UofG Spotlight

On this episode we speak to Gerry McCartney, the UK's first Professor of Wellbeing Economy, about the interdependencies between the environment, society and the economy.

We also talk to Professor Vittal Katikireddi from Glasgow's Social and Public Health Sciences Unit on the social determinants of health outcomes.

Timestamps

Professor Vittal Katikireddi: 01:50

Professor Gerry McCartney: 22:42

On this episode we are joined by Dr Joanna Szostek, Lecturer in Political Communication at the School of Political and Social Sciences, and an expert on Central and Eastern European media. She talks about the War in Ukraine and the current political landscape.

We also speak to Dr Mark Wong, Lecturer in Public Policy and Research Methods in Urban Studies, about the importance of how we collect data and information to inform public policy - and how the methods we use to collect and process information can themselves lead to biases in decision-making.

Timestamps:

Dr Joanna Szostek: 1:10

Dr Mark Wong: 18:32

On this episode we are joined by Dr Shivali Fifield from the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland to talk about access to healthy environments as a human right and how to make those rights real.

We also speak to Petra Meier, Professor of Public Health at UofG, and Director of the UKPRP-funded Sipher Consortium, a UK-wide hub for Systems Science in Public Health & Economic Research. She discusses her work on economic inequalities and health outcomes and the need for a system-wide view at tackling challenges of poverty, health and sustainability.

Time stamps:

Petra Meier: 01:13

Shivali Fifield: 22: 51

This episode marks a year of the Spotlight podcast. We talk to David McAllister, Communications Manager at Planning Aid Scotland, who discusses the importance of citizens having a voice and a sense of agency over the planning system.

We also speak to Spotlight podcast host Kezia Dugdale in her capacity as Director of the John Smith Centre. She reflects on the work of the centre, talking about their research on current levels of trust in politics and public service.

Russia's war against Ukraine has shocked the world. Currently millions of Ukrainians have fled the country, while millions more are trapped under horrific circumstances. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed and the scale of the humanitarian crisis continues to grow.

On Thursday 17th March, our colleagues in the University's School of Social and Political Sciences' Central and Eastern European Studies and International Relations hosted a Q&A webinar on the subject of Russia's war on Ukraine. On this special episode of Spotlight, we bring you the recording of this webinar.

Among the topics discussed were the causes of the war; Russian brutality and the fight for freedom and democracy by Ukraine; Russia's political system and relations with Russia; and are governments around the world doing enough?

As hundreds of thousands of people flee Ukraine and seek refuge in Moldova, Poland and other EU countries, in this episode we're taking a moment to focus on another refugee crisis, the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, with Sabir Zazai from the Scottish Refugee Council.

Adam Smith was a former student, professor and director at the University of Glasgow and is one of Scotland's most famous figures of the 18th century. 2023 marks Adam Smith's tercentenary and to discuss his legacy we're joined by Dr Craig Smith, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in the Scottish Enlightenment.

Timestamps:

Sabir Zazai: 01:14

Dr Craig Smith: 19:30

In this episode, we're discussing Scotland's place in the world and inequalities in our economy.

Professor Peter Jackson, Chair in Global Security at the University of Glasgow, tells us about the cross-university initiative, Scottish Council on Global Affairs, which aims to bring together Scotland's world-class expertise in international relations.

Meanwhile, Kat Riach, Professor of Organisational Studies at the Adam Smith Business School, talks about her research into ageism at work and age discrimination in the labour market. Her pioneering research on the menopause is helping to change workplace practices.

Timestamps:

Prof Peter Jackson: 01:14

Prof Kat Riach: 22:53

This week, Graeme and Kezia are joined by Professor Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture at the University of Glasgow as well as Co-Director of the University's Centre for Robert Burns Studies.

With Burns Night last week, it seemed the ideal time to learn more about Burns' work, his relevance for today and the research of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies.

Among her many roles, Kirsteen is a member of the editorial team for the new Oxford University Press edition of the works of Robert Burns.

The music used in this month's podcast are 'A Man's a Man' and 'Auld Lang Syne' from 'Robert Burns Choral Settings – from Schumann to MacMillan', a joint project between the Centre for Robert Burns Studies and the Chapel Choir at Glasgow University, supported by the University's Chancellor's Fund and the CRBS. You can find out more and hear these arrangements in full along with many others at https://www.burnschoral.glasgow.ac.uk/

Happy New Year! In our first episode of 2022, we chat with Gina Davidson, Political Editor of LBC Radio in Scotland, to get an expert overview of what lies in store for the year ahead.

We also talk to Professor Eugenio Proto, the Alex Cairncross Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow, to find out about his research on mental health during the pandemic, including some unexpected findings on the personality types that were affected the most.

Timestamps

Gina Davidson: 1:27

Eugenio Proto: 27:30

In our last episode of 2021, we speak to Alison Watson, Director of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland.

We also talk to Sandy Stark and Oonagh Brown from the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Difficulties (SCLD). They discuss their new app 'Human Rights Town', developed by and for people with learning disabilities to help people know and understand their human rights.

Timestamps

Alison Watson: 1:10

Sandy Stark and Oonagh Brown: 21:26