RSA Events: Audio

The RSA and Teach First present a new series of Education Matters Debates. In this opening debate, Sir Michael Wilshaw HMCI, Matthew Taylor, Peter Hyman, Ndidi Okezie and Gillian Hargreaves ask: what will it take to ensure that every child, regardless of socio-economic background, is taught by a "good teacher"?

Richard Murphy, Philip Booth and Mike Lewis ask: Do we need to fundamentally change our attitude toward tax? To view it as a fair and just contribution toward shared public services, and not as an egregious state-run money pinching scheme?

Bestselling journalist and author Jonah Lehrer shows how new research is deepening our understanding of the human imagination and considers how this new science can make us happier.

Acclaimed author and illustrator Matthew Johnstone reveals how simple daily practices can help us be more present, more positive, have better health and greater clarity.

75 years on from George Orwell's iconic journey, Stephen Armstrong and Danny Dorling discuss why poverty and inequality persist in the UK today.

Leading social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the uniquely human ability for self-transcendence, and shows how this is crucial for understanding the origins of morality and religion.

Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, Matthew Flinders, argues for a shift from the bland and fatalistic 'politics of pessimism' that appears to dominate public life, towards a more buoyant and engaged 'politics of optimism'.

World-renowned social entrepreneur and founder of Ashoka, Bill Drayton discusses the key skills every person must learn in order to contribute meaningfully to a rapidly changing world.

In an increasingly social world, author Susan Cain argues that we undervalue the power of the introvert at our peril. How can organisations ensure that the best ideas dominate, rather than those of the most vocal and assertive people?

Leading new-media academic Adrienne Russell examines the underlying cultural changes that reflect the new news reality.

Founder of Simcorp and chairman of the Gaia Trust, Ross Jackson offers a visionary strategy to rework the global economic system and the political institutions that support it. Caroline Lucas MP responds.

Hugh Tomlinson QC, John Lloyd and Guy Black debate the lessons of the unfolding Leveson Inquiry, the principles of regulation in the internet age, and the balance between professional freedom, accountability and public protection.

Award-winning journalist and BBC News home editor, Mark Easton takes a fresh look at the UK through its relationship to 26 subjects - one for each letter of the alphabet.

Renowned academic, journalist and internet freedom activist, Rebecca MacKinnon, issues us with a powerful call to action: it’s time to stop thinking of ourselves as passive users of technology, and instead act as responsible citizens of the Internet.

Harvard Professor of Government, James Robinson presents a provocative new theory of political economy, explaining why the world is divided into nations with wildly differing levels of prosperity.