S4 Ep5: The case for public consumption with Sir Andrew Dilnot

Sir Andrew Dilnot is an economist who believes that statistics hold a key role in lessening inequality and making Britain fairer.  

He is now the warden of Nuffield College Oxford - a graduate college specialising in the social sciences. Before Nuffield, he was at the Institute for Fiscal Studies where he was the Director of the UK's leading independent economics research institute. 

A fierce advocate for statistics, he believes that data is at the heart of solving a whole raft of issues whether that’s social care,  education inequalities or faltering healthcare systems.  And the UK's social care system is on a precipice. Two-thirds of people who have used or had contact with social care said they were dissatisfied with the service they had received or witnessed, according to a recent British Social Attitudes survey. And beyond just ‘dissatisfaction’ lies damning figures - there were over 165,000 adult social care posts left vacant last year.

What can be done? And what can the stats tell us?  Season 4 of the We Society Podcast from the Academy of Social Sciences tackles the big questions through a social science lens. Throughout this series, you'll be hearing some of the best ideas to shape the way we live.

Hosted by journalist and Academy President Will Hutton, we interview some of Britain’s top social scientists and public figures from across the globe to explore their evidence-led solutions to society’s most pressing problems.

Don't want to miss an episode? Follow the We Society on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on [e-mail] and tell us who we should be speaking to or follow us on twitter  https://twitter.com/thewesocietypod

Find out more about the Academy of Social Sciences here: https://A