Analysis

About Analysis

Programme examining the ideas and forces which shape public policy in Britain and abroad, presented by distinguished writers, journalists and academics.

Publisher

BBC Radio 4

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Feb 2008

Latest episode

25 Mar 2024

Latest episodes

8 of 388 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   25 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   The low pay puzzle

   From April, 2.7 million workers will get one of the biggest pay rises in UK history as the National Living Wage rises to £11.44 an hour. But will they feel better off? It's 25 years since the National Minimum Wage was introduced. During that time it's credited with putting billions of extra pounds in the pockets of low-paid workers. But, despite that, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, two thirds of households living in poverty have at least one adult in work. And, according to the Institute for Fiscal studies, far from cutting the annual benefits bill, the cost of benefits paid to working families has ballooned since 1999 to about 50 billion pounds a year. So what's behind this low pay puzzle? And what can employers, governments and workers do to ensure that work pays? Pauline Mason investigates. Presenter: Pauline Mason Producer: Ravi Naik Editor: Clare Fordham. Contributors: Kate Bell, TUC Assistant General Secretary and former low pay commissioner Damian Grimshaw, Professor of Employment Studies, Kings College London and London & South Forum Co-Lead at the Productivity Institute Patricia Findlay, Distinguished Professor of Work and Employment Relations, University of Strathclyde, and Director of the Scottish Centre for Employment Research Matthew Fell, Low Pay Commissioner and Director of Competitiveness at BusinessLDN Nye Cominetti, Principal Economist, the Resolution Foundation James Cockett, Labour Market Economist, CIPD Margaret Esapa, Managing Director and owner, Cherry Care Services, Oxfordshire Conor Taylor, Director, Foresso

2. 

   18 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   How real is the existential threat from AI?

   The existential threat caused by Artificial Intelligence is a popular theme in science fiction. But more recently it’s started to be taken seriously by governments around the world and the companies developing the technology. Where did this idea come from, and why is so much money being spent on it, rather than on the regulation of AI and the real threat it poses to jobs and to copyright? Presenter: Jack Stilgoe Producer: Philip Reevell Editor: Clare Fordham

3. 

   11 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel have done?

   It's 2024, and the Manchester extension of HS2 has been cancelled. The leg to Leeds was cancelled in 2021. The remaining line to Birmingham is now less than half the initial planned route, and will cost over double the initial budget. This is not exclusive to HS2; Sprialling costs and missed deadlines have become commonplace in big engineering projects, the UK is now one of the most expensive places in the world to build infrastructure, but Britain has a proud history of engineering, and one name in particular looms large - Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Ruthless, bloody minded and notoriously driven - what could he do about the current state of UK infrastructure? Presenter: Neil Maggs Producer: Johnny I'Anson Editor: Clare Fordham

Inside a recent episode

The low pay puzzle

Published 25 Mar 2024 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Still worse, prior to 1999, the lowest paid workers also got the lowest pay rises. In the 25 years before the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, paid doubled for the highest 10 % of earners, but rose at less than half that rate for the lowest paid. Generally, if you had more, you got more. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

195 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

75 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 6 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

0

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

27

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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