What can political philosophy tell us about how to rebuild society after the pandemic?

The pandemic has changed so many lives, both temporarily and permanently. The David Hume Institute is joined in conversation with Dr Aveek Bhattacharya Chief Economist with the Social Market Foundation, Professor Rowan Crufts from University of Stirling and Dr Diana Popescu from University of Edinburgh, who have been considering what are the ethics of our response to a significantly changed and increasingly unequal society?

What is the relationship between crisis and opportunity? And, how do we seize the moment in order for good to come from all the heartache?  Put simply, where do we go from here?

Are Scottish business leaders missing a trick?

Are Scotland’s business and investment leaders missing magic that could help improve productivity and innovation? Do Scottish Businesses risk group-think due to lack of diversity of thought?

DHI were joined at this online event hosted in partnership with the Institute of Directors Scotland (IOD) and Black Professionals Scotland.

If you lead an organisation in an executive or non-executive role, are an investor or are aspiring to join the boardroom ranks, please join the conversation to consider what the research means for you and your organisations.

DHI Director, Susan Murray, Enoch Adeyemi, founder and CEO of Black Professionals Scotland and IOD Scotland Chair, Aidan O’Carroll discussed the research findings and the opportunities ahead. The free online event was chaired by IOD Scotland Director, Louise Macdonald.

How should Scotland deliver place prosperity?

Professor Duncan Maclennan returns to the David Hume Institute in conversation with Daniel Herring from Legatum Institute to discuss how data from the UK Prosperity Index might help shine a light on similarities and differences within and between Scotland and the rest of the UK - and what we can learn for creating A Scotland of Better Places.

What next for Scotland's places?

Past event: June 2021

What next for Scotland’s places?

Professor Duncan MacLennan and Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, John Swinney MSP, discuss building forward better post pandemic

Professor Maclennan launches a new report A Scotland of Better Places commissioned by the David Hume Institute as part of The Action Project.  Professor Maclennan discussed the findings with Mr Swinney and the central role Scotland's Places will play in Covid recovery.

The David Hume Institute’s Action Project investigates actions for Scotland to ‘move faster towards a country that is more prosperous, sustainable, inclusive and fair’. The project engaged more than 4,500 people from across Scotland, bringing together a broad range of perspectives. 

Covid shone a light on the places in which we live, work, study, play and grow. They are inter-connected, inter-dependent and impact on every aspect of our lives.

We are grateful for reflections from Angela Watt (Resonate Together), Carolyn Sawers (Corra Foundation), Mollie McGoran MSYP (Scottish Youth Parliament) and Euan Leitch (SURF).

The Great Risk Transfer: What is it and why does it matter?

Past event: May 2021

Political decisions and global mega trends have transferred risk from institutions to individuals. The intention was to give people more choice and flexibility, and to drive innovation. But these freedoms have come with more risk and responsibility - and have led to a boom in scams.

Individuals are now responsible for managing more of their own financial risks, from ensuring they put enough money into their pension to securing affordable protection to be financially resilient. Can we rebalance risk?

Join John Taylor, past President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) and Jan Oliver, Partner Baillie Gifford to discuss this fascinating new IFoA research.

Read Susan Murray’s opinion piece on the impact of the Great Risk Transfer, originally published in The Scotsman.

Imagining Scotland 2070: focusing on new opportunities

What kind of Scotland do we imagine for our children and grandchildren? A new book, Scotland 2070, sets out an ambitious vision by focusing on new opportunities and taking a long term view.

Join the David Hume Institute, in partnership with the Scottish Youth Parliament, for a conversation with MSYP Emily Nix and Scotland 2070 authors Hillary Sillitto and Ian Godden. The authors bring wide international business experience in engineering, energy, management consultancy, property and healthcare.

Intrigued by the book's recent media coverage? Join us to hear more and think beyond party politics and election cycles.

Diversity and Economics - what do the data tell us?

Dr Arun Advani discussed his latest research examining the study of race and ethnicity-related issues in economics with David Hume Institute Director, Susan Murray and Mairi Spowage, Interim Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute.

Arun is Assistant Professor in the Economics Department and Impact Director of the CAGE Research Centre at the University of Warwick. Arun is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a Visiting Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute.

Arun studies issues of inequality, tax compliance, and tax design, with a focus on those with high incomes or wealth. He also works on issues of environmental taxation, economic development, migration, and tax in low- and middle-income countries.

Arun is co-chair of the Discover Economics campaign, aiming to increase the diversity of people who study and work in economics. He is also on the Editorial Board of the Economics Observatory.

Mairi is a former Senior Statistician in the Scottish Government and was Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission between 2016 and 2018. She has been Deputy Director of the Fraser of Allander since 2019 as well as leading the Scottish Funding Council's Economic Futures initiative.

How does economics compare to other social sciences and, what does this research means for the future teaching of economics and our understanding of the economy? Are publications biassed or are economists just focussed on other things?

The Double X Economy - Scotland's secret weapon?

The David Hume Institute hosted this conversation with University of Oxford Emeritus DP World Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Linda Scott and Rachel Statham a senior research fellow and member of the Scottish Women’s Budget Group.

Linda discussed her latest book The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Women’s Empowerment with a particular focus on the Scottish economy and productivity.

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

Professor Friedman is an expert on economic policy, and has written extensively on the broader relationship of economics to other lines of thinking. At this online event he introduced his new book Religion and the Rise of Capitalism with political economist Dr Katherine Trebeck.

Religion and the Rise of Capitalism is a major reassessment of the foundations of modern economic thinking, examining the profound influence of an until-now unrecognised force – religion.

Professor Friedman shared his research into how religious thinking has shaped economic thinking ever since the beginnings of modern Western economics. In addition, he discussed how early religious influences continue to shape our current-day debate over economic policy.

Scotland’s populations, now and in the future

How much can we ever really foretell what is likely to happen to the population of Scotland in the future, and to the numbers of deaths and births, and people moving in and out of the country?

And, in particular, how, if at all, are Covid-19 and Brexit likely to change our views?

Following the success of our last Firestarter event, The David Hume Institute is once again working in partnership with National Records of Scotland to bring you Professor Michael Anderson and Dr Esther Roughsedge in conversation.