Queer men bear a disproportionate burden of HIV in Africa, but how do they experience the global development agenda of sexual health and sexual rights? What does a political economy approach bring to research on global development? How does queer political economy build on feminist approaches to help us locate contemporary Ghanian politics in histories of capitalism and colonialism? What are the lived experiences of queer men in Ghana in this context and what are their priorities in the...

Political economists are inspired to understanding the major challenges that face our society today: climate breakdown and global environmental change, workers' rights across global supply chains, the intensification of war, the rise of the far-right, public health crises and so much more. But what exactly is political economy? Is it a discipline, sub-discipline, field, approach, all of these, or none? How does it help us understand capitalism, history, our everyday lives? Professor Andrew...

Starmer's Labour has secured an overwhelming majority in what will surely be one of the most significant Parliamentary terms in the history of British climate politics. The clock is ticking on decarbonisation, but the new Labour government appears reluctant to take full advantage of the chance to be forever remembered as climate heroes. Will it make the most of this opportunity? Michael Jacobs, now Professor of Political Economy at the University of Sheffield, was a member of the Council of...

Keir Starmer's new government must now walk the line between the short-termist incentives of Parliamentary politics and the imperative to tackle the medium and long-term social issues that Labour has been elected to solve. What mode of governance can effectively strike this balance? Sir Geoff Mulgan, now Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London, was Director of the Performance and Innovation Unit, Head of the Strategy Unit and Head...

It would appear that every Opposition party promises sweeping House of Lords reform while every government roundly fails to make any meaningful progress in that domain. What challenges will Keir Starmer's new Labour government face when it comes to constitutional and Parliamentary reform? Meg Russell, now Professor of Politics at University College London and Director of the UCL Constitution Unit, was Special Adviser to Robin Cook as Leader of the House in 2001-3. She joins Michael and Mems...

Keir Starmer inherits a series of broken public services after fourteen years of austerity and economic stagnation. Can the new Labour government turn them around while remaining so reluctant to invest public money? Nick Pearce, now Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Policy Research, University of Bath, was Head of the No 10 Policy Unit 2007-10 and Special Adviser at the Dept of Education and Employment and Home Office (2001-7). He joins Michael and Mems to discuss...

A key issue in Labour's 2024 general election campaign was the conflict between the moral imperative to end child poverty and the party's stringent fiscal rules. The debate over whether Starmer's new government will end the two-child limit in Universal Credit is already a live issue during his first period as Prime Minister. Carey Oppenheim, now an independent consultant on early years policy and adviser to the Nuffield Foundation, was Special Advisor to Tony Blair in the Number 10 Policy...

Foreign aid spending has long been a political football kicked around by the major parties. Now that Keir Starmer has formed a new Labour government, what will its approach to international development tell us about the UK's place in the world? Clare Short was Secretary of State for International Development from 1997-2003 under Tony Blair. She joins Michael and Mems to discuss overseas development and foreign policy, including the founding of the Department for International Development, its...

Debates about migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats dominated the 2024 general election. The Labour government will now face pressure from all sides to resolve the issue decisively but humanely. Lord David Blunkett was Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1997-2001), Home Secretary (2001-4) and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2005). He joins Michael and Mems to discuss his time at the Home Office and immigration policy during Tony Blair's administration....

Labour is now in power for the first time in over 14 years. How does Keir Starmer hit the ground running? What are the challenges of running a government after so long away from 10 Downing St? Baroness Sally Morgan, now Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, was Tony Blair’s Director of Government and Political Relations at No 10 from 1997 to 2005. Gavin Kelly, now Executive Chair and formerly Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, was Deputy Chief of Staff at No 10 under Gordon...

Keir Starmer and David Lammy face the immediate foreign policy challenges of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, volatility in Europe, and geopolitical conflict between the US and China. Lord Stewart Wood, now a Fellow of the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers at the Treasury from 2001 to 2007 and Gordon Brown’s foreign policy adviser at No 10 from 2007 to 2010. He joins Michael and Mems to discuss his experience of working...

This introductory episode of SPERI Presents… gives listeners a taste of political economy as a discipline and SPERI as an institute while setting the scene for series to come. Dr Remi Edwards is joined by current SPERI co-director Professor Andrew Hindmoor and SPERI affiliates Dr Natalie Langford and Dr Liam Stanley. They discussed how they understand political economy as a field of study, the unique insights it offers for understanding dynamics of contemporary capitalism, and how they use it...