Welcome to This Is The North Podcast, your source of transformative conversations—an intentional challenge to the systems holding back the North of England. Hosted by Alison Dunn, an award-winning charity chief executive and former solicitor, this podcast is supported by Society Matters Community Interest Company and is dedicated to curating and sharing knowledge, powering the change we need for a more equal and inclusive society.

In this compelling episode, Alison engages with Praful Nargund—entrepreneur, campaigner, and founder of The Good Growth Foundation. Together, they challenge conventional economic wisdom and explore a vision where good growth and equality go hand in hand.

Praful shares his deeply personal journey—from being born in Bradford to Indian parents who came to work in the NHS, to revolutionising access to IVF treatment, to his current mission of reshaping economic policy. His story show how lived experience shapes our understanding of systemic barriers and opportunities for change. The conversation also delves into the profound disconnect between economics and people's daily realities. As Praful notes, "there was a real sense in our work that when the economy grew, it did use to benefit us 20, 30 years ago," Praful explains. "That's been broken. It doesn't benefit us anymore."

Beyond diagnosing problems, Alison and Praful chart a path forward—one that prioritises "skills and bills" over abstract GDP figures, that recognises the transformative power of local SMEs, and that refuses to pit communities against each other in a competition for resources. They confront the harsh realities of political campaigning, the erosion of public trust, and the urgent need for economic policies that people can "see, feel, and touch" in their everyday lives.

This isn't just a conversation about economic theory—it's a call for a new approach to prosperity that prioritises human dignity and real-world impact. By connecting big ideas with people's lived experiences, Praful and Alison highlight how transformative change happens not through statistics, but through policies that make tangible differences in people's lives.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

03:15 Tackling Inequality

04:32 Education and Skills

06:08 Political Battlegrounds

09:27 Finding Resilience

11:32 The Birth of The Good Growth Foundation

15:53 "Skills and Bills"

22:17 Devolution Challenges

27:37 Regional Inequality Without Regional Division

29:15 170,000 Children in Cold Homes

36:55 Laying the Breadcrumbs

This episode serves as a powerful reminder that true economic transformation requires more than statistical growth—it demands policies that people can actually feel in their daily lives. By bringing together visionary thinking with practical solutions, Praful and Alison challenge us to reimagine prosperity as something that benefits everyone, creating communities where opportunity and fairness go hand in hand.

The great tragedy of modern economics isn't that we've failed to grow—it's that we've forgotten what we're growing for. 

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Host: Alison Dunn

Guest: Praful Nargund

This podcast is produced by Purpose Made, empowering change through intentional leadership and shared knowledge.

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