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This keynote speech was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025.  Much like a viral contagion, misinformation can spread rapidly from one mind to another.  Inoculation theory offers a natural basis for developing a psychological ‘vaccine’ against the spread of fake news and misinformation.  In this keynote, Prof Sander van der Linden discusses how it is possible to pre-emptively “immunise” people against disinformation by pre-exposing them to severely weakened doses of the techniques that underlie its production. This process of ‘prebunking’ helps people cultivate cognitive antibodies in both simulated and real social media environments.  Prof Linden showcases several interventions he developed and evaluated—with public health authorities and social media companies—to help citizens around the world recognise and resist unwanted attempts to manipulate and mislead. Keynote speaker: Prof Sander van der Linden, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge Chair:  Prof Diane Coyle, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge For more session recordings, head to Bennett Institute podcasts.

This panel discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025.  Have western governments got a handle on the root causes of the inequalities creating deep disenchantment and occasional citizen unrest in hinterland places and poorer communities? What kinds of policy tools and interventions are most likely to address these factors? What can be learned from central, regional and local government initiatives since the mid-2000s? Is devolution an important part of the answer?  The panel explored these issues, looking in-depth at the UK’s recent experience and considering trends across western Europe. Do liberal democracies have the right kinds of policy tools and ambition to move the dial on geographically rooted inequalities? Speakers: Prof Andres Rodriguez-Pose, London School of EconomicsJessica Studdert, New LocalTom Walker, Essex County CouncilChair: Prof Michael Kenny, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of CambridgeFor more Conference session recordings visit Bennett Institute podcasts.

This session was recorded as part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025.  Work is much more than a means to an end—it shapes our identity, values, social status, and how we spend our lives. As a central principle of society, work underpins individual wellbeing, collective resilience, and societal progress. Yet the nature of work is undergoing profound changes, driven by technological advances, shifting societal values and the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, the UK’s longstanding productivity challenge remains unresolved. This panel will explore how we can balance productivity, fairness, and wellbeing to create work that is sustainable, meaningful, and productive for individuals, organisations, and society. Guest speakers:  Kate Bell, Trade Union Congress (TUCProf Brendan Burchell, Faculty of Human, Social and Political Sciences, University of CambridgeSarah O’Connor, Financial TimesChair: Dr Nina Jörden, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of CambridgeFor more session recordings, visit Bennett Institute podcasts.

This panel discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025. Both Europe and the UK share common challenges, such as weak productivity growth, and sliding competitiveness, together with broader concerns such as climate change and weak defence spending in a worsening geopolitical environment. For all of these issues, greater investment has been identified as a fundamental tool. Several questions remain unanswered however: what share of the investment gap can credibly be filled by the public sector? Are flanking reforms needed to ensure money is well spent, and to crowd in private investment? How does this interact with fiscal rules, when the world is reaching all-time-high public debt levels? Guest speakers:  Prof Diane Coyle, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of CambridgeProf Flavio Toxvaerd, Faculty of Economics, University of CambridgeProf Guntram Wolff, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and BruegelChair: Dr Alessio Terzi, Department of Politics & International Studies, University of CambridgeFor more session recordings visit Bennett Institute for Public Policy podcasts

This panel discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2025. With the complexity of policy issues seemingly ever increasing, what reforms does government need to undertake if it is to fully get to grips with issues in areas like climate change, mental health,  and food security? Whilst there has been mounting recognition of the ‘wicked’ nature of these problems, there is much less certainty on what the solutions might be, and what the role of government might be in providing them. Should we accept that wicked problems are now simply too big to solve, or do we require a new leap of imagination to conjure solutions that match the complexity of the problems themselves? The experts included:  Prof Laura Diaz Anadon, Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, and Department of Land Economy, University of CambridgeProf Shailaja Fennell, Department of Land Economy, University of CambridgeProf Gordon Harold, Faculty of Education, University of CambridgeHosted by Prof Dennis Grube, Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of CambridgeListen to other sessions from the Conference by visiting the Bennett Institute for Public Policy podcasts.

As the nation grapples with the intertwined challenges of health, sustainability, and social equity, Henry Dimbleby has been at the forefront of advocating for healthier eating habits and systemic change. He led the Government’s School Food Plan (2013) and the National Food Strategy (2021) emphasising health, sustainability, and social responsibility. Yet, despite some progress, he resigned as a government advisor in 2023 citing concerns over policy translation. Henry discusses how, through collaboration and innovation, he continues to commit to transforming the food landscape. Keynote speaker Henry Dimbleby, Co-Founder of Leon, Food Campaigner, Speaker, Author and Non-Executive Director Chair Prof Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge.

The Northcote Trevelyan Report of 1854 is seen as the foundation document for the UK Civil Service. The pillars it established have shaped the institution ever since. But much has changed in the 170 years since that report’s publication. The size, sophistication, and range of responsibilities of the Civil Service are immensely different. So too is the governing context, in which social media, a 24/7 news media, rapid technological change, a less trusting public and a hyper-partisan political environment are re-shaping the boundaries of what is possible and what is expected. In the midst of so much change, is it time for a fundamental rethink - a new ‘Northcote Trevelyan’ moment - to capture the essence of what the Civil Service is now for and what we want it to be able to do? Our guest speakers capture the essence of what the Civil Service is now for and what we want it to be able to do. Guest speakers Dr Anjana Ahuja, Financial TimesJonathan Slater, Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Queen Mary University London and former Permanent SecretaryDr Hannah White, Director, Institute for GovernmentChair Prof Dennis C. Grube, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, and Research Lead in Political Decision-Making, Bennett Institute for Public Policy.This discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2024 recorded on Friday 22 March 2024 at Churchill College, Cambridge, UK https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/events/annual-conference

It often seems policies are developed in real time in reaction to ever-changing geopolitical events. In this session, our guest speakers discuss how the UK’s institutions – business, policy, and civil society – can help proactively shape resilience to domestic and international shocks and firm-up socio-economic stability. They explore the investment priorities for building economic, political, and social resilience, even in the face of climate change, inflation, war and inequality, and suggest real-world policy solutions. Guest speakers  Catherine Little, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office Dr Gillian Tett, Provost, King’s College, Cambridge, and Journalist, Financial TimesDr Anna Valero, Distinguished Policy Fellow and Director of the Growth Programme, London School of Economics’ Centre for Economic PerformanceChair  Dr Matthew Agarwala, Economist, Bennett Institute for Public PolicyThis discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2024 recorded on Friday 22 March 2024 at Churchill College, Cambridge, UK https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/events/annual-conference

Infrastructure is vital for the economic growth of places and enhancing the wellbeing and quality of life of its citizens. In this session, our guest speakers discuss why infrastructure matters in the 21st century and how decision-makers can deliver it. What actions are needed to improve the delivery of infrastructure? How can data-driven tools improve decision-making? And how can policymakers future-proof infrastructure projects to ensure that new plans benefit people and places now and in the future? Guest speakers: Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells, and former Minister for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2022Prof Jennifer Schooling, Professor of Digital Innovation and Smart Places at ARU (Anglia Ruskin University) Giles Wilkes, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government Chair: Prof Michael Kenny, Professor of Public Policy and inaugural Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.This discussion was part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2024 recorded on Friday 22 March 2024 at Churchill College, Cambridge, UK https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/events/annual-conference

With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and telecommunications and the growing importance of data in our decision-making, we are witnessing a period of significant digital disruption. The resource-intensive nature of these technologies has also created a growing divide between the leaders and the followers, and the winners and the losers. Experts will discuss how the current disruption materialises socially, economically, and geopolitically. This is not the first wave of disruption in recent history, so how can we learn from earlier examples, and is it different this time? How can policymakers not only manage the risks, but ensure the new technologies benefit society as a whole? Guest speakers Emran Mian, Director General for Digital Technologies and Telecoms, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)Prof Gina Neff, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy, University of CambridgeBrittany Smith, UK Policy and Partnerships Lead, OpenAIChair: Prof Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy and Co-Director of the Bennett Institute for Public PolicyThis discussion was a part of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference 2024 recorded on Friday 22 March 2024 at Churchill College, Cambridge, UK https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/events/annual-conference/

Rory Cellan-Jones and leading experts Charlotte Cavaillé, Ailbhe McNabola and Jack Shaw discuss the causes of income and regional inequality, why policymakers should care, and what policy interventions work best to reduce them.  Leading experts from the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse discuss recent trends in income and regional inequality, and evaluate the effectiveness of different policy approaches. They identify the opportunities and challenges of (de)centralisation, what works best to revive ‘left behind’ places, and whether the assumptions built into the Levelling Up White Paper will deliver to reduce inequalities.  This episode is hosted by Rory Cellan-Jones (former technology correspondent for the BBC), and features guest experts Professor Charlotte Cavaillé (Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan and IAST), Ailbhe McNabola (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and Power to Change) and Jack Shaw (Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and IPPR).  Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform Season 2 Episode 3 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. Audio production by Steve Hankey. Associate production by Stella Erker.  Visuals by Thomas Devaud.  Relevant links and publications Shaw, J., Garling, O. and Kenny, M. (2022). Townscapes: Pride in Place. The Bennett Institute, https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/publications/pride-in-place/ Charlotte Cavaillé (forthcoming). Fair Enough? Support for Redistribution in the Age of Inequality, https://charlottecavaille.wordpress.com/book-project/ More information about our guests Professor Charlotte Cavaillé is a visiting Research Fellow at the IAST and an Assistant Professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Her research examines the dynamics of popular attitudes towards redistributive social policies at a time of rising inequality, high fiscal stress and high levels of immigration. In her forthcoming book, Fair Enough? Support for Redistribution in the Age of Inequality, Charlotte proposes a new framework to explain why, in countries where inequality has increased the most, voters are not asking for more income redistribution. Ailbhe McNabola is an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and Director of Policy and Communications at Power to Change, a charitable trust that supports communities to run businesses that reinvest profits into their local area.  Jack Shaw is an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy and recently co-authored a report on pride in place with Professor Michael Kenny and Owen Garling, also at the Bennett Institute. His background is in local government and economic development and currently works at the Institute for Public Policy and Research. 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.

Prospect’s Editor, Alan Rusbridger chats to the winner of the Bennett Prospect Public Policy Prize 2022 , Walter Pasquarelli, and Prof Dennis Grube of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, about "What is a 21st century civil service for?" Walter Pasquarelli—a policy research manager and consultant in the Tech & Society practice of Economist Impact—created and submitted a short film titled: “Towards a semantic civil service,” which argues for a civil service (inspired by the semantic web) that is decentralised, grants personal control of data, and creates more bespoke and better processes. He explains how this modernised civil service would be decentralised (controlled by the user), break down data silos (joining up across departmental services) and be automated through smart contracts (with access granted by the user). To get to the semantic civil service, there is a need to: invest in tech, open data, and infrastructure; develop a culture in which users have more responsibility, and; establish supporting policies for mitigating risks such as data privacy and bias in decision-making. For more information about the Bennett Prospect Public Policy Prize and how to enter visit: www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/prize

This panel discussion explores the intersection of public policy and public-purpose technology - the technology needed to help address major public needs - in 2022, and how leading founders, investors, and policy experts view them.  Leading experts look at the challenges and opportunities in engaging technology innovation to address pressing public needs and bring together perspectives from entrepreneurship, investment, and academia.  They explore: The role of government and public policy in the development and uptake of public-purpose technologyWhether states should more explicitly support a shift towards business with a public purpose, and build it into funding agreementsThe barriers and opportunities for startups and innovative providers in breaking into the government market and areas where there is significant policy interestHow students and researchers can collaborate with these sectors and build their own ventures  Chair: Dr. Tanya Filer, CEO and Founder of StateUp, and Digital State, Bennett Institute for Public Policy Speakers: Greg Bybee, CEO and Co-founder of Avela Dr. Cristina Peñasco, Lecturer in Public Policy, University of Cambridge Angela Homsi, Co-founder of Ignite Power Leo Ringer, Partner, Form Ventures This session was recorded during the online launch event for StateUp 21, the leading international resource on public-purpose technology. 

There is a growing political focus upon the future of the UK Union, in the context of consistent support at 50% or higher for independence in Scotland, the destabilising impact that Brexit has had on Northern Ireland and the emergence of a more active independence movement in Wales. A report published by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, and The Constitution Society,  states that the future of the Union needs to encompass a clearer focus upon the lack of a developed culture of, and machinery for, bringing the different governments of the UK together. Two of it's authors, Michael Kenny, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Bennett Institute, and Philip Rycroft, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union (2017-2019),  share their insight into some of the decisions, events and mentalities within the state machinery that have led to the current situation and what the state must do to save the Union. Read the report: Union at the crossroads: can the British state handle the challenges of devolution?

There is a growing appreciation that the ‘success’ of a society is about more than money and growth, and that 'well-being', including our health, relationships, feelings, environment, goals, and other items, all have value to us, and that we should make decisions that invest in these areas accordingly.   There is however a less widespread appreciation of how to measure and weight these 'life qualities'. Different countries and organisations adopt different methods - from the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, to the OECD's Better Life initiative - and how much they are worth. In this podcast, Deborah Hardoon, Head of Evidence at the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, and  Dr Mark Fabian, social scientist, and Dr Matthew Agarwala, economist at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, discuss their research which aims to build on the range of measures that already exist and the data they have generated, to tell us more about what matters, which indicators are most useful in which contexts, and the policy implications to improve overall well-being.  - Bennett Institute for Public Policy: The many dimensions of well-being  - What Works Centre for Well-being The Many Dimensions of Well-being project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council.