About this podcast
Will Hutton and guests explore the big ideas in Social Science that can change the way
we live.
Beyond the politics, beyond our geography are the intangible connections that hold us
together – The We Society.
Brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield
Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust, The We Society explores the thousands of ways
Social Science can help us understand and enhance this complicated and fascinating
human network.
From social policy to human geography, misinformation to healthcare and AI to the war
in Ukraine, leading experts, academics and public figures share the knowledge that
matters.
So if you’re ready for research-led insights and engaging conversations, why not make
The We Society your next listen?
Episodes
The newest 50 of 96 episodes
- S12 Ep2: The New Space Age: The future of humanity in space with Professor Andrew Futter · 32 min · Season 12 Episode 2Human activity in outer space has surged dramatically in recent years, in what some are calling the dawn of a new space age. And there’s big money to be made, with some estimates…
- S12 Ep1: Why we need each other, not our devices: The science of social connection with Professor Nick Epley · 31 min · Season 12 Episode 1Around the world, we are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness, and it’s increasing, particularly among the millennial generation and younger. Our devices and modern living have…
- S11 Ep9: Season 12 of the We Society Launches Wednesday 28th! · 3 min · Season 11 Episode 9The We Society returns for its 12th season on Wednesday, so join acclaimed journalist and Academy of Social Sciences president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of…
- S11 Ep8: Searching for a good life: Data analysis and Google with Simon Rogers · 36 min · Season 11 Episode 8Google processes billions of searches every day, and the data behind the searches say a lot about us. The data analysis presents fascinating insights not just for social science…
- S11 Ep7: The USA 250 years after Independence with Adam Smith · 32 min · Season 11 Episode 7It's the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, but the mood isn’t purely about celebration. If you've wondered why the US and US politics feel so…
- S11 Ep6: How can we fix the special needs system in England’s schools? with Alice Reeves · 33 min · Season 11 Episode 6The UK’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system is buckling because of rising demand. One in five children now qualify for some form of SEND support, yet access…
- S11 Ep5: Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine: what does social science tell us? with Michael Kofman · 27 min · Season 11 Episode 5The ongoing war in Ukraine has recently hit a grim milestone: in June 2026 it surpassed the duration of World War One. In this episode of the We Society, Michael Kofman talks to…
- S11 Ep4: The crisis of constant crisis with Danny Dorling · 29 min · Season 11 Episode 4In today’s global media landscape we are confronted with seemingly endless urgent crises: issues like the housing crisis, the climate crisis and the wealth inequality crisis all…
- S11 Ep3: Why Britain should back more innovators with Saul Klein · 35 min · Season 11 Episode 3Saul Klein is one of Europe's leading venture capitalists and co-founder of Phoenix Court, the venture capital firm behind some of Britain's most successful high-growth…
- S11 Ep2: Placing the Right Kind of Attention on Women’s Health with Professor Sophie Harman · 30 min · Season 11 Episode 2Despite decades of campaigning, women's healthcare is an issue repeatedly neglected, with systemic issues in UK healthcare and on the international stage leading to women…
- S11 Ep1: Social policy solutions to the UK’s inequality crisis with Helen Miller and Sir Richard Blundell · 37 min · Season 11 Episode 1In this episode of the We Society with Will Hutton, join Institute for Fiscal Studies Director Helen Miller and economist Sir Richard Blundell who talk us through the findings of…
- The We Society returns on Wednesday 15 July · 3 minThe We Society returns for its 11th season on Wednesday, so join acclaimed journalist and Academy of Social Sciences president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of…
- S10 Ep8: Harnessing Creative Destruction with Philippe Aghion · 48 min · Season 10 Episode 8We end Season 10 with an intimate interview between the Nobel Prize winning economist Philippe Aghion and Will Hutton. They delve into the concept of "creative destruction," a…
- S10 Ep7: Whoever holds our data holds the power with Carissa Véliz · 32 min · Season 10 Episode 7Professor Carissa Véliz is a philosopher who is examining the threats and possibilities of today’s digital world. She is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for…
- S10 Ep6: Climate action: small human acts can make a big difference with Tim Lenton · 31 min · Season 10 Episode 6The consequences of climate change are everywhere. From record-breaking wildfires to catastrophic floods, climate disasters are killing hundreds of thousands and displacing…
- S10 Ep5: AI and the Future of Public Services with Imogen Parker · 31 min · Season 10 Episode 5Artificial Intelligence is now at our fingertips, in our homes, and governing what we see and how we see it. We are currently riding a great wave of change. But while private…
- S10 Ep4: How happy is the world in 2026? With Jan-Emmanuel De Neve · 34 min · Season 10 Episode 4Our guest, Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve shares with us the top findings from the recently released 2026 World Happiness Report. He is Professor of Economics and Behavioural…
- S10 Ep3: Using virtual reality to build a more inclusive NHS with Stephani Hatch · 31 min · Season 10 Episode 3Professor Stephani Hatch has dedicated her career to making workplaces - especially the NHS - more inclusive by reducing discriminatory practices. She is the Vice Dean for…
- S10 Ep2: What does it mean to be grown up today? with Bobby Duffy and Carey Oppenheim · 45 min · Season 10 Episode 2In this episode of the We Society with Will Hutton, we are joined by two esteemed academics placing journeys to adulthood under a Social Science microscope. Carey Oppenheim is a…
- S10 Ep1: 'I’m not psychic, just very lucky!' With Professor Richard Wiseman · 30 min · Season 10 Episode 1In the first episode of Season 10, we are joined by Professor Richard Wiseman who has spent his career studying the intangible ways humans communicate with one another - not just…
- The We Society Season 10 Trailer · 3 minJoin host Will Hutton for Season 10 of the We Society from next week to hear some of the best ideas to shape the way we live. Launching Wednesday 4th March with an array of…
- S9 Ep8: US and China: behind the rhetoric with Rana Mitter · 35 min · Season 9 Episode 8Joining Will Hutton for the final episode of Season 9 is Professor Rana Mitter, an authority on contemporary China and U.S relations. He is the ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations…
- S9 Ep7: Investing in the Early Years: Can policy catch up with evidence? with Eleanor Ireland · 32 min · Season 9 Episode 7Almost a third of five-year-olds in Britain enter primary school without the essential language, communication, and literacy skills they need to thrive. Eleanor Ireland, our…
- S9 Ep6: Can language convict a criminal? with Tim Grant · 34 min · Season 9 Episode 6Professor Tim Grant is one of the world's most experienced forensic linguistic practitioners who specialises in the analysis of abusive and threatening communications. He is an…
- S9 Ep5: Evidence for change: rethinking child poverty policy with Alex Beer · 28 min · Season 9 Episode 5Our guest today, Alex Beer, joins us at a critical time as the UK Government prepares to publish its child poverty strategy this autumn. According to official numbers, there are…
- S9 Ep4: Inoculating the mind: protecting against misinformation with Sander van der Linden · 35 min · Season 9 Episode 4Professor Sander van der Linden explores the impact of misinformation and how to prevent its spread within the general public. His work as Professor of Social Psychology at the…
- S9 Ep3: Our Love Affair with Travel with journalist Simon Calder · 32 min · Season 9 Episode 3Simon Calder is the man with the answers when it comes to any travel related questions. Having started as a travel journalist at the Independent newspaper in 1994, Simon has…
- S9 Ep2: Saving the 86 bus and designing better cities for the old and young with Tine Buffell and Julia King · 33 min · Season 9 Episode 2How can cities be better designed for the older generation and girls? These are the tough questions tackled in this episode of The We Society with Professor Tine Buffel and Dr…
- S9 Ep1: Emergency planning is more about tea than being James Bond with Lucy Easthope · 33 min · Season 9 Episode 1Professor Lucy Easthope is a leading authority on recovering from disaster and she joins our host Will Hutton in the first episode of Season 9 of the We Society. They discusses…
- S8 Ep9: The We Society Season 9 Trailer · 2 min · Season 8 Episode 9Join host Will Hutton for Season 9 of the We Society from next week to hear some of the best ideas to shape the way we live. Launching October 1 with an interview with Lucy…
- S8 Ep8: Solving the Productivity Puzzle with Ed Balls, Anna Stansbury and Dan Turner · 40 min · Season 8 Episode 8In the final episode of Season 8 of the We Society, our host Will Hutton is joined by economist and former Labour politician Ed Balls, Dr. Anna Stansbury, a researcher in labour…
- S8 Ep7: The Social Life of Pain with Tom Shakespeare · 28 min · Season 8 Episode 7In the UK alone, around one in four adults are experiencing chronic pain. And nearly a quarter of the population live with some form of disability. Yet despite these numbers…
- S8 Ep6: Borders, Brexit, and Fault Lines with Katy Hayward · 29 min · Season 8 Episode 6Borders contain nations, act as fault lines, but are also meeting points, where different cultures, people, and ideologies come into contact. Nowhere has this been more visible…
- S8 Ep5: Care or Incarceration? How some of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being failed with Lisa Harker · 29 min · Season 8 Episode 5We speak with Lisa Harker, the Director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, who gives us an insight into the alarming rise in the use of Deprivation of Liberty Orders on…
- S8 Ep4: Taking entrepreneurship beyond business with Eleanor Shaw · 30 min · Season 8 Episode 4What is the link between social science and entrepreneurship? To give us the answer, Will Hutton speaks to Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, an academic specialising in…
- S8 Ep3: Population, Data & Destiny with Andy Tatem · 31 min · Season 8 Episode 3Professor Andy Tatem talks to us about WorldPop, the research programme he heads that is based in the School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton…
- S8 Ep2: Morality in UK prisons with Alison Liebling · 29 min · Season 8 Episode 2We probe the UK prison system with Professor Alison Liebling, a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Cambridge and the Director of the Institute of…
- S8 Ep1: How to get work working for everyone with Gavin Kelly · 33 min · Season 8 Episode 1Gavin Kelly is the Chief Executive of the Nuffield Foundation and has spent the past 30 years of his career putting Britain’s economic inactivity problem under a microscope. For…
- S7 Ep7: Keep Calm and Chill with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala · 35 min · Season 7 Episode 7As US President Donald Trump threatens trade tariffs, the We Society invited the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to share her…
- S7 Ep6: Improving social mobility through education and language with Lee Elliot Major · 31 min · Season 7 Episode 6Professor Lee Elliot Major, who is Britain's first professor of Social Mobility based at the University of Exeter, is our guest in this penultimate episode of Season 7. In his…
- S7 Ep5: Tracking and stopping domestic abuse with Jane Monckton Smith · 28 min · Season 7 Episode 5Around one in four women have experienced domestic abuse, according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales. But abuse is not usually a one off event, it’s part of a protracted…
- S7 Ep4: Should the 9 to 5 be a thing of the past? with Clare Kelliher and Brendan Burchell · 29 min · Season 7 Episode 4'Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest' was the rallying cry of Robert Owen, a Welsh textile manufacturer turned labour reformer in the early 19th century…
- S7 Ep3: Making a responsible budget with Sir Robert Chote · 34 min · Season 7 Episode 3The Institute for Fiscal Studies - or IFS - has become the nation’s go to institution for judgements about tax, spending and borrowing. And the Office for Budget Responsibility –…
- S7 Ep2: Anxiety, Artificial Intelligence and work with Anthony Elliott · 29 min · Season 7 Episode 2Pick, Pack, Post, Repeat….warehouses around the world are now using Artificial Intelligence to fulfil customer orders. So, are workers on their way out? As the speed of…
- S7 Ep1: The future of liberal democracy with Anand Menon · 28 min · Season 7 Episode 1It's now 80 years since the end of the Second World War and the creation of the liberal world order: free trade, globally managed finance, and a commitment to liberal democracy…
- S7 Ep1: The We Society Season 7 Trailer · 2 min · Season 7 Episode 1Join host Will Hutton for Season 7 of the We Society from next week to hear some of the best ideas to shape the way we live. Launching January 15th with an interview with Anand…
- S6 Ep7: Stopping hate crime with Matthew Williams and Neil Chakraborti · 38 min · Season 6 Episode 7The recent riots in Britain, which emerged following the Southport stabbings, demonstrate how hate is bubbling just under the surface of our society, ready to erupt at any…
- S6 Ep6: Why the war on drugs has failed with Alex Stevens · 30 min · Season 6 Episode 6No war has been more of a failure than the war on drugs. Despite all the crackdowns, prison sentences and moral posturing, drug use in Britain is on an epic scale. Yet, drug…
- S6 Ep5: Improving adult education with Anna Vignoles · 28 min · Season 6 Episode 5One in six people are said to have ‘very poor literacy skills’ according to the National Literacy Trust. As a country, we value Literature, high quality research skills and…
- S6 Ep4: The hidden army of young carers with Saul Becker · 29 min · Season 6 Episode 4Professor Saul Becker has studied the hidden world of young carers for 30 years. Nearly 1 million children in the UK find themselves – some as young as five - having to look…
