DHI welcomes new trustee

The David Hume Institute has appointed Liam Fowley to the board of trustees.

Liam is currently in his final year studying to be a teacher with the University of the Highlands and Islands. He was recently elected as the Depute President (Education) at the Perth UHI Student Union.

He is also a former board member of YouthLink Scotland and was Vice Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament until April 2022. His experiences include being a member of the Scottish Government's COVID-19 Education Recovery Group and the Scottish Education Council, as well as being one of the leaders of the climate change citizens assembly in Scotland. He was instrumental in the work surrounding Scotland’s exams in late 2021, and the subsequent restructuring of the SQA and Education Scotland. Liam volunteers with the RAF Air Cadets and serves as a Trustee of the charity Independent Advocacy Perth & Kinross.

Ken Barker, Chair of the David Hume Institute, said: "We are delighted to welcome Liam to our board at a crucial moment for public policy debate in Scotland.

"We face a complex and changing world, in which objective, independent economic and public policy analysis is vital.  Liam’s wide ranging experience further strengthens the David Hume Institute board as we continue to expand our contribution to diversity of thought in Scotland."

Liam added: "I am honoured to be taking on this role at this time of unprecedented changes in the economic and public policy landscape of Scotland, the UK, and world. The David Hume Institute enjoys a unique place in Scottish public life and our upcoming work will see the Institute provide a fresh and informed perspective on the public policies affecting the people of Scotland.”

Blog: The future is curious

Blog by Eric Hildrew, David Hume Institute

23 February 2022

The past two years have brought changes to the David Hume Institute’s work in ways which could never have been predicted when Susan Murray joined as Director in 2019. Through the necessary shift away from in-person events and networking, we’ve significantly grown our online audience, and while the greater geographic reach made possible by the web has been a rewarding trend, we do miss seeing new and familiar faces in a (real) room together. As the light at the end of the Covid tunnel finally starts to shine a little brighter, we decided it was time to find out a bit more about our current audience and engage in a conversation about where the DHI should be heading next.

We approached social researchers  The Lines Between to undertake research with DHI audiences and stakeholders to find out more about who they are, how they think we’re doing, and where we might be best focusing our resources as Scotland emerges from the pandemic. Through a combination of survey responses and anonymised in-depth interviews, The Lines Between explored a range of questions relating to our work and brand.

Given our historical association with Edinburgh we weren’t surprised to find the majority of our audience is based in the city, however the ‘pandemic effect’ has been real – over half of those who started interacting with us in the last year live outside Edinburgh and the surrounding area. Overall, 10% of the DHI audience lives outside Scotland, spread across the UK from Glamorgan and Oxford, to York and London.

DHI engages with a wide spectrum of professionals, spanning the public, private and charity sectors. Many of our stakeholders are in senior positions, although we have a growing audience of younger professionals.

Positive perceptions of DHI include seeing us as dynamic, trusted, independent, and thoughtful, though a minority of our stakeholders feel we’re old-fashioned and stuffy (interestingly, these responses were from people who have not engaged with us recently). Open access events, original research and briefing papers were identified by our audience as their most valued elements of our work.

Some of our stakeholders feel we should be more actively political and provocative, while others feel we should direct our efforts towards improving the diversity and inclusion of our work and reach, particularly outwith Edinburgh and by engaging with younger professionals. In contrast, other stakeholders specifically value our impartiality and role as a trusted convener of divergent views. A minority of those surveyed felt the Institute should engage in a more public discussion about David Hume’s legacy and a small number felt our name should change as a result. 

Asking colleagues and constituents what they really think of you can be a daunting process but it’s a vital learning journey for any organisation which wants to inform strategy with meaningful data. We’ve been pleased and motivated to learn that the majority of our stakeholders value our work and respect the values we hold dear. 

There was clear feedback to do more to define our areas of strategic interest and our impact. We have to communicate better with our various audiences and we need to make a stronger case for the funding of our work to ensure our future sustainability. We are committed to an open conversation about the legacy of David Hume, recognising that views and perceptions may change over time and that ignoring contemporary concerns runs contrary to our values. The research indicates a clear direction of travel for DHI as a bridge and facilitator within the realm of economic and social policy, connecting a diverse range of people with evidence-led insight.

The DHI team and trustees have found this consultation exercise hugely informative. We are now committed to acting on the feedback we’ve received and are embarking on a strategic planning process which will shape our work in the months and years ahead as we all adapt to the post-pandemic landscape. We’re grateful for your support and constructive feedback, and look forward to you joining us on the exciting journey ahead.

New starters at The David Hume Institute

The DHI team expanded this week with the welcome arrival of two new part-time appointees. 

Shelagh Young joins the Institute in the newly-created role of Engagement Lead, with a focus on reaching and consulting with a wide and diverse audience. Shelagh is an experienced leader, writer and facilitator in the not-for-profit and co-operative sector. Moving from journalism to in-house communications work, she joined Oxfam GB before moving to Scotland to focus on leadership development with disabled people and their families. She was Chair of the UK's only co-operative telecoms provider The Phone Co-op and a founder director of the sustainable food and farming organisation Nourish Scotland.

Eric Hildrew takes up the new role of Communications Lead, tasked with raising the Institute’s profile and increasing the impact of its work. Eric brings over 20 years of experience in research and communications to the David Hume Institute. From a background in cultural research, he has gone on to lead marketing and brand development for a range of organisations including Sheffield Theatres and National Museums Scotland. As a freelance consultant, Eric’s clients have included Historic Environment Scotland, Forth Rivers Trust, and Glencoe Folk Museum.

Susan Murray, director of the David Hume Institute, says:

“I’m delighted to welcome Shelagh and Eric to our small but ambitious team. Through developing our communications and engagement capacity we aim to increase the impact of our work, both allowing more voices to be heard through our research and by reaching the widest possible audience with our findings and insights. We’re committed to flexible working and the opportunity that part-time working presents to expand our organisation’s skillset.”

Blog: How broad are your shoulders?

Blog by Susan Murray, the David Hume Institute

20th May 2021

We have all had to think about risk a lot over the last 12 months. But how much do you know about the risk in other aspects of your life?  

Our lives have been dramatically affected to reduce the risk of spreading Covid. Decision-makers have had to weigh up risks against other potential harms caused by the consequences of restrictions and talked about this openly.

People see the risk of Covid differently. This led to stark contrasts in attitudes and behaviours. From rising OCD and anxiety disorders for some, to taking to the streets in anti-mask protests for others – these contrasting approaches can also be seen in attitudes to risk in other areas of our lives.

New research from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries examines what they call the Great Risk Transfer. Over the last few decades, there has been a largely politically driven transfer of risk from organisations to individuals in many aspects of our lives – but with very little public awareness or education.

Until the 1980s, there had been an implicit contract between citizens and governments: in return for their generalised contribution to the nation, the government would provide economic security in times of need.

Over time, this approach gradually shifted, resulting in a modern social system that expects individuals to take on the responsibility for managing risks. The relationship between contributions and benefits has become much more transactional. One result of this is that there are much greater demands on individuals to devote time and effort into understanding and navigating financial markets and risks.

Expanding individual choice can be seen as positive and some parts of society stand to benefit from the enhanced freedom and flexibility this represents.

But making these choices can often be extremely complex. Managing the risks involved often requires an advanced level of knowledge and understanding, and numeracy skills beyond the general population level.

This is one of the big ironies of the Great Risk Transfer: institutions that are well-equipped with systems and processes to manage risk are passing risk over to individuals, who in most cases are not. We should consider the link between our ability to control or mitigate the risks in our lives and our mental health.

The 2015 pension reforms meant many people withdrew lump-sums from pension pots and some spent their cash on holidays or home improvements rather than investing for their future.

But with rising life expectancy and many expected to live well into their 80s, your pension might have to last 35 years and some individuals are now lamenting earlier choices that are affecting their day-to-day quality of life. Despite the free, impartial advice available from Pensions Wise, only a small proportion of people are using the service.

Thinking about saving for a pension is a luxury for many in Scotland today. The nature of many people’s employment is precarious. The rise of zero-hour contracts and the push to self-employment mean often individuals are shouldering more risk than ever before.

In the David Hume Institute’s research, people especially in rural areas, often working in microbusinesses, told us of the need to have multiple income sources to try to make ends meet.

Lack of sick pay or predictable monthly income means reduced financial resilience. The stark rise in food-bank use shows how many people in Scotland are struggling to put food on the table – so they are unlikely to be worrying about pensions, insurance or social care costs in later life.

The Great Risk Transfer has been a gradual but concerted social change, heaping risk onto individuals, which has largely gone under the radar for the general population.

The last year has seen Covid exacerbate already stark inequalities. We have seen those with resources in a position to consolidate and those without, often in insecure employment with little, if any, personal reserves, see increased costs and increased risks.

The changes to pension auto-enrolment have meant many more people are starting to save for retirement. However, many mistakenly assume the minimum auto-enrolment contributions will cover a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. Unless information becomes more accessible, people may only realise at the doorstep of retirement that they have not saved enough.

But it’s hard to think about retirement for young people who might be worrying about getting or keeping a job, or repaying student debt. The data shows, with little exception that, now only young people with parental assets are able to think about buying a home.

For people in this lucky position, few are considering that in many new estates, roads and other services (like street lighting and play parks) have no plans to be adopted by local councils. This means maintenance – and quarterly health and safety inspections for play parks – become costs, and potential risks, shared between a smaller number of people through the annual factoring bills, no longer the responsibility of the local council.

If residents were to fall on hard times, there is no support available to help with factoring costs, unlike with council tax. This is worth thinking about as many opt for new-build dwellings, believing it will lead to reduced property maintenance costs but, like with some of those affected by the cladding scandal, property owners could find out they are shouldering the risks and are personally liable.

Going forward we need to re-examine and reinvent the way risk is shared. Flood Re, a joint initiative between government and insurers, has done this successfully for property in flood zones. But with a quarter of homes across Scotland having no insurance, many are choosing or defaulting to shoulder this risk because money is so tight.

The Great Risk Transfer is arguably one of the biggest factors changing society, and as we consider how we rebuild the economy post-Covid, we have a unique opportunity to re-examine, and perhaps re-invent, the way risk is shared.

This article was originally published in The Scotsman.

DHI welcomes four new trustees

The David Hume Institute has announced the appointment of four new trustees alongside the promotion of existing trustee and former partner at Baillie Gifford, Ken Barker, as chair.

The new trustees are: Prof Jan Bebbington, director of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University;  Mark Chadwick, a senior executive with NatWest Group; Eva Groeneveld, policy and stakeholder manager at the Competition and Markets Authority; and Uzma Khan, Deputy Secretary and Director of Planning at the University of Glasgow.

Current trustee, Ken Barker will replace outgoing chair Sir John Elvidge who served as Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Government between 2003 and 2010. Ken will take up the position of chair at the end of March. 

Susan Murray, director of the David Hume Institute, said: "We are delighted to welcome such talent to our board at a crucial moment for public policy debate in Scotland.

"We face a complex and changing world, in which objective, independent economic and public policy analysis is vital.  Our new trustees position the David Hume Institute well to secure and expand our contribution to diversity of thought in Scotland.

“I would like to thank Sir John Elvidge for his outstanding leadership of our board over the last 6 years. His tenure has seen the David Hume Institute expand our work and increased the range of voices heard in public policy.”

Ken Barker, incoming chair of the David Hume Institute said: "I am honoured to be taking on this role at this time of unprecedented changes in the economic and public policy landscape of Scotland, the UK, and world. The David Hume Institute enjoys a unique place in Scottish public life and our upcoming work will see the Institute provide a fresh and informed perspective on the public policies affecting the people of Scotland.”