The classic welfare state did not address itself to problems of consumption; there was not much to consume.  Today, climate change entails profound changes in consumption; everyone will have to make sacrifices, consuming less.  How should such necessary sacrifices change our thinking about the provision of welfare -- whose classic moral logic was to give people more, to expand aspiration, rather than to shrink desire. This is 1 in a series of 4 public lectures that Richard Sennett will deliver…

Beveridge argued for the primacy of the state in providing welfare.  His critics then and since have argued for more support from civil society, from communal associations, churches, voluntary organisations.  This final lecture shows why obligations to others should be involuntary - and so why state support is fundamental.  The challenge is to cut free of the bureaucratic tangles and institutional corruption which afflict the welfare state today. This is 1 in a series of 4 public lectures that Richard…

Strategic communications that can build public and political will to solve poverty in the UK The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Frameworks Institute, alongside other social change makers, are hosting a unique conference for campaigners on poverty related issues as they share their research and experience of how effective framing can shift the public narrative on poverty. As a compassionate country that believes in justice and society, it can often seen wrong that campaigners have to work so hard to fight against a…

Speakers include: Rachel Reeves MP, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee Debbie Green, CEO of Coastal Housing and Welsh Ministerial Advisor Karel Williams, Professor, University of Manchester Steve Francis, CEO of Patisserie Valerie and turnaround specialist Norman Pickavance, CEO of Tomorrow’s Company Chair: Miatta Fahnbulleh, CEO of New Economics Foundation How do we take back control of the local economy, and exert influence over the goods and services we rely on everyday? A year has passed since…

Following on from our conference in February of this year, we’ll be exploring the key themes of: devolution; investment in northern business and infrastructure; transport; education; and the rebalancing of the economy, with leading political and business figures and advocates of the Northern Powerhouse strategy.

Prosperity and Justice: A Plan for the New Economy. Sharing the findings from the Institute for Public Policy Research’s Commission on Economic Justice, challenging widening inequalities and systemic failings. Brexit; rapid technological change; globalisation; ageing population; and climate change. What can we do in the North East to implement some of the Commission’s recommendations? Sara Bryson Community Organiser for Tyne and Wear Citizens. A 2016 (North East Specialist) Clore Social Leadership Fellow, she served as one of 22 commissioners on…