Our podcasts [currently in development] exist to liberate debate on topical issues beyond the confines of any single discipline. It provides a civic space where two experts from different fields come together to exchange perspectives.
Each debate centres on a prompt that draws together at least two of these areas, allowing for connections to be made across disciplinary and professional boundaries. The purpose is not to win an argument but to surface assumptions, open new lines of thought and highlight the tensions that shape contemporary civic life.
Discussions are grounded in seven thematic and categorised into the following series to guide listener interest.
Cities Under Pressure
Cities are growing faster than at any other point in history, but they’re also where the stresses of climate change, inequality and technology collide most visibly. From air quality and heat resilience to surveillance and democratic participation, urban life raises the sharpest questions about fairness, safety and sustainability. The debates here examine who gets protected, who gets excluded and how communities can thrive when cities are stretched to their limits.
Data for Good
Data promises efficiency, insight and accountability, but it also creates new risks. Governments, NGOs and businesses all claim to use data in the public interest, yet questions of privacy, consent and exploitation remain unresolved. These debates explore when data genuinely benefits society and when it undermines rights, agency and trust.
Economy Transitions
Every great transition, whether to clean energy, AI or farming, creates winners and losers. Workers are too often left behind, caught between technological disruption, economic shifts and pursuits of profit. This series focuses on what structural change means for people on the ground: their jobs, their rights, their communities. Who bears the costs of transition and how can workers share in the benefits?
Factfulness
What is a fact and who decides? From history books to political speeches, from scientific evidence to belief systems, the struggle over truth is as old as civilisation. These debates probe the foundations of knowledge and authority: how we decide what’s real, who benefits from dominant narratives, and how societies anchor themselves in belief, evidence or both.
Fixing the Tech Footprint
Technology powers progress, but it leaves deep footprints, environmental, social and ethical. From e-waste and repair rights to hidden energy costs and cybersecurity, the tools we rely on come with consequences we rarely see. This series examines the price of constant upgrades, the risks of insecure systems, and if we should hold the tech sector accountable for its true impact.
Generational Voices
Every generation inherits choices made by those before it and every generation shapes what comes next. From climate burdens to cultural values, tensions between youth urgency and elder authority run through politics, economics and culture. This series stages conversations across age lines, asking how we build futures that are fair, inclusive and sustainable.
Just Transitions in Practice
Shifts to new ideals is inevitable, but justice is not guaranteed. New policies often reinforce inequality unless designed differently. This series asks how transitions can be fair: ensuring communities share benefits, workers aren’t discarded and action builds trust rather than division.
Land in Balance
Food systems, land use and biodiversity sit at the heart of human survival. Yet the drive for yield, trade and growth often undermines the ecosystems and communities that depend on them. This series brings out the tensions between innovation and sovereignty, conservation and survival, asking how we can secure both nourishment and nature for the future.
Resilient Lives
Resilience is more than a buzzword, it’s the ability of people and communities to withstand shocks without breaking. From activism and mental health to digital care and pandemic preparedness, this series explores how individuals and societies cope with disruption. What sustains us, and what leaves us vulnerable?
Rules of the Digital Commons
The internet is a commons, but who sets the rules? From moderation and free speech to online safety, AI governance and digital rights, competing visions of the digital space collide. This series unpacks where authority lies, how accountability works, and what kind of digital commons we want to build.