Matthew Taylor’s RSA annual lecture, July 2020 — Most of us would like to see important aspects of our societies change: reducing local, national and global inequality; heading off the potentially catastrophic consequences of climate change; renewing democracy; and enhancing wellbeing. Opinion pollsters find widespread hope that the Covid-19 crisis will be the midwife to a new and…

by Zayn Meghji, Josie Warden and Riley Thorold The coronavirus pandemic has shown us how ill prepared we are for crises, even for those that we know are coming down the line, be that the high probability of a global pandemic, or the impacts of climate change. …

by Richard Brooks — There were howls of protest in early June when parents in England discovered that zoos and pubs were set to reopen, but not their schools, or at least not for their children. Over the following weeks attention shifted steadily towards the impact of protracted school closures on children’s learning. After…

by Colin Hopkins — As we approach the end of the academic year, teachers, parents and children will all be thinking back on a unique experience that will have consequences well into the future. Schools have demonstrated that they are absolutely at the centre of community life. Headteachers have been recognised by the general…

by Bob Garratt — In 1776 three publications, and one death, helped to shape our current company world. Adam Smith, published The Wealth of Nations, Jean-Jacques Rousseau published the Social Contract and a rebel group of British citizens published the American Declaration of Independence. …

by Julian Sheather — Someone was telling me recently about an old family friend; I will call her Mrs Lockyer. Although independent, and living on her own in Acton, West London, she has a lung condition that leaves her struggling to breathe. Her feet swell and she experiences spells of dizziness. For her, going…

While we all celebrate the NHS and bemoan the neglect of social care, we need also to look beyond the surface at the structural reforms that have contributed to an inadequate response. — by Smriti Singh

by Sharliza Rahman — Early on in the Covid-19 pandemic, international media lauded Singapore’s approach to containing the virus, calling it a success story even when Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, hesitated to call it so, because the fight was intensifying. Since mid-April, the numbers have increased steeply, and the media are now asking…

by Matthew Taylor — I have been ploughing through articles about leadership in a post-Covid-19 world. A great deal is from management consultants and/or published by Forbes and, while I don’t want to seem overly harsh, two, often related, characteristics stand out: Crisis-enhanced confirmation bias; whereby everything in the crisis and its looming aftermath…