In today's episode, we're marking Challenge Poverty Week. Regular podcast host Kezia Dugdale is joined by guest host and Centre for Public Policy colleague Claire MacRae to speak to two guests working in this area. We discuss child poverty and the Scottish Government's targets, social security and the backdrop of Scotland's challenging financial outlook, what role local government can play in tackling poverty, and more.
We talk to Charlotte Gorman from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Professor Stephen Sinclair from the Poverty and Inequality Commission about newly published reports that look at the progress we're making towards eradicating poverty in Scotland in 2026 and how we can continue to work towards this goal.
Charlotte Gorman is Senior Policy Adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and author of the JRF's new Poverty in Scotland 2026 report. The report says that with targets missed and poverty too high, radical change is needed, and that local government needs to play a bigger role in poverty reduction.
Professor Stephen Sinclair is Chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission and Professor of Social Policy and co-Director of the Scottish Poverty & Inequality Research Unit at Glasgow Caledonian University. The Commission's new report looks at the role of universal and targeted approaches to tackling poverty.
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Read the Joseph Rowntree Report, Poverty in Scotland 2026: https://www.jrf.org.uk/understanding-poverty/poverty-in-scotland-2026 (https://www.jrf.org.uk/understanding-poverty/poverty-in-scotland-2026)
Read the Poverty and Inequality Commission report, The role of universal and targeted approaches in addressing poverty and inequality in Scotland:
https://povertyinequality.scot/publication/universal-and-targeted-approaches-to-tackling-poverty-key-messages-from-the-poverty-and-inequality-commission/
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21 Sept 2026
The Devolution Revolution?
In today's episode of UofG Spotlight, we're looking at Andy Burnham's 'devolution revolution', and what that might mean for the UK devolved nations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Plus, we look at two significant developments in UK constitutional politics.
First up, hosts Professor Nicola McEwen and Professor Kezia Dugdale give their take on two big developments in UK politics from the last fortnight. First, the exchange between Dundee SNP MP Chris Law and Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Prime Minister's Questions on grounds for an independence referendum, and second, the summit between the SNP, Sinn Féin, and Plaid Cymru in Cardiff, on the path to independence referendums.
Then they're joined by two guests: Dr David Waite, Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow and Dr Jack Newman, Lecturer in Politics and Public Administration at the University of Liverpool to discuss devolution.
Does the 'devolution revolution' extend beyond England? What can be learned from Manchester for regional devolution elsewhere? Are mayors an option for Scotland? And what might support success for Burnham's devolution drive?
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Read the report by Professor Kezia Dugdale and Stephen Noon, Scotland and the Constitution: Agreeing a way forward:
https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/outputs/headline_1101096_en.html
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https://www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/publicpolicy/about/
5 Jun 2026
The Future of Foreign Aid: Retreat or Reinvention?
In this episode of Spotlight, we turn from devolved politics to global challenges, asking the important question: do we still value development aid?
Host Nicola McEwen is joined by leading researchers from the University of Glasgow and Queen Margaret University to unpack the changing landscape of international development. Together, they explore the long-term decline in UK and global aid commitments, the real-world consequences for communities in some of the world's most vulnerable settings and the new approaches to development finance emerging. This work is being supported by the Scottish Council for Global Affairs.
Later in the episode, Nicola speaks with SCIAF's Director of Public Engagement, Ben Wilson, about Scotland's distinctive role, the Scottish Government's commitments, and whether initiatives like aid match funding could create a different path forward.
As global pressures mount and political priorities shift, what does the future hold for development aid - and for the communities who depend on it?
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