To kickstart Season Four of Crossing Channels, Richard Westcott (Cambridge University Health Partners and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus) talks to Prof Alison Liebling  (University of Cambridge), Prof Nicola Padfield  (University of Cambridge) and Prof Arnaud Philippe (University of Bristol, former IAST fellow) about the growing prison population, the prison experience, and the most effective ways to rehabilitate ex-offenders.

Our experts discuss why the prison population is growing and the similarities and differences across European countries. They share their expertise on the impact of the prison environment and the privatisation of prisons for rehabilitation. They also identify best practices for effectively rehabilitating and reintegrating ex-offenders into society. 

Season 4 Episode 1 transcript

For more information about the Crossing Channels podcast series and the work of the Bennett Institute and IAST (Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse) visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

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With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker and Burcu Sevde Selvi
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Aurore Carbonnel

More information about our host and guests:

Richard Westcott is an award-winning journalist who spent 27 years at the BBC as a correspondent/producer/presenter covering global stories for the flagship Six and Ten o’clock TV news as well as the Today programme. Last year, Richard left the corporation and he is now the communications director for Cambridge University Health Partners and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, both organisations that are working to support life sciences and healthcare across the city. @BBCwestcott

Alison Liebling is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Cambridge and the Director of the Institute of Criminology’s Prisons Research Centre. She has carried out research on life in prison for over 30 years. She has written multiple books and is currently completing one on ‘Moral rules, social science and forms of order in prison’. She was made a member of the British Academy in 2018. @AlisonLiebling

Nicola Padfield KC (Hon) is Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Penal Justice at the Law Faculty, University of Cambridge, where she has worked for more than 30 years. She has a broad research lens, engaged in both ‘hard’ law and in socio-legal-criminological research. She is a leading European expert on sentencing law, including the law and practice of release from (and recall to) prison. A barrister by training, she has published widely on criminal law, sentencing and criminal justice.

Arnaud Philippe is an Associate Professor at the School of Economics of the University of Bristol. He studies the criminal justice system to better understand the determinants of criminal behaviour, how judicial decisions are made, and the consequences of sanctions on individuals. He is currently an associate researcher at the French Penitentiary Administration, where he explores the effect of carceral experience on recidivism. @ArnaudPhilipp

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• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Kevin Sortino 

In this episode, Rory Cellan-Jones discusses the enduring legacies of colonialism on global economic inequalities, the climate crisis, and the digital space with experts Dr Stephanie Diepeveen and Prof Jordanna Matlon.

Experts, Dr Stephanie Diepeveen and Prof Jordanna Matlon share tangible examples and critical insights into a nuanced understanding of how colonial legacies continue to shape global power relations. They debate actionable perspectives on how policymakers can address these challenges and the ongoing effects of colonialism. 

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Dr Stephanie Diepeveen (Bennett Institute for Public Policy) and Prof Jordanna Matlon (IAST). 

• Season 3 Episode 9 transcript
• Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Kevin Sortino 

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including “Always On” (2021) and his latest “Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC” which was published in 2023. @ruskin147

Stephanie Diepeveen is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and a Senior Research Fellow (Digital) in the Politics and Governance Team at ODI (formerly the Overseas Development Institute). With an interdisciplinary background in politics, digital media and monitoring and evaluation, her research is focused on how digital technologies and the use of data transform democratic politics, inclusion and inequalities. Stephanie’s work brings a global perspective, having explored the nature and effects of digitalisation across diverse political and linguistic contexts, including around pressing issues of mis/disinformation, algorithmic bias and harmful content. Her book Searching for a New Kenya: Politics and Social Media on the Streets of Mombasa (CUP, 2021) looks in-depth into the politics and possibilities of discussion in the streets and online. @sdiep

Jordanna Matlon is an urban sociologist interested in questions of race and belonging in Africa and the African diaspor. She looks at the ways “Blackness” operates as a signifier, intersects with gender norms, manifests in popular culture, and illuminates our understanding of political economy. Her multiple award-winning book, A Man among Other Men: The Crisis of Black Masculinity in Racial Capitalism (Cornell University Press) investigates the relationship between masculinity, coloniality, and work in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Her new book, Blackness as Being: Black Survival in the Age of Climate Catastrophe (under contract, Polity Press), bridges literatures on surplus populations, climate change, and racial capitalism to theorize the possibilities and precariousness of species survival in the anthropocene. 

In this episode, Rory Cellan-Jones discusses with Dr Lauren Wilcox, Dr Felix Dwinger, and Dr Giacomo Lemoli why the world is protesting so much, how protesting has changed over time, and what impact protest movements are having on policymaking.

Delving into the surge of protests across democratic and autocratic regimes, they examine why people are taking to the streets. They draw on insights from historic protests to explore the factors that contribute to the success of protest movements and progressive social change.

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Lauren Wilcox (University of Cambridge), Felix Dwinger (IAST) and Giacomo Lemoli (IAST). 

Season 3 Episode 8 transcript

Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform 

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Kevin Sortino 

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including “Always On” (2021) and his latest “Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC” which was published in 2023. @ruskin147

Dr Felix Dwinger is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study in Toulouse. His research focuses on autocratic politics and democratic backsliding using game theory and causal inference from observational data. He holds a PhD from the Department of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. While pursuing his PhD, he was a Visiting Assistant Researcher at Yale and a Guest Doctoral Researcher at the University of Konstanz, Germany. @DwingerFelix

Dr Giacomo Lemoli is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. He holds a PhD in Politics from New York University and a MSc in Economic and Social Sciences from Bocconi University. His research studies the construction and change of group identities, and their implications for political competition, mobilization, and development in contemporary societies. He is particularly interested in how political elites and mass media shape the salience of ethnic and linguistic boundaries, and in how collective memories affect behavior. He uses econometric tools for causal inference on contemporary and archival data, as well as original surveys. His research has been funded by UNU-WIDER and the Institute for Humane Studies. @giacomolem

Dr Lauren Wilcox is Associate Professor in Gender Studies, Director of the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies, and a fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge. Lauren researches political violence, subjectivity, and embodiment from the perspective of feminist and queer theory. Lauren’s first major work, ‘Bodies of Violence: Theorizing Embodied Subjects in International Relations’, addresses a deep irony in war/security studies: that while war is actually inflicte

In this episode, Rory Cellan-Jones  (former technology correspondent for the BBC) chats with Verity Harding (Bennett Institute for Public Policy), Gina Neff  (Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy), and Lawrence Rothenberg  (IAST and University of Rochester), about artificial intelligence (AI) and the fine balance between innovation and regulation. Together, they explore what makes 'good' regulation and the crucial role of global collaboration in shaping the future of AI.

They share the latest developments of AI regulation in the UK, US and EU, emphasising the need for effective regulation to address the risks of AI. They also discuss what regulators can learn from past tech revolutions, like in vitro fertilisation, and highlight the critical importance of collaboration to ensure AI improves people's living and working conditions. 

Season 3 Episode 7 transcript

Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse

With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Kevin Sortino 

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including “Always On” (2021) and his latest Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC which was published in 2023.

Verity Harding is a globally recognised expert in AI, technology and public policy. She is currently Director of the AI and Geopolitics Project (AIxGEO) at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. She is also Founder of Formation Advisory Ltd, a tech consultancy firm. Her debut book is AI Needs You: How we can change AI’s future and save our own  (Princeton University Press 2024).

Professor Gina Neff is the executive director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the effects of the rapid expansion of our digital information environment on workers, workplaces, and our everyday lives.  Her books include Venture Labor (MIT Press 2012), Self-Tracking (MIT Press 2016) and Human-Centered Data Science (MIT Press 2022).

Lawrence Rothenberg is a member of the Scientific Council of the IAST and has been a member of the faculty at the University of Rochester for roughly three decades (1989-2002, 2005-present). He began his career in the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences at Cal Tech, and from 2002-2005 was the Max McGraw Distinguished Professor of Environmental Management in the Department of Management and Strategy and the Co-Director of the Ford Center for Global Citizenship at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.

This episode asks why are women disadvantaged in the workplace? Experts explore why women are underrepresented in certain professions. Why is the motherhood wage gap so persistent? How does flexible work impact women's careers? And what does policy need to do to reduce gender inequalities in the workplace?

Podcast host, Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), discusses these issues with leading academics Emmanuelle Auriol (IAST), Nina Jörden (Bennett Institute for Public Policy) and Francesca Barigozzi (University of Bologna). 

Season 3 Episode 6 transcript

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including “Always On” (2021) and “Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC” (2023). 

Emmanuelle Auriol is a full professor at Toulouse School of Economics. Her work, which combines theoretical and empirical approaches, focuses on industrial organization and development economics. She is the author of two award-winning books and a fellow of different scientific societies. 

Francesca Barigozzi is a Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics of the University of Bologna. She is an applied microtheorist and her fields of research include family economics, public economics, information economics, health economics, and behavioral economics. She holds a PhD in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics. 

Nina Jörden is a research associate at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and a member of The Productivity Institute. Her work focuses on questions about the future of work in the public and private sectors.

Relevant links

• Auriol, E., Friebel, G., Weinberger, A., & Wilhelm, S. (2022). Underrepresentation of women in the economics profession more pronounced in the United States compared to heterogeneous Europe. PNAS.
• Barigozzi, F., Cremer, H., & Roeder, K. (2020). Having it all, for all: child-care subsidies and income distribution reconciled. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 176, 188-211.
• Barigozzi, F., Di Timoteo, C., & Monfardini, C. (2023). The Gender Gaps in Time-Use Within Italian Households During 2002–2014. Italian Economic Journal, 9(3), 1263-1296.
• Barigozzi, F., Cremer, H., & Roeder, K. (2020). Caregivers in the family: daughters, sons and social norms. European Economic Review, 130, 103589.
• Barigozzi, F., Cremer, H., & Monfardini, C. (2019). The gender gap in informal child care: theory and some evidence from Italy.

Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Matthew Agarwala, Stefan Lamp and Alessio Terzi about the trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection, the policies and legislations needed to achieve green growth, and the challenges associated with implementing such measures.

This episode unpacks the possibility of green growth. Leading experts discuss the unsustainability of current growth paths, the need for a new economic model and measures of wealth, and the types of policies needed to deliver both economic growth and environmental protection. 

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features experts Matthew Agarwala (Bennett Institute), Stefan Lamp (TSE) and Alessio Terzi (Bennett Institute). 

• Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform
• Season 3 Episode 5 transcript

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit: https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

Tweet us your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:

• Audio production by Steve Hankey
• Associate production by Stella Erker
• Visuals by Tiffany Naylor

Relevant links 

• Terzi, A. (2022) ‘Growth for Good: Reshaping Capitalism to Save Humanity from Climate Catastrophe’ (Harvard University Press)
• Coyle, D., Zenghelis, D., Agarwala, M.,  Wdowin, J., Lu, S. and Felici, M. (2019) ‘Measuring wealth, delivering prosperity: The Wealth Economy Project on Natural and Social Capital, Interim Report to LetterOne’ (Bennett Institute) 
• Agarwala, M., Cinamon Nair, Y., Cordonier Segger, M.C., Coyle, D., Felici, M., Goodair, B., Leam, R., Lu, S., Manley, A., Wdowin, J., Zenghelis, D. (2020). ‘Building Forward: Investing in a Resilient Recovery. Wealth Economy Report to LetterOne’ (Bennett Institute) 
• Diane Coyle. ‘GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History’, March 2014, Princeton University Press, revised edition 2015

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. @ruskin147

Dr Matthew Agarwala is an economist interested in measuring and delivering sustainability, wellbeing, and productivity.  He leads the Bennett Institute’s Wealth Economy project, which seeks to transform economic measurement to better reflect sustainability, inequality, and human wellbeing. @MatthewAgarwala

Dr Stefan Lamp is a Research Fellow at the Toulouse School of Economics. His research focuses mainly on the ongoing energy transition from a fossil-fuel economy towards renewable energy sources.

Dr Alessio Terzi is an Assistant Professor in Public Policy at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Growth for Good.<

Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Jean-Paul Azam, Diane Coyle and Andy Westwood about the potential of universal basic income to tackle regional inequalities, boost economic growth in ‘left behind’ and growing places, and rebuild democracy. 

This episode unpacks why current policies are failing to tackle regional inequalities and how a universal basic infrastructure might boost productivity across all places. Leading experts examine the value of infrastructure in different country contexts and how different levels of various departments and government could work together to deliver a universal basic infrastructure in all places. 

Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform

Season 3 Episode 4 transcript

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk and www.iast.fr

 
Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse

With thanks to:   

Audio production by Steve Hankey
Associate production by Stella Erker
Visuals by Tiffany Naylor

Relevant links:

• Townscapes: A Universal Basic Infrastructure for the UK by Coyle, D., Erker, S. and Westwood, A. Bennett Institute (2023).
• A Universal Basic Infrastructure in the UK by Coyle, D., Erker, S. and Westwood, A. Bennett Institute (2023). 
• To Fight Populism, Invest in Left-Behind Communities by Coyle, D. Project Syndicate (2023). 

 
More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. His latest book is “Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC”. @ruskin147

Jean-Paul Azam is a professor of economics Emeritus at the Toulouse School of Economics, University of Toulouse and a member of IAST. After publishing mainly on the macroeconomics of Africa, he has focused since the mid-1990s on explaining violent conflict and its prevention, with application to foreign aid, civil war, and transnational terrorism.

Diane Coyle is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Diane co-directs the Bennett Institute where she heads research under the themes of progress and productivity. Her latest book is ‘Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be‘ on how economics needs to change to keep pace with the twenty-first century and the digital economy. @DianeCoyle1859

Andy Westwood is Professor of Government Practice at the University of Manchester and a Director of the ESRC funded Productivity Institute. He has worked as an expert adviser to the EU, OECD and IMF, as well as a specialist adviser to the Select Committees on Economic Affai

Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Angelique Acquatella, Shan Morgan and Jennifer Dixon about the current status of digital technology adoption in healthcare services, why digital adoption is so slow,  and the opportunities for medtech, individuals and the wider economy.

In this episode, experts unpack the barriers and facilitators of digital healthcare. Rory, Angelique, Shan and Jennifer explore the impact of med tech on inequalities, and offer solutions to mitigate risks of digital exclusion in healthcare. Provided healthcare systems focus on long-term priorities and agenda, the speakers highlight that technologies could enhance the quality and effectiveness of care. 

This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts  Angelique Acquatella (TSE), Shan Morgan (Bennett Institute), Jennifer Dixon (Health Foundation). 

Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform

Season 3 Episode 2 transcript

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:
Audio production by Steve Hankey

Associate production by Stella Erker

Visuals by Tiffany Naylor

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including “Always On” (2021) and his latest “Ruskin Park: Sylvia, Me and the BBC” which was published in 2023. @ruskin147

Professor Angelique Acquatella is an Assistant Professor at the Toulouse School of Economics. Her research studies the optimal design of health care policy, with two main substantive areas: public health insurance systems and pharmaceutical payment policy.  Angelique’s work falls at the intersection of health economics and public finance, combining methods from optimal tax theory with traditional cost-effectiveness analysis in health economics. . @angieacquatella

Dr Jennifer Dixon CBE joined the Health Foundation as Chief Executive in October 2013. Jennifer was Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, she was Director of Policy at The King’s Fund and policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the NHS between 1998 and 2000. Jennifer was appointed as a non-executive board member of the UK Health Security Agency in April 2022.  @JenniferTHF

Dame Shan Morgan Dame is Chair of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which employs around 16,000 staff and provides healthcare services for about 615,000 people. Shan previously worked as the Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary, leading the Civil Service of the Welsh Government in delivering the priorities of Ministers, and had a wide range of roles in the Civil and Diplomatic Service.

Rory Cellan-Jones (host) talks to Ingela Alger (IAST) and Flavio Toxvaerd (University of Cambridge) about the drivers of research silos, the merits of conducting interdisciplinary research and how to overcome disciplinary divides. 

This episode takes a look at why academic research is trapped in research silos. Ingela Alger and Flavio Toxvaerd engage in a thoughtful discussion with Rory Cellan-Jones, to shed light on the challenges faced in conducting interdisciplinary research. They emphasize the significant benefits that interdisciplinarity can bring and share insight into how to foster interdisciplinary research culture for improved results. 

Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform

Season 3 Episode 2 transcript

For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/

Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.

With thanks to:

• Audio production - Steve Hankey
• Associate production -  Stella Erker
• Visuals - Tiffany Naylor

More information about our host and guests:

Rory Cellan-Jones was a technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism have seen him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has also written multiple books, including his latest “Always On” which was published in 2021. @ruskin147

Ingela Alger is a CNRS Senior Scientist (DR) in Economics, and the current Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST) as well as the Chair of the Department in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her research, which has been published in international peer-reviewed journals such as the American Economic Review, Econometrica, and PNAS, focuses on the evolutionary foundations of human preferences, when these are transmitted from generation to generation and are subject to selection.  @ingelaalger 

Flavio Toxvaerd is a Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge, a Fellow of Clare College and an Affiliated Researcher with the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. He serves as UKRI Policy Fellow in Competition and Productivity Economics with the Competition and Markets Authority. His research and teaching interests are in microeconomics and game theory with applications, including industrial organisation, competition policy and economic epidemiology. @toxvaerd1

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• Crossing Channels S2E5 featuring Sarah Dillon and Manvir Singh: Why are Stories important for society.