Public lecture podcasts

Originally recorded for the University of Bath Youtube channel, this podcast is the result of an exploratory study conducted by researchers working in education, policy studies, psychology and medical humanities across the universities of Bath, Bristol and Exeter, from 2022-23. This project was made possible through funding from the GW4 Alliance. In this podcast, the research team talk to young people, teachers and school leaders about what their schools are doing around mental health and their experiences of these initiatives. They share their analysis of government policies that say what it is schools should be doing, and share findings from the archives about historical perspectives on the role of schools in addressing mental health. The research team: Dr Katie Howard, Lecturer, University of Exeter, Dr Rachel Wilder, Lecturer, University of Bath, Dr Naomi Warne, Research Fellow, University of Bristol, Dr Eleni Dimitrellou, Lecturer, University of Exeter, Dr Chris Sandal-Wilson, Lecturer, University of Exeter, Nai Lang, doctoral candidate, University of Bath and Lisa Wojahn, doctoral candidate, University of Exeter.

In this lecture, Dr Stephen Hall (Lecturer in Russian and Post-Soviet Politics at the University of Bath) joins us to talk about his new book "The Authoritarian International: Tracing How Authoritarian Regimes Learn in the Post-Soviet Space." He is joined by discussants Prof Gulnaz Sharafutdinova (Professor of Russian Politics and Acting Director of Russia Institute at King's College London) and Prof Thomas Ambrosio (Professor of Political Science at North Dakota State University). This lecture was hosted by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR) on 12 September 2023.

In this lecture, Dr Anna Killick discusses her book, Politicians and Economic Experts: The Limits of Technocracy, an in-depth study of how politicians engage with economists and economic opinion. In recent years politics has seen an increasing role in economic policymaking for a technocracy of experts. How do politicians feel about this and how do they balance their political and ethical aims with economic expertise? In Politicians and Economic Experts: The Limits of Technocracy, Anna Killick offers an in-depth study of how politicians engage with economists and economic opinion. Based on interviews with politicians from the main parties in France, Germany, Denmark, the UK and USA, the book highlights the role economic opinion plays in politics and the tension that can arise between democracy and technocracy. While increasing numbers including on the left call for greater deference to economic experts, Killick argues we have no choice other than to trust politicians to continue to take the lead. This event took place on 20 June 2023. It forms part of the IPR's 'Polycrisis!' lecture series.

In this lecture Professor Larry Bartels joins us to discuss his new book 'Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism'. In this provocative book, Larry Bartels dismantles the pervasive myth of a populist wave in contemporary European public opinion. While there has always been a substantial reservoir of populist sentiment, Europeans are no less trusting of their politicians and parliaments than they were two decades ago, no less enthusiastic about European integration, and no less satisfied with the workings of democracy. Anti-immigrant sentiment has waned. Electoral support for right-wing populist parties has increased only modestly, reflecting the idiosyncratic successes of populist entrepreneurs, the failures of mainstream parties, and media hype. Europe’s most sobering examples of democratic backsliding — in Hungary and Poland — occurred not because voters wanted authoritarianism but because conventional conservative parties, once elected, seized opportunities to entrench themselves in power. By demonstrating the inadequacy of conventional bottom-up interpretations of Europe’s political crisis, Democracy Erodes from the Top turns our understanding of democratic politics upside down. This event took place on 14 June 2023. It forms part of the IPR's 'Polycrisis!' lecture series.

In this IPR lecture, Stefan Eich (Assistant Professor of Government at Georgetown University) joins us to discuss his book "The Currency of Politics: The Political Theory of Money from Aristotle to Keynes". Money appears to be beyond the reach of democratic politics, but this appearance - like so much about money - is deceptive. Even when the politics of money is impossible to ignore, its proper democratic role can be difficult to discern. In "The Currency of Politics", Eich examines six crucial episodes of monetary crisis, recovering the neglected political theories of money in the thought of such figures as Aristotle, John Locke, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. He shows how these layers of crisis have come to define the way we look at money and argues that informed public debate about money requires a better appreciation of the diverse political struggles over its meaning. Recovering foundational ideas at the intersection of monetary rule and democratic politics, "The Currency of Politics" explains why only through greater awareness of the historical limits of monetary politics can we begin to articulate more democratic conceptions of money. This IPR lecture took place on 24 May 2023.

Energy transitions in line with climate targets are often framed as largely technological challenges. But decarbonisation processes are affecting all aspects of human life. How can they best be managed, especially in regions that are still heavily dependent on fossil fuels? In this lecture, Professor Ricardo Garcia Mira (Professor of Social Psychology at the University of A Coruna, Spain) joins us to discuss the social aspects of the clean energy transition in Europe. This event took place on 16 May 2023. It forms part of the IPR's 'Polycrisis!' lecture series.

The Rt Revd Paul Bayes, former Bishop of Liverpool, patron of the Open Table Network and passionate advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, reaches out with a message of support and encouragement on Bath University's Pride on Campus day 2023.

In this special IPR lecture, Professor Barry Eichengreen joins us to discuss his latest co-authored book, In Defense of Public Debt, which explores the origins, management, and uses and misuses of sovereign debt through the ages. This event took place on 24 April 2023. It forms part of the IPR's 'Polycrisis!' lecture series.

The oceans are vital to life on this planet. But they are under threat from unsustainable levels of exploitation. In this lecture, Professor Guy Standing discusses his latest book 'The Blue Commons', arguing that in addition to the already established ‘green politics’, we urgently need a ‘blue politics’ that is grounded in the principle of the commons. Guy Standing is a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London and a founding member and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN). This public event took place on 13 March 2023. It was jointly hosted by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR), the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) and the Bath Earth System Governance (ESG) Research Centre. It forms part of the IPR's ‘Polycrisis!’ event series.

In this lecture, Professor Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake join us to discuss their latest book ‘Restarting the future: How to fix the intangible economy’. Our economies have become increasingly reliant on intangible assets that derive their value from ideas, knowledge and relationships rather than material properties. Haskel and Westlake explore how intangible assets differ from tangible ones and why it is important that the institutions that govern our economies keep up with the intangible revolution. This public event took place on 28 February 2023. It forms part of the ‘Polycrisis!’ event series hosted by the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR).