RSA Conversations

Global crises cause big changes and reveal deep structural weaknesses. As drastic measures are taken across the world to stop the spread of COVID-19,  what are the short, medium and long term implications for our society, our economy, geopolitics - and us as individuals?In this special interview series from the RSA, it’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, talks to a range of practitioners - from scholars to business leaders, politicians to journalists - to assess the scale of the response and consider how we build effective bridges to our new future. Isabel Hilton is a journalist, broadcaster and CEO of chinadialogue.net. Produced by Craig Templeton SmithIn this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than ever before. The RSA Fellowship is a global network of problem solvers. We invite you to join our community today to stay connected, inspired and motivated in the months ahead. You can learn more about the Fellowship or start an application by clicking  here. 

Global crises cause big changes and reveal deep structural weaknesses. As drastic measures are taken across the world to stop the spread of COVID-19,  what are the short, medium and long term implications for our society, our economy, geopolitics - and us as individuals?In this special interview series from the RSA, it’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, talks to a range of practitioners - from scholars to business leaders, politicians to journalists - to assess the scale of the response and consider how we build effective bridges to our new future. Torsten Bell is the chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, an organisation working to improve the lives of people on low to middle incomes. Produced by Craig Templeton SmithIn this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than ever before. The RSA Fellowship is a global network of problem solvers. We invite you to join our community today to stay connected, inspired and motivated in the months ahead. You can learn more about the Fellowship or start an application by clicking  here. 

Global crises cause big changes and reveal deep structural weaknesses. As drastic measures are taken across the world to stop the spread of COVID-19,  what are the short, medium and long term implications for our society, our economy, geopolitics - and us as individuals?In this special interview series from the RSA, it’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, talks to a range of practitioners - from scholars to business leaders, politicians to journalists - to assess the scale of the response and consider how we build effective bridges to our new future. Geoff Mulgan is Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London.  Produced by Craig Templeton SmithIn this time of global change, strong communities and initiatives that bring people together are more invaluable than ever before. The RSA Fellowship is a global network of problem solvers. We invite you to join our community today to stay connected, inspired and motivated in the months ahead. You can learn more about the Fellowship or start an application by clicking  here. 

Today, if you log on to the internet, just how safe are you from radicalisation? Extremist groups are by no means a new phenomenon, but the internet has radically changed the way these groups operate, turbo-charging their ability to target and recruit susceptible people and advance dangerous agendas. And in a year when America heads to the polls, are any of our democratic elections immune to foreign interference? Already AI is learning how to write convincing newspaper articles and books, generate pictures of people that don’t exist and manipulate faces in real time.So as technology becomes more sophisticated, how do we safeguard ourselves and our democratic institutions from this existential threat? RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor is joined by Julia Ebner, author of Going Dark: The Secret Lives of Extremists, and Archon Fung, Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. Produced by Craig Templeton SmithBrought to you by the RSA.

If there’s one thing our polarised politicians can agree on, it’s that our prison system is broken. Overcrowded. Under staffed. Drug Ridden. And violent. Incarceration is riddled with issues which are complex and inextricably interwoven.   The last 10 years has seen a 20% cut to the prisons budget. One former prisons minister - Rory Stewart - said prisoners often emerge more dangerous than when they entered the system, something we’ve seen with two recent terrorist attacks in London. So, if there’s a consensus that the system is failing on an epic scale, how do we turn this around and create a prison network fit for the 2020s?Ian and Matthew are joined by Chris Atkins, author of A Bit of A Stretch, and Jason Warr, lecturer in criminology at De Montfort university

In this politically charged age of instant communication, how do we talk about race and racism?To help us have better conversations about this divisive subject Matthew and Ian have enlisted the help of geneticist Adam Rutherford whose forthcoming book is called, 'How to Argue with a Racist', and Nimco Ali, an FGM activist who is the author of ‘What We’re Told Not to Talk About (But We’re Going to Anyway)’.Produced by Craig Templeton Smith.Brought to you by the RSA.

A new decade has dawned.  But following their most devastating election defeat in 80 years, what new dawn awaits the British Labour party? If there’s one thing the Corbyn years will be remembered for it’s the rampant ideological in-fighting between the left and the right of the party, Momentum versus the Blairites, leavers and remainers.   But now with the leadership contest in full swing, and a new successor to be named on the 4th of April, will the party seize the opportunity to elect a leader who can heal the deep divides within the party and end the civil war - and maybe one day win them an election too?Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are joined by  journalist Ayesha Hazarika and former Labour insider Chris Clarke who has just published Warring Fictions, a critique of Corbynism and left populism.  Produced by Craig Templeton Smith. 

The British people have spoken.  In the first December election since 1923, it’s turned out to be Christmas with all the trimmings for Boris Johnson, while Corbyn’s Labour party have been cruelly thrown out into the cold. Many called this our most polarised election in living memory.  So in the wake of this Tory triumph and Labour drubbing, where do we go from here? With Britain now finally set to leave the EU on the 31st of January, will we see our politics becoming even more tribal and divided? Are the populist movements of the right and left here to stay?Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie are joined by Times columnist,  Mercy Muroki, and Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, to dissect the election result and consider the future of British politics. Produced by Craig Templeton Smith.Brought to you by the RSA.

More than ever our broadcasters are accused of bias and spin, and the subject of wild conspiracy theories. Have they brought these attacks upon themselves? For those at the top of our broadcast media, what’s the right response to a polarised political landscape? And can they win back the growing minority who have lost trust in what they see and hear?Recorded the day after the Channel 4 climate change debate, Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie speak to Dorothy Byrne, the broadcaster's head of news and current affairs, and author of, ‘Trust Me, I’m Not a Politician’.  Produced by James Shield and Craig Templeton Smith.Brought to you by the RSA.

The tide of public opinion has turned against the big tech firms. How serious of a threat are these companies to democracy? Are they having a malign impact on our economies? And if they are, can people and governments stand up to Silicon Valley?The RSA's director of economy, Asheem Singh, speaks to Roger McNamee, an early investor in Facebook – now turned vocal critic – and author of ‘Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe’.Plus: Ian Leslie and Matthew Taylor dish out some free advice to the tech giants. You're welcome, Mr. Zuckerberg.Watch Roger McNamee's full RSA talk here.Produced by James Shield and Craig Templeton Smith.Brought to you by the RSA.