Thinking Allowed

Laurie Taylor talks to Pulitzer Prize winner C.J Chivers, a former US Marine and currently a journalist at the New York Times about the cultural, social and political impact of the AK-47 or Kalashnikov. A gun that has transformed how we fight wars and who can fight them, the AK-47 is a weapon central to many conflicts all over the world. With testimony from its inventors, its users and its victims, Laurie explores how a single instrument can have been so influential as both transformer and destroyer. They are joined by military historian Richard Holmes. Laurie also talks to Philip Smith, Professor in the Department of Sociology at Yale University, about new research looking at public incivility. What drives some people to such extremes of public rudeness?Producer Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor talks to Cambridge sociologist Professor John Thompson about his book 'Merchants of Culture' which approaches the US/UK publishing trade from an anthropological point of view. Laurie also talks to MP Jesse Norman and author Dan Hind about Dan's new book The Return of the Public arguing for more active citizenship. Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor explores the growth of high security prisons in America alongside the increased use of solitary confinement with criminologist Dr Sharon Shalev whose book 'Supermax' examines both topics. Laurie's second discussion is with Professor Ian Morris whose major new book 'Why The West Rules- For Now' examines the rise and fall and rise of Eastern and Western societies and asks whether it's possible for historians to predict the future with any confidence.Producer: Chris Wilson.

Was there ever a golden age of the family? Political debates about the family often invoke a norm of family life in which marriages lasted and children thrived. But a new report suggests that pre-marital sex, cohabitation, single parenthood and illegitimacy have been rife for two centuries. It's the post war period from 1945-1970 which is unusual for its high rates of enduring marriages. Many people in the past didn't ever marry because of the problems in obtaining or affording a divorce. The historian Professor Pat Thane discusses families, real and ideal, with Laurie Taylor. Also, are most scientific claims little more than delusions? The Professor of Information Systems, Ian Angell talks about his co-authored book 'Science's First Mistake' which critiques science's claims to 'truth'. Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Laurie Taylor examines some new research about homophobia and football and talks to Professor Ellis Cashmore from Staffordshire University about how fans, players and management respond to the issue. They're joined by writer and broadcaster David Goldblatt who has a strong interest in sport.Laurie also discusses the growth of global higher education and talks to Ben Wildavsky whose new book charts the development of academic migration across the world- looking at the cross border movement of students, academics, faculties and the development of new universities in places like China, Asia and The Middle East.Producer Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor asks whether migrants who move to another country for economic reasons are likely to increase their levels of happiness with higher incomes. Using the USA as a focus for his research, Dr David Bartram from Leicester University uncovers evidence that casts doubt on this assertion and he's joined by Bristol University researcher Dr Michaela Benson who has written widely about migration and happiness.Laurie's second topic for discussion is 'being paid to be happy'. Rachel Cohen is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick and her research paper "When it pays to be friendly: Employment Relationships and Emotional Labour in Hairstyling" is discussed by Laurie and by writer Michael Bywater, who explores the broader notion of being paid to be friendly. Producer. Chris Wilson.

Professor Laurie Taylor looks at new research dealing with the McCarthy period in US History when actors and artists found themselves unable to work having been denounced or charged for having associations with communism. The stigma and the effect of the accusations is examined by Elizabeth Pontikes, author of 'Stained Red' and she discusses her detailed analysis of the work prospects of those associated with black listed actors and film workers in the US film Industry from 1945 to 1960. Laurie also talks to Professor Adam Hedgecoe about his sociological research into a drug trial that went disastrously wrong. Producer: Chris Wilson.

Laurie Taylor explores the different experiences of au pairs in the UK and finds that the ( predominantly ) girls view of the families they work for is not always very positive. Laurie also talks to sociologist John Williams about his new biography of Liverpool Football Club and explores not only the early history of the club in the late 19th century and its place in the rapidly expanding seaport of Liverpool, but also how it has reflected the city it inhabits and how it fits into what some call Liverpool's 'exceptionalism'. Producer: Chris Wilson.

The United States does not have the highest living standard in the world - The washing machine has changed the world more than the internet - People in poor countries are more entrepreneurial than people in rich countries: Three contentions from the economist Ha-Joon Chang as he joins Laurie Taylor and tries to dispel what he sees as the myths and prejudices of free-market capitalism. He claims that we labour under the misconception that financial markets become more efficient, when the opposite is true and his analysis suggests that by breaking free of its free-market ideology, capitalism can be vastly improved. Producer: Chris Wilson.

From Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' to Facebook and Twitter, from Soviet Spies to Parisian cafes, eavesdropping is a universal phenomenon. John Locke, who has provided the first serious and systematic study of the behaviour, tells Laurie that it is a practice which extends into the animal kingdom and brings advantages to birds and chimpanzees. An attempt to understand the lives of others can help one live better oneself but despite the fact that it has shaped human history and culture, listening in to what others are saying continues to have a very bad name. Also on the programme Emmeline Taylor presents her research on CCTV in schools and the impact on privacy. Producer: Chris Wilson.