Rory Cellan-Jones talks to Michael Kenny, Louis Baktash, and Mathieu Carpentier about the governance challenges in France and the United Kingdom, the impact of recent political protests, and whether devolution might be the answer to address these challenges. Leading experts reflect on recent political protests and movements - including protests over Macron's pension reforms, the gilets jaunes movement, and Brexit - and the impact these have on policy. The guests discuss how the structure of the UK and French government could be reformed, and whether devolution is the adequate response. This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features experts Michael Kenny (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge), Louis Baktash (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, Cambridge), and Mathieu Carpentier (Toulouse Capitole University).Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform Season 2 Episode 9 transcript For more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/.Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.Production:Audio production by Steve HankeyAssociate production by Stella Erker, Bennett Institute for Public PolicyVisuals by Tiffany Naylor, Institute for Advance Study in Toulouse, FranceRelevant links: Devolving English government by Michael Kenny and Jack Newman (2023).More information about our guests:Rory Cellan-Jones is a former technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism saw him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has written multiple books, including his latest “Always On” which was published in 2021. @ruskin147Michael Kenny is Professor of Public Policy, and the Inaugural Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge where he leads the Institute’s place and public policy programme. His research includes leading projects on left-behind communities, social infrastructure and devolution, and the future of the UK constitution. His forthcoming book, Fractured Union: Politics, Sovereignty, and the Fight to Save the UK is published by Hurst (2023). @michaelkenny_Louis Baktash is pursuing a PhD in Public Policy at the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge. His research interests include French and British regional policies, left-behind areas, territorial politics and electoral geography. Louis graduated from Sciences Po Paris with a degree in Social Sciences and from Paris-Sorbonne University with a degree in History. He then completed a Master’s degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris and a Master’s degree in Management from HEC Paris.Mathieu Carpentier is Professor of Public Law at Toulouse Capitole University. He is a junior member of the Institut universitaire de France and he is the Codirector of the Institut Maurice Hauriou. He specialises in legal philosophy and in constitutional law, especially from a comparative perspective.

Leading experts, Sam Gilbert Bennett Institute), César Hidalgo (IAST) and Jeni Tennison (Bennett Institute)  talk to podcast host Rory Cellan-Jones  (former technology correspondent for the BBC) about the latest developments of emerging forms of technologies, their opportunities and harms, and what policymakers can do to mitigate the associated risks. This episode unpacks the most recent advancements of generative artificial intelligence and the metaverse, their policy implications, and the role of policymaking and legislation in this sphere. Our guests highlight the need for deliberative and participatory governance structures to facilitate the development and use of new technologies. Season 2 Episode 8 transcriptFor more information about the Crossing Channels podcast series and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk and www.iast.frTweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.Audio production by Steve HankeyAssociate production by Stella ErkerVisuals by Thomas DevaudMore about our guests:Rory Cellan-Jones is a former technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism saw him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has written multiple books, including his latest, Always On, which was published in 2021. @ruskin147Sam Gilbert is an entrepreneur and an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute, working at the intersection of politics and technology. He is the author of the book Good Data and recent policy briefs on the Online Safety Bill, and Crypto, Web3 and the Metaverse.  @samgilbCésar Hidalgo leads the Center for Collective Learning at the Artificial and Natural Intelligence Institute (ANITI) of the University of Toulouse. He is an Associate Member at IAST, Toulouse School of Economics, an Honorary Professor at the University of Manchester, a Visiting Professor at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a founder of Datawheel.  César is author of Why Information Grows (Basic Books, 2015), The Atlas of Economic Complexity (MIT Press, 2014), and How Humans Judge Machines (MIT Press, 2021). @cesifotiJeni Tennison OBE is the founder and Executive Director of Connected by data, an initiative that aims to put community at the heart of data narratives, practices and policies. Jeni is also the co-chair of the Data Governance Working Group at the Global Partnership on AI, and undertakes work as an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. @JeniT

Prof David Runciman and Prof Karine Van der Straeten talk to Rory Cellan-Jones about extending voting rights to school-aged children. This episode unpacks the main objections against lowering the legal voting age, the merits of extending democratic rights to children, and how children's voices might be better represented in electoral processes. Leading experts explore how the enfranchisement of children could revitalise our democracy and inject a fresh set of perspectives. This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Karine Van der Straeten (IAST) and David Runciman (University of Cambridge). Season 2 Episode 7 transcriptFor more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk and iast.frTweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouseAudio production by Steve HankeyAssociate production by Stella Erker, Bennett Institute for Public PolicyVisuals by Thomas Devaud, Institute for Advanced Study in ToulouseFurther reading:David Runciman - “Why we should lower the voting age to six”About our guests:Rory Cellan-Jones is a former technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism saw him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has written multiple books, including his latest “Always On” which was published in 2021. @ruskin147David Runciman is Professor of Politics in the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge. His research covers the history of modern political thought, with a particular focus on the history of democracy; theories of the state and political representation; the role of technology in democratic politics; generational and educational divides in contemporary politics. David created the Centre for the Future of Democracy as part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy where his work focuses on democracy for children and young people. He co-hosted the weekly politics podcast Talking Politics, and was made a fellow of the British Academy in 2018, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2021.Professor Karine Van der Straeten is a senior researcher at the CNRS (the French National Center for Scientific Research), a member of the Toulouse School of Economics and of the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. Her research, which is at the intersection of economics and political science, focuses mostly on collective decision making in democracy. Recent topics include: institutions and corruption, citizen information and the quality of public decision-making, public opinion measurement, inequality and redistribution.

Rory Cellan-Jones and leading experts Maria Kleshnina, Daniel Nettle and Amy Orben discuss the drivers of cooperation and how online and offline environments are impacting human behaviour. This podcast unpacks the facilitators and inhibitors of cooperative behaviours to tackle wicked problems and the impact of our environment on cooperation. Our guests from the University of Cambridge, Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, and École Normale Supérieure-PSL, explore how megatrends, such as digitalisation and inequality, impact cooperation and the policy levers needed to achieve positive societal change. This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features Maria Kleshnina (IAST), Daniel Nettle (L'École normale supérieure - PSL) and Amy Orben (University of Cambridge). Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platformSeason 2 Episode 6 transcriptFor more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/Tweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouse.Audio production by Steve HankeyAssociate production by Stella ErkerVisuals by Thomas DevaudMore information about our guests:Dr Maria Kleshnina is a postdoctoral research fellow at the IAST. Her research focuses on behavioural aspects in evolutionary game theory. She is interested in the evolution of behavioural strategies and learning, especially, in the presence of inequality. Before joining IAST, she was a member of the research group of Krishnendu Chatterjee at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria and a visiting researcher in the Behavioral Economics group at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna. Professor Daniel Nettle is a researcher in the Evolution and Social Cognition team at the École Normale Supérieure-PSL, Professor of Behavioural Science at Newcastle University and  a member of the scientific committee at the IAST. His research focuses on a number of different topics relating to behaviour, cognition, society and health.Dr Amy Orben is a Programme Leader Track Scientist at the MRC (Medical Research Council) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge and a Research Fellow at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. She leads the Digital Mental Health programme at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. Amy’s research uses large-scale data to examine how digital technologies affect adolescent psychological wellbeing and mental health. @OrbenAmy

Rory Cellan-Jones and leading experts Sarah Dillon and Manvir Singh discuss the value of stories, the possible dangers of endorsing stories and the need for narrative evidence to inform decision-making. This episode unpacks the value of stories to understand the past and inform current policy debates. Leading experts from the University of Cambridge and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse discuss the origin of stories, the status of storytellers, and the crucial need to listen to stories to improve policymaking. This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC) and features guest experts Sarah Dillon (University of Cambridge) and Manvir Singh (Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse). Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platformEpisode 5 TranscriptFor more information about the podcast and the work of the institutes, visit our websites at bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk and iast.frTweet us with your thoughts at @BennettInst and @IASToulouseAudio production by Steve HankeyAssociate production by Stella ErkerVisuals by Thomas DevaudAbout our guestsSarah Dillon is Professor of Literature and the Public Humanities in the Faculty of English at the University of Cambridge. She is a scholar of contemporary literature, film and philosophy, with a research focus on the epistemic function and value of stories, on interdisciplinarity, and on the engaged humanities. She is the co-author of “Storylistening: Narrative Evidence and Public Reasoning”. Sarah is also a member of the Bennett Institute Management Board. @profsarahdillonManvir Singh is a cognitive and evolutionary anthropologist at the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. His research asks why human societies everywhere give rise to practices and beliefs with striking similarities, with a focus on behaviours such as music, story, shamanism, and punitive justice. His toolkit combines ethnographic research, psychological experiments, and the analysis of cross-cultural databases. He received a PhD from the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University in 2020. @mnvrsnghRory Cellan-Jones is a former technology correspondent for the BBC. His 40 years in journalism saw him take a particular interest in the impact of the internet and digital technology on society and business. He has written multiple books, including his latest “Always On” which was published in 2021. @ruskin147