Journalist Robin Aitken comes from a conservative political viewpoint to a man who has inspired mass movements on the left: Karl Marx. Robin who was a BBC reporter for 25 years thinks Marx was a...

The New Young Fogeys from 2016-06-13T20:00

Young people today drink and smoke much less than previous generations. The rates of teenage pregnancy and youth crime have fallen dramatically. New Statesman editor Jason Cowley talks to expert...

Silicon Valley Values from 2016-06-06T20:00

David Baker explores the identity and values of Silicon Valley - and what they mean for the rest of us. He talks to entrepreneurs, investors, academics and activists about how those values are p...

Protectionism in the USA from 2016-05-30T20:00

Edward Stourton examines America's long history of resistance to free trade, and asks why it has again become such a potent political force. Donald Trump's most consistent policy has been opposi...

Beyond Binary from 2016-05-23T20:00

In communities around the globe, genderqueer, gender-variant and gender-fluid people are rejecting the categories of male and female, and attempting to re-define gender identity. Linda Pressly a...

Free Speech 1 - Oxygen of Freedom from 2016-04-21T13:24

Timothy Garton Ash introduces the subject of freedom of speech and why it is more important than ever in today's internet-connected world. Professor Garton Ash sets out the arguments for why we ...

Free Speech 2 - I'm Offended from 2016-04-21T13:20

Timothy Garton Ash examines how free speech is being eroded in the place it should be most secure: in universities. He examines the activist practise known as 'no platforming'. It means that one...

Free Speech 3 - Respect Me, Respect My Religion from 2016-04-21T13:14

Timothy Garton Ash asks if religion is a special case where freedom of speech should be curtailed. He asks how we can reconcile belief in an absolute revealed truth with the post-Enlightenment f...

Free Speech 4 - Media We Need from 2016-04-21T13:10

Timothy Garton Ash asks whether we have the media we need to really exercise our right to freedom of expression? He examines the diversity of voices across the media landscape and wonders whet...

Free Speech 5 - Big Brother is Watching from 2016-04-21T13:05

It is often said that our right to free speech is balanced by our right to privacy. Timothy Garton Ash asks how we should strike the right balance between the two. In a world where we are sharin...

The Deobandis: Part 2 from 2016-04-14T10:22

In part two of The Deobandis, the BBC's former Pakistan correspondent Owen Bennett Jones reveals a secret history of Jihadist propagation in Britain.

This follows the BBC's discovery of a...

The Deobandis: Part 1 from 2016-04-14T10:08

The Deobandis are virtually unknown to most British people, yet their influence is huge. As the largest Islamic group in the UK, they control over 40% of mosques and have a near monopoly on Isla...

The Philby Tape from 2016-04-04T19:15

How did notorious traitor Kim Philby manage to infiltrate MI6 and send its most sensitive secrets to the Soviets? Now, for the first time, we can hear his account in a once secret tape the BBC h...

Corporate Amnesia from 2016-03-21T21:00

Phil Tinline finds out what happens when institutions lose their memory and how they can best capture and share the lessons of the past.

The End of Free from 2016-03-14T21:00

Andrew Brown of The Guardian asks if the dramatic rise of ad-blocking software will undermine the commercial model behind most free news on the internet. He finds an industry in deep concern ove...

Power to the People? from 2016-03-07T21:00

Will devolution bring back the power to England's cities and regions that they once had? And, if so, will all local authorities fare equally? Michael Robinson explores the history of local gover...

Labour and the Bomb from 2016-02-27T05:00

Jeremy Corbyn's opposition to the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent has opened up divisions within the Labour Party that run very deep. The issue will come to a head when Parliament votes o...

Multiculturalism: Newham v Leicester from 2016-02-22T21:00

How are councils in two of the UK's most multicultural places managing diversity? Back in the 1970s, the Labour party developed a model of working with ethnic minority and faith community groups...

Inheritance from 2016-02-15T21:00

Why does inheritance arouse such powerful emotions? Family, death and money make for gripping stories - just ask Tolstoy, Austen or Dickens - but our attitudes also reflect the way we feel about...

Brexit: The Irish Question from 2016-02-08T21:00

If the UK leaves the EU, what happens on the island of Ireland? Its people would be living on either side of an EU border. In this edition of Analysis, Edward Stourton explores an aspect of the ...

Space Wars, Space Peace from 2016-02-01T21:00

Chris Bowlby explores the shifting balance between two visions of outer space - as a place of harmony and as a zone of growing international tension. We may think war in space is a scenario drea...

Tomas Sedlacek: The Economics of Good and Evil from 2016-01-25T21:00

What have the Book of Genesis and the movie Fight Club got to do with GDP? According to the radical Czech economist, Tomas Sedlacek, quite a lot. He believes notions of sin and belief recorded i...

Correspondents' Look Ahead: 2016 from 2016-01-01T20:02

Who and what will be making the global headlines in 2016? Owen Bennett-Jones and leading BBC correspondents discuss and give their predictions about what will shape the world in the year ahead a...

Will They Always Hate Us? from 2015-11-09T21:00

The Middle East conflict and other long-running international disputes have so far proved incapable of resolution by war or traditional diplomacy. So are the parties fated always to hate each ot...

Currencies and Countries from 2015-11-02T21:00

Looking at the UK, reunified Germany and the European Union, the former Conservative Cabinet Minister John Redwood MP asks how successful a currency union can be without political union behind i...

Killing Cows from 2015-10-26T13:00

Carnivore and steak-lover Jo Fidgen attempts to work out whether killing cows for food can be morally justified

Many meat eaters believe animal suffering should be avoided. They buy higher...

Will George Be King? from 2015-10-19T20:00

Edward Stourton examines the long-term prospects for the British monarchy as an avowed republican becomes leader of the opposition. At least eighty per cent of the population affirm their belief...

Scotland's Radical Land Reform from 2015-10-12T20:00

In June the Scottish Government introduced radical proposals for land reform. Local communities would gain a new right to ask the government to force a landowner to sell their land if they are d...

The Iran-Iraq War's Legacy from 2015-10-05T20:00

Lyse Doucet asks how far the Middle East today is defined by the legacy of the Iran-Iraq war? The conflict - the longest convention war of the 20th century- exposed deep fault lines in a region ...

Can We Learn to Live with Nuclear Power? from 2015-09-28T19:45

The Fukushima disaster made many people oppose nuclear power. Michael Blastland asks what it would take to change their minds. In 2011, following a devastating tsunami, Japan's Fukushima nuclear...

What's Housing Benefit For? from 2015-09-21T20:00

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, asks why Britain spends such vast sums on Housing Benefit - now £25 billion. He examines the history of these payments and how governm...

Free Movement: Britain's Burning EU debate from 2015-07-20T20:00

Freedom of movement will be a key battleground in Britain's crucial EU debate. It gives EU citizens the right to live and work anywhere in the union and is praised by supporters as boosting pros...

Populism from 2015-07-13T20:00

Who are "the people" - and who's keeping power from them? Eliane Glaser explores how across Europe and beyond, populist movements are claiming they can to put back politicians in touch with vote...

Why do American police kill so many black men? from 2015-07-06T20:00

Recent high profile cases of unarmed black men dying at the hands of the US police have sparked outrage, protests and civil unrest in several American cities. The deaths of Michael Brown, Eric G...

Samuel Scheffler on the Afterlife from 2015-06-29T20:00

The American philosopher Samuel Scheffler reveals a hidden force which motivates our actions: our belief in the continuation of humanity after our deaths. In an interview with Edward Stourton, p...

Is it Time for the Internet to Grow Up? from 2015-06-26T15:05

In its short lifetime, the world wide web has raised giants and monsters. It's transformed sections of the economy, from retail to publishing and the music industry. It has had a profound effect...

How Gay Became OK from 2015-06-22T20:00

Why have British attitudes towards homosexuality changed so far and so fast? Less than 50 years ago, sex between men was a criminal act. Now they can marry. It's not just the law that has change...

Making Invisibles Visible from 2015-06-15T20:00

The UK is the world's second largest exporter of services - and has been for some time. The surplus generated by these "invisibles" - everything from banking to public relations to whizzy new ph...

Is the Pope a Communist? from 2015-06-08T20:00

Pope Francis' critique of modern economics has made him an icon for the Left and prompted claims that he is a Communist. The leader of 1.2 billion Catholics has called capitalism, at best, a sou...

Ritual Sexual Abuse: The Anatomy of a Panic (Part 2) from 2015-06-01T20:00

David Aaronovitch of The Times traces the powerful intellectual influences behind what he sees as one of the most important cultural shifts of the past 40 years: from a society in which accusati...

Ritual Sexual Abuse: The Anatomy of a Panic (Part 1) from 2015-05-25T20:00

David Aaronovitch of The Times traces the powerful intellectual influences behind what he sees as one of the most important cultural shifts of the past 40 years: from a society in which accusati...

The Edge from 2015-04-14T19:30

Is the West losing its military edge? Mark Urban investigates whether the US and its allies are losing superiority as they cut defence spending while rivals increase theirs.

Company vs Country from 2015-03-30T19:15

Michael Robinson asks what lies behind the boom in companies suing governments.

Two-Nation Britain from 2015-03-23T21:00

Jeremy Cliffe of The Economist asks if our real political divide is between those who feel comfortable in liberal, diverse, urban Britain and those who do not - the cosmopolitans vs the rest. He...

Caring in the New Old Age from 2015-03-16T21:00

Is it time to rethink how we care for older people, to enable them to have fulfilling lives? In recent years the media has highlighted terrible cases of paid carers abusing and neglecting vulner...

The End of Development from 2015-03-09T21:00

Over recent decades, the richer world has poured money towards poorer countries, in the form of aid and loans for development over many decades. But is this top-down solution really effective? A...

When Robots Steal Our Jobs from 2015-03-02T21:00

Technology has been replacing manufacturing jobs for years. Is the same about to happen to white-collar work? Will new faster, smarter computers start destroying more jobs than they create?

Artificial Intelligence from 2015-02-23T21:00

Should we beware the machines? Professor Stephen Hawking has warned the rise of Artificial Intelligence could mean the end of the human race. He's joined other renowned scientists urging compute...

Downward Social Mobility from 2015-02-16T21:00

Social mobility is a good thing - right? Politicians worry that not enough people from less-privileged backgrounds get the opportunity to move up in life. But are we prepared to accept that othe...

You Can't Say That from 2015-02-09T21:00

Does free speech include a right to cause offence? Many thinkers have insisted that it must - but debate has raged for millennia over where the limits to insult can be set. While some maintain E...

Referendum Conundrums from 2015-02-02T21:00

Scotland last year showed how dramatic referendums can be. So what would an in-out vote on the EU be like? What would be the crucial strategies for a winning campaign? The stakes would be huge f...

Maskirovka: Deception Russian-Style from 2015-01-26T21:00

'Maskirovka' is the Russian military strategy of deception, involving techniques to surprise and deceive the enemy. Lucy Ash looks back over its long history from repelling invading Mongols in t...

Correspondents Look Ahead from 2015-01-02T20:30

Mark Mardell forecasts how the world could change in 2015, aided by top BBC journalists Lyse Doucet, Carrie Gracie, Kamal Ahmed and Bridget Kendall.

Precedents or Principles? from 2014-11-17T21:00

We firmly believe that our choices - about what we eat and how we vote - reflect the inner core of our being. But do those choices originate in principle - or simply because of what we have done...

Conservative Muslims, Liberal Britain from 2014-11-10T21:00

The recent so called Trojan Horse dispute in some Birmingham schools shone a light on how separately from the liberal British mainstream a significant conservative bloc of British Muslims wants ...

Just Culture from 2014-11-03T21:00

Margaret Heffernan explores why big organisations so often make big mistakes - and asks if the cure could be the aviation industry's model of a "just culture".

In the past ten years, there...

Inside Welfare Reform from 2014-10-27T21:00

Economist Jonathan Portes assesses how well the government has implemented its controversial welfare reforms. The government describes the programme as "the most ambitious, fundamental and radic...

The Idea of the Caliphate from 2014-10-20T20:00

What is a caliphate? What ideals does such an Islamic state embody - and how could or should it be implemented? Analysis consults a range of voices to explore how the concept has evolved and has...

Meet the Family from 2014-10-13T20:00

Politicians love talking about supporting families. But, asks Jo Fidgen, do they understand modern family life? And how far can or should the state change the way families live? There's endless ...

Peston and the House of Debt from 2014-10-06T20:00

Robert Peston tests the arguments made by the authors of a new book who claim the financial crisis was caused by exploding household debt - not by the banks. But are they right?

Now the BB...

Michael Pollan on Food from 2014-09-29T20:00

What should we eat? Jo Fidgen talks to the influential American writer Michael Pollan about what food is - and what it isn't. In an interview before an audience at the London School of Economics...

Thrifty Debtors from 2014-07-21T20:00

The downturn's made everyone worry more about money. But while we may want to be thriftier, Chris Bowlby discovers why we're stuck with high levels of personal and household debt. Credit has bec...

The End of the Pay Rise? from 2014-07-14T20:00

Something strange has been happening in the British economy. For over six years now, wages have fallen for most of us, which is unprecedented in British modern history. And despite the return of...

Tories: Nasty or Nice? from 2014-06-30T20:00

Why have the Tories attracted the label 'the nasty party'? Tory supporter Robin Aitken explores why the phrase took hold, and why it matters in key national debates today. Senior and influential...

Varieties of Capitalism from 2014-06-23T20:00

What is the best form of capitalism? The free-market form found in countries such as the UK and the United States, or the more collaborative model which is common across Northern Europe?

S...

What Does Putin Want? from 2014-06-09T20:00

There's a new government in Kiev and Crimea is firmly in Russian hands. The political map of eastern Europe has changed dramatically in the last few months. But are Moscow's actions in the Ukrai...

Time to Rethink Asylum? from 2014-06-02T20:00

Tim Finch of the Institute of Public Policy Research asks if it is time for a fundamental rethink of the way we deal with refugees. He investigates the history of asylum as a political issue, th...

Deirdre McCloskey from 2014-05-26T20:00

Evan Davis interviews economic historian Deirdre McCloskey in front of an audience at the London School of Economics, where she argues that poverty matters more than inequality. She describes ho...

Why Minsky Matters from 2014-03-24T21:00

American economist Hyman Minsky died in 1996, but his theories offer one of the most compelling explanations of the 2008 financial crisis. His key idea is simple enough to be a t-shirt slogan: "...

Eldar Shafir: Scarcity from 2014-03-17T21:00

(Image credit: Jerry Nelson)

Jo Fidgen interviews Eldar Shafir, professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University, and co-author of Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means S...

The Jihadi Spring from 2014-03-16T22:00

Owen Bennett-Jones asks if the real beneficiaries of the multiple failures of the Arab revolutions are the Islamist militants both of al-Qaeda and its increasingly violent allies. Does the West'...

Scotland and the Union: Can Britain be Rebooted? from 2014-03-03T21:00

Is there any such thing as unionism, and what is the case for the union?

On September 18th, Scotland will vote in a referendum on whether to become independent. Supporters have been settin...

Life by Lottery from 2014-02-24T21:00

Should we use chance to solve some of our most difficult political dilemmas? From US Green Cards to school place allocation, lotteries have been widely used as a means of fairly resolving appare...

A Is for Anonymous from 2014-02-17T21:00

The wish to be anonymous in our dealings with private companies or governments, in commenting on the news or in daily life seems to be increasing.

For some, anonymity is an ironic respons...

What is Wahhabism? from 2014-02-10T21:00

Since the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington DC, the ultra-conservative Wahhabi branch of Islam has often been cited by critics and commentators as the ideology of Islamic extremists around...

The Philosophy of Russell Brand from 2014-02-03T21:00

In a recent Newsnight interview, the comedian Russell Brand predicted a revolution. His comments entertained many and became the most-watched political interview of 2013. But between the lines, ...

Last Rites for the Church of England? from 2014-01-27T21:00

Andrew Brown asks if the Church of England has become fatally disconnected from society.

Roberto Unger from 2013-11-18T21:00

Renowned social theorist Roberto Unger believes that left-of-centre progressives - his own political side - lack the imagination required to tackle the fundamental problems of society. In the ru...

France: Sinking Slowly? from 2013-11-11T21:00

The French are far more attached to the idea of a centralised, big state than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts. The philosophy behind it, Colbertism, holds that the economy of France should serve ...

Importing the Metropolitan Revolution from 2013-11-04T21:00

In America, there is talk of a "metropolitan revolution" as big cities reinvent themselves. Matthew Taylor asks if Britain too can transform its economy by setting city halls free.

In Amer...

Syria: Inside the Opposition from 2013-10-28T21:00

Syria's opposition movements comprise a diverse range of political and armed groups. But how do they differ in terms of their ideology, their modus operandi and in their vision for a post-confli...

Quantitative Easing: Miracle Cure or Dangerous Addiction? from 2013-10-21T20:00

Quantitative Easing was the drug prescribed by economists to keep Western economies functioning in a moment of crisis. Sunday Telegraph economic commentator Liam Halligan argues that the policy ...

What Are Charities For? from 2013-10-14T20:00

Charities have been drawn into the world of outsourced service provision, with the state as their biggest customer and payment made on a results basis. It is a trend which is set to accelerate w...

Edward Snowden: Leaker, Saviour, Traitor, Spy? from 2013-10-07T20:00

Last June, Edward Snowden, a man still in his twenties with, as he put it, "a home in paradise", went on the run. He took with him vast amounts of secret information belonging to the US governme...

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood: Why Did They Fail? from 2013-09-30T20:00

Barely a year after Egypt's post-revolution elections were held, millions of protestors took to the streets to demand the resignation of President Mohammed Morsi. After a short stand-off with ar...

The Rule of Law v the Rule of Man from 2013-07-22T20:00

With huge concern over tax avoidance, tax officials are the latest to be given increased powers of discretion. They will be able to penalise people who have obeyed the letter of the law, but who...

Scottish Nationalism: From Protest to Power from 2013-07-15T20:00

Just what does the Scottish National Party want? And what could it mean for the UK?

Douglas Fraser investigates the SNP's long search for an independence vision that works. He talks to in...

They're Coming for Your Money from 2013-07-08T20:00

Paul Johnson, the director of the widely-respected independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, has been looking at the latest projections for how much the government will spend in the next five ye...

Syria and the New Lines in the Sand from 2013-07-01T20:00

Where the Arab Spring overthrew dictators, is the Middle East now dismantling the very 'lines in the sand' imposed by Britain and France a century ago? Edward Stourton investigates.

Pornography: What Do We Know? from 2013-06-24T20:00

What do we really know about the effects of pornography?

Public debate has become increasingly dominated by an emotive, polarised argument between those who say it is harmful and those who...

Predistribution from 2013-06-17T20:00

Predistribution is Labour's new policy buzzword, used by leader Ed Miliband in a keynote speech. The US thinker who coined the phrase tells Edward Stourton what it means.

The Quantified Self: Can Life Be Measured? from 2013-06-10T20:00

Self knowledge through numbers is the motto of the "quantified self" movement. Calories consumed, energy expended, work done, places visited or how you feel. By recording the data of your daily ...

Is Regional Policy a Waste of Time? from 2013-06-03T20:00

The gap between English north and south is growing. But does government have the answer? In the north-east of England, Alison Wolf discovers why 'regional policy' may be a waste of time. Does be...

Labour's New New Jerusalem from 2013-05-27T20:00

The words of William Blake's Jerusalem were invoked by Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee when he launched his party's proudest achievement: the creation of a welfare state.

"I will not ...

Nudge Theory in Practice from 2013-03-25T21:00

Politicians are wary of forcing us to do the things they think we should such as drinking less, saving more for our pensions or using public transport. But they are also reluctant to do nothing. Th...

Who Decides if I'm a Woman? from 2013-03-18T21:00

A spat between feminist Suzanne Moore and transgender rights activists played out on social networking sites, and then hit the headlines when journalist Julie Burchill joined in too. Jo Fidgen e...

Three Score Years and Twenty from 2013-03-11T21:00

As more and more people look forward to ever longer life, Analysis examines what it's like to grow old in Britain and what we can learn from other countries facing the same challenge. We've heard m...

Islamists International from 2013-03-04T21:00

The Muslim Brotherhood is a global ideological network enjoying popular support across the Sunni Muslim world. It, and closely related Islamic groups, are well established across the Muslim world: ...

Roberto Unger&Vulgar Keynesianism from 2013-02-25T21:00

Roberto Unger is an American-based thinker who is highly critical of the current ideas from left-of-centre politicians and thinkers about how to restore advanced economies to healthy growth. His de...

Making the Best of a Bad Job from 2013-02-18T21:00

David Goodhart considers whether the declining status of basic jobs can be halted and even reversed. Successive governments have prioritised widening access to higher education to try to drive so...

Creative Destruction from 2013-02-11T21:00

In the last few weeks a number of high street names have closed for good. In Analysis Phil Tinline asks whether, amid the gloom, there is a reason to celebrate. The economist Joseph Schumpeter fir...

The Alawis from 2013-02-04T21:00

The government of President Assad of Syria is under threat. So too is the secretive Shia sect known as the Alawis - or Alawites - to which he and many of the governing party and security officials ...

A Scottish Pound? from 2013-01-28T21:00

The cash question facing an independent Scotland. Chris Bowlby discovers the key role of currency in debate ahead of the Scottish referendum next year. With the SNP proposing to keep using sterling...

The Rise of Executive Power from 2013-01-21T21:00

In the battle over rewards at work, workers grew accustomed to winning a healthy share of the spoils during the 1960s and 1970s - and to being accorded high status. Since the 1980s, however, the po...

Green Shoots from the Arab Spring from 2012-11-12T21:15

With the downfall of the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, political change has already happened in Egypt. But how has such a revolution affected the mindset of ordinary people in the regio...

Left Turn to Catholic Social Teaching? from 2012-11-05T21:00

Catholic Social Teaching embodies a tradition of thought which goes back to Aristotle; yet its proponents say that it offers the sharpest critique of rampant capitalism in our present time. Charti...

Labour, the Left and Europe from 2012-10-29T21:00

The crisis in the eurozone means that fundamental changes to the European Union are on the agenda. Conservative politicians have called for a re-appraisal of the UK's relationship with a more integ...

The School of Hard Facts from 2012-10-22T20:00

E.D. Hirsch is a little-known American professor whose radical ideas about what should be taught in schools are set to have a profound effect on English schools. A favoured intellectual of the Educ...

Manuel Castells: Alternative Economic Cultures from 2012-10-15T20:00

Paul Mason interviews renowned sociologist Prof Manuel Castells about the rise of alternative economic cultures since the financial crisis. Recorded in front of an audience at the London School of ...

Keeping the Free Market Faith from 2012-10-09T12:30

The financial crisis has made many on the political right question their faith in free market capitalism. Jamie Whyte is unaffected by such doubts. The financial crisis, he argues, was caused by to...

Obama: Peacemaker or Vigilante? from 2012-10-01T20:00

When Barack Obama stood before a 200,000-strong crowd in Berlin in 2008 his declaration that "now is the time to build new bridges across the globe" was met with jubilation by a crowd which believe...

Social Epidemiology from 2012-09-24T20:00

In Britain, the health gap is growing - in the wealthiest parts of the country, people are living on average more than a decade longer than in the poorest parts. An academic discipline which trie...

Political Prejudice from 2012-09-17T20:00

If you think that you are rational and unprejudiced, Michael Blastland hopes you will be open minded enough to listen to the evidence which suggests that you are probably not. We might think our v...

The Philosopher's Arms: Law and Morality from 2012-09-10T22:00

Why obey the law? Is there anything wrong with going through a red light at 3am in the morning if nobody is around? Does the law have any moral force? Questions for this edition of The Philosopher'...

The Philosopher's Arms: Sorites' Heap from 2012-09-10T20:00

Fuzzy logic and baldness: what's the connection? According to the Sorites' Paradox, it's impossible to go bald. If you lose one hair you don't move from being hirsute to being bald: one hair can...

The Philosopher’s Arms: The Fake Van Gogh from 2012-09-03T20:00

Imagine a perfect art fake. A fake Van Gogh that is completely indistinguishable from the original. Does that mean it’s of equal value to the original? Find out in this edition of The Philosophe...

The Philosopher’s Arms: Theseus’ Ship from 2012-08-27T20:00

Personal Identity is a topic that’s long intrigued philosophers. What makes you you? What makes you the same person today that you were as a child? The puzzle addressed in The Philosopher’s Arms, w...

The EU Debate from 2012-08-08T19:30

Should Britain stay in the European Union? With the crisis continuing in the eurozone, recent polls suggest that the vast majority of the British electorate would be in favour of a referendum on Br...

China's Battle of Ideas from 2012-07-09T19:10

As China changes leadership, Mukul Devichand probes Beijing's hidden battle of ideas. Unlike the messy democracy of elections in the US or Europe, the Communist Party's "changing of the guard" this...

The Gold Standard from 2012-07-02T19:10

As banks collapse and governments run out of money, the popular solution is to print more and more and expand bank balance sheets. But is there another way of fixing our economy? Would the financia...

Eurogeddon II from 2012-06-25T19:35

As the crisis in the Eurozone continues, Chris Bowlby examines what might eventually emerge and what that could mean for us. When Analysis looked at the possibility of a Greek exit from the Euro ...

Cameron's Swede Dreams from 2012-06-18T19:37

What's so great about Sweden? The British left has long been obsessed with Sweden. Now the Conservatives are too. Little wonder: the country always tops the global charts for happiness and social c...

Wasted Youth from 2012-06-11T19:00

Many young school leavers have struggled to find work for years. Now the economic crisis has made things worse. Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies investigates the roots of the proble...

Steve Keen: Why Economics is Bunk from 2012-06-04T19:15

Newsnight Economics Editor Paul Mason interviews the controversial economist Steve Keen before an audience at the London School of Economics. Prof Keen was one of a small number of economists w...

Middle East: Too Soon for Democracy? from 2012-05-28T19:30

Edward Stourton explores the prospects for post-revolution government, following the Arab Spring. Elections are being held, but can voters be sure autocratic rule is in the past? Contributors, in ...

What Is Money? from 2012-03-26T20:00

We dream about it, argue about it, worry about it, celebrate it, spend it, save it, we transfer it from one emotion to another. But what exactly is money? And why do we trust it? Frances Stonor Sau...

War Gaming Iran from 2012-03-19T21:00

Could a hot war with Iran be about to start? Israel could strike against Iran's nuclear facilities; Syria is in revolt; the world is on edge. Edward Stourton probes the West's options.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Downing Street Guru from 2012-03-12T21:00

Janan Ganesh of The Economist speaks to Downing Street's favourite intellectual, Nassim Nicolas Taleb - author of the best selling book The Black Swan - to investigate his political appeal. Prod...

Neue Labour from 2012-03-05T21:00

Why Labour thinkers believe German society should be the model for Britain's centre left. Matthew Taylor, a former policy adviser to Tony Blair, presents.

America: The Right Way from 2012-02-27T21:00

Justin Webb explores what the primaries reveal about the state of the right in the US. Is the Republican party really split? We explore how the party has shifted to the right, and the reasons for i...

Profits Before Pay from 2012-02-20T21:00

It may come as no great surprise that many of us have experienced a wage squeeze, while the cost of living has gone the other way, since the financial crisis of 2008. However, as Duncan Weldon, a s...

Preparing for Eurogeddon from 2012-02-13T21:00

Europe thinks the unthinkable - what happens if the Eurozone splits. What would happen to the banking sector, how would a new currency be put in place, can contagion be halted, and more fundamental...

Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi from 2012-02-06T21:00

Should the world fear the rise of political Islam in the newly democratic Middle East? The Arab Spring has thrust the ideas and ideology of one man into the centre of this crucial question. Before ...

Do Schools Make a Difference? from 2012-01-30T21:30

The government's brought in new style league tables to help parents choose schools. But do we really know what makes a good school? And how far can schools really transform lives? Researchers have ...

Capitalists Against the Super Rich from 2012-01-23T21:00

Are the champions of the capitalist system now turning against the super-rich? And if they are, what will they now do about it? In this week's Analysis, we meet leading figures of the centre right ...

Dead Cert from 2011-12-19T21:00

Certainty: is the lust for it a sin? And if so, should politics fear for its soul? Michael Blastland makes a plea for policy makers to be less sure of themselves in "Dead Cert", originally broadca...

A Price Worth Paying? from 2011-11-28T21:00

Banks are underwritten by the government in Britain. But should the taxpayer bail out so-called casino banks? In a programme previously broadcast on 1 February 2010 - Edward Stourton talks to the g...

Robert H. Frank: The Darwin Economy from 2011-11-14T21:00

In 100 years time, Charles Darwin will be viewed as a better economist than Adam Smith, according to economics professor Robert H. Frank. In his new book 'The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competiti...

Do Leaders Make a Difference? from 2011-11-07T21:00

Do Leaders make a Difference? We talk much of personal leadership being the key to change in, say, politics or business. But how much can such figures really influence events? Do we overattribute ...

A New Black Politics? from 2011-10-31T21:00

The 2010 general election saw the largest influx of black and minority ethnic MPs to the Commons that Britain has ever seen. There are currently 27 sitting on the Conservative and Labour benches - ...

Cultural diplomacy from 2011-10-24T20:00

Frances Stonor Saunders looks at the role of cultural diplomacy in spreading liberal British values around the world.

The British Council and the BBC World Service, both part-funded by the...

Euroscepticism Uncovered from 2011-10-17T20:00

As opinion polls reveal that half the British population would vote in favour of withdrawal from the European Union, it seems the political class is catching up with public opinion when it comes to...

Hezbollah from 2011-10-10T20:00

Owen Bennett Jones looks at the Shia movement Hezbollah which has a big following in Lebanon but is regarded by some in the West as a terrorist organisation. It has a militia with more weapons than...

Aid or Immigration? from 2011-10-03T20:00

Despite a general policy of austerity and cut backs, the budget for development aid has been ring fenced by the coalition government. Frances Cairncross asks whether a more relaxed immigration poli...

Libya's Islamic Capitalists from 2011-09-26T20:00

Under Colonel Gaddafi, Libya was subject to the dictator's so-called Third Universal Theory. Hugh Miles asks what sort of ideology is likely to dominate in post-Gaddafi Libya.

Western medi...

Non-Riotous Behaviour from 2011-09-19T20:00

This summer's riots provoked much speculation about the factors which prompted so many people to break the law. But philosopher-turned-commentator Jamie Whyte is more interested in understanding wh...

Unsure about Sure Start from 2011-07-11T20:00

Sure Start was one of the flagship policies of the Labour years, and the Coalition Government has just underlined its commitment to keeping it going.

But in this edition of Analysis Fran ...

The SNP and Scotland from 2011-07-04T20:02

No university tuition fees, free personal care for the elderly, reduced prescription charges. In all sorts of ways, Scotland seems to have kept a level of public service the rest of the UK is denie...

Is America Doomed? from 2011-06-28T09:24

Justin Webb, the BBC's former North America Editor, regards the United States with affection and respect. But he is worried that America is in denial about the extent of its financial problems and ...

Hague's Middle East from 2011-06-20T20:00

"The eruption of democracy movements across the Middle East and North Africa is, even in its early stages, the most important development of the early 21st century." These were the words of Foreign...

Egypt's New Islamists from 2011-06-13T20:00

Edward Stourton asks if the Egyptian revolution spells the end of old-style Islamism. As groups like the Muslim Brotherhood embrace democracy, how will they - and Egypt - change?

The over...

Goodbye the Golden Eggs of Banking? from 2011-06-06T20:00

Time was when the City of London and the financial services industry generally were the apple of most politicians' eyes. The fabulous wealth they generated and taxes they paid seemed to set Britain...

Unhealthy Expectations? from 2011-05-30T20:00

Is our NHS debate avoiding the key issue? The talk is of another reorganisation of the NHS and greater efficiencies enabling the NHS in England to face the future. But the overall challenge goes mu...

Blue Labour from 2011-03-21T20:30

Labour's traditional working class supporters are abandoning the party in their droves. But can Labour win them back without alienating the middle-class voters it needs to win the next election? Da...

Muscular Liberalism from 2011-03-14T20:30

The prime minister has proposed a new 'muscular liberalism', aimed at better integrating Britain's Muslims. It aims to counter the alienation that has led to a few young British Muslim men being pr...

Testing the Emotions from 2011-03-07T20:30

Investigative journalist and author Fran Abrams looks at a popular but controversial programme designed to teach children emotional and social skills in schools. The concept of emotional intelligen...

Rethinking the Middle East from 2011-02-28T20:32

The autocratic regimes of North Africa & the Middle East enjoyed many years of military, political and financial support from the United States government. Dr Maha Azzam looks at the recent history...

The Orange Book: Clegg's Political Lemon? from 2011-02-21T20:32

The Orange Book, published in 2004, is a collection of political essays by leading Liberal Democrats. Although the writers come from a range of viewpoints, the book has been seen as an attempt by p...

The Big Society from 2011-02-14T20:32

The "big society" - the idea that volunteers should take over some of the functions of the state - is the most over-used policy phrase of the moment. But how will the theory work in practice?
...

Radical Economics: Escaping Credit Serfdom from 2011-02-07T20:30

The role of credit in the build up to the global financial crisis is well known - but what has our reliance on credit been doing to the wider economy and to human behaviour?



The...

Radical Economics: Yo Hayek! from 2011-01-31T20:30

Was the economic crisis caused by fundamental problems with the system rather than a mere failure of policy?

Over two weeks, Analysis investigates two schools of economics with radical sol...

Trust from 2011-01-24T21:59

Trust was the subject of moral philosopher Professor Onora O'Neill's acclaimed Reith Lectures in 2002. Enron, political sleaze, the foot and mouth crisis, the Bristol heart babies scandal and the c...

The Deserving and the Undeserving Poor from 2010-11-15T21:32

Presenter Chris Bowlby asks whether a state welfare system can ever distinguish between those who deserve help and those who do not.

As the recession bites and public spending cuts loom t...

Criminal rehabilitation: a sub-prime investment? from 2010-11-08T21:32

Ken Clarke has promised a "rehabilitation revolution" in which private investors will fund projects aimed at cutting the re-offending rate. If the projects succeed, the government will pay those in...

Defence: no stomach for the fight? from 2010-11-01T21:32

To take successful military action, you do not only need soldiers, aircraft or warships. The support of the society and political leadership is crucial in sustaining armed action. Yet public involv...

The secret history of Analysis from 2010-10-25T21:32

Analysis celebrates its 40th birthday by making its own history the subject of its trademark examination of the facts.

The Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, recently told the Ne...

Turkey: Staying Secular Insha'Allah from 2010-10-18T21:32

Turkey's increased economic and political importance makes it a place which outsiders need to understand.



Since 2002, the nation has been governed by the AKP, a political party ...