Futures of Work

In this episode, Samborne Bush and Bethan Bushell, two student researchers from the University of Bristol, explore St Philips Marsh in Bristol and talk to key figures in the upcoming changes in the area, including representatives from the city council.

This podcast is with Mark Williams, Ying Zhou and Min Zou as they discuss their new book Mapping Good Work: The Quality of Working Life Across the Occupational Structure.

In this podcast, David Farrugia talks about his new book 'Youth, Work and the Post-Fordist Self'.

Katie Bales speaks to anthropologist James Suzman about the future of work and his new book, 'Work: A History of How We Spend Our Time'.

This edition of the Futures of Work podcast is brought to you in conjunction with the journal Political Quarterly, Bristol Festival of Ideas, University of Bristol’s Thinking Futures programme and the Economic & Social Research Council's Festival of Social Science 2020. The world has faced two major crises in 12 years. The aftershocks of the 2008 financial crisis are still being felt and the consequences of COVID-19 for economy and society will be with us for a long time. A series of utopian and dystopian visions of the futures of work and capitalism have sprung up alongside these crises, seeking to make sense of an age defined by technological shifts, populist upheaval, digital authoritarianism and global pandemic. Following a recent special issue on “Postcapitalism and the Politics of Work”, Political Quarterly sponsored an event picking through these futures and debate their political implications on both the national and international stage. In the immediate wake of the US presidential election, we were joined by Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham and author of The Dignity of Labour (forthcoming, Polity); Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan and Shadow Foreign Secretary; and Paul Mason, commentator and author of How to Stop Fascism (forthcoming, Penguin). The event was chaired by Futures of Work co-editor Harry Pitts.

Maud Perrier, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol, talks to Susan Ferguson about her book 'Women and Work: Feminism, Labour, and Social Reproduction'.

Harry Pitts speaks to Tim Strangleman, author of 'Voices of Guinness: An Oral History of the Park Royal Brewery'.

Harry Pitts speaks with Charles Umney, Associate Professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Leeds, about his book, Class Matters: Inequality and Exploitation in 21st Century Britain.

Harry Pitts speaks to Lynne Pettinger about her book, 'What’s Wrong with Work?', published by Policy Press.

Huw Thomas speaks to Humphrey Lloyd, owner of Edible Futures, an urban farm in Bristol. They discuss organising a new economy, food sovereignty and what the future of work means to the food sector.

Huw Thomas and Katie Bales speak to Rod Earle, Senior Lecturer at the Open University, to talk about his experiences of being in prison, the foundations of convict criminology and what he sees as the futures of prison labour in the UK.

Harry Pitts speaks to David (Danny) Blanchflower to discuss his new book, Not Working: Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone. This episode was recorded live at the Bristol Festival of Ideas.

Huw Thomas talks with Katherine Trebeck, co-author of The Economics of Arrival, about how most developed countries have arrived, and instead of enlarging the economy they should focus on improving it.

Imagine a company was founded without any investors.  From day one, the owner shared the power of decision-making with the employees, the suppliers and the customers.  There were no written contracts, no fixed working hours, no bonuses, no offices, no advertising and no profits. Nearly 17 years later, the company still exists and still resolutely sticks to these rules. And yet, they sell to 200 cities, grow 10 per cent per year and sell 1.5 million bottles per year.  Uwe Lübbermann (main moderator at Premium Cola) joins Huw Thomas in the studio to discuss the ‘impossible company’ and whether it is possible to transfer some of these ideas to other industries.

Joo-Cheong Tham - Futures of Labour Migration by Futures of Work

In this edition of the Futures of Work podcast, Harry Pitts is joined by Barry Eichengreen, Professor of Economics and Political Science at Berkeley, University of California, and author of The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Action in the Modern Era. This episode was recorded live at the Bristol Festival of Ideas.

If we want to respond to the major challenges facing the world of work should we start by bulldozing all business schools? That is the focus of this futures of work podcast where Huw Thomas was joined by Martin Parker, author of a new book entitled Shut Down the Business School. His argument: get rid of all business schools and from their foundations establish a new school of organising, one where alternatives to the future can be built.

Jennifer Bair talks about the future of Labour Governance.