Podcasts

In any society there are ‘elite’ positions that command a high income and, more importantly, high status. Unsurprisingly, there is intense competition for these positions. But what happens when a society turns out more people qualified for these roles than the number of roles actually on offer? On this week’s podcast, the IEA’s Head of Education Dr Steve Davies discusses what he calls the ‘over-production of elites’ in society. The problem, he explains, is that elitism, unlike many things, is a zero-sum game – to be in the elite means you are not like 90 per cent or more of the population as a whole. As a result, the ever-increasing number of UK university graduates or American PHDs students leads to bitter resentment towards those with similar qualifications, who have managed to secure elite jobs. Steve talks about how elitism affects our views of a fair society, what it means for the concept of meritocracy, and how societies go about addressing perceived issues of unfairness.

Graham Spooner of The Share Centre looks back at numbers from Boohoo, Persimmon & Bovis and Associated British Foods and looks ahead to what we might expect from Restaurant Group, St. James's Place and Vodafone.

Steve Caplin continues his look at the weird and wonderful delights of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There's a VR headset with eye-tracking, a humanisation of Amazon's Alexa, a laundry-folding robot, an intelligent toilet with a "fully immersive experience", a water generator for cars, a mask to stop snoring and a smart speaker to teach Chinese.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University considers the possible future course for the Brexit process in the wake of the Government's unprecedentedly large defeat in the House of Commons. He also looks at the current economic and political state of the EU itself, finding one ray amidst the gloom in the preparations made for Brexit by the authorities in Cornwall. He also marks the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table.

James Cameron-Wilson surveys the UK box office, dominated by period pieces. Stan & Ollie takes the #1 spot, followed by The Favourite & Mary Poppins Returns. Keira Knightley in Colette comes in at #7 with The Upside, remake of French hit Untouchable, at #8. Jason Reitman's movie on Gary Hart, The Front Runner, only manages #18. For home release, James reviews The Escape with Gemma Arterton and Dominic Cooper.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Costco and Target report big holiday numbers; Macy’s tumbles on disappointing December sales; Bed, Bath, and Beyond goes above and beyond; Activision Blizzard loses control over Destiny; And Taco Bell goes on a health kick. Analysts Aaron Bush, Andy Cross, and Ron Gross discuss those stories and weigh in on Ford Motor, Constellation Brands, and Interactive Brokers. Plus, analyst Rex Moore joins us from Las Vegas to talk self-driving cars and other cutting-edge technologies at CES.

Not such Merry Christmas for the high street. In what’s been called the worst festive trading period – the team cast a critical eye over the retail sector and find out who were the winners and the losers. Also…Jaguar Land Rover shed more than 4000 jobs in the UK, how to get your dream job in 2019 and a new website that has your back if you get dumped before heading on holiday.

Adam talks to Christopher Mayr and Heidi Teschemacher from Life Extension Europe about why so many people set health related new years resolutions. They discuss the problems of adherence and why so many people follow resolutions on social media without investigating if they are actually healthy or indeed scientifically valid. They offer tips about setting health resolutions you can stick to that actually do result in an improvement in health and well-being.

On Modern Mindset this week, Adam Cox is once again diving into the world of our mental health and well being - but with a twist! How do dogs, man's longest and most loyal companion, improve our lives? He talks to Kellie Ceccarelli a veterinary nurse and Roxy Carr a 17 year old dog owner and author about the psychological and mental health benefits of owning a pet dog. Many people will wait till they own their own house or have a family before getting a dog but Roxy persuaded her parents to allow her to own a dog at the age of 11. She took all the responsibility of walks, training and care and found many health and wellbeing advantages. She features her story with Poppy, a cockapoo in a new book called ‘A Pawfect Pair’.with Kelly and Roxy to find out what a difference dogs can really make to our lives.

In this episode of the IEA podcast, the IEA’s Head of Education Dr Steve Davies walks the IEA’s Associate Director, Kate Andrews, through a relatively new theory called ‘The Foundational Economy’. This theory puts economic emphasis on material infrastructure in society - things like the water and sewer industries – and argues that these systems of provision have been undermined in the age of privatisation and outsourcing. Steve discusses the theory of the foundational economy, notes areas of support and criticisms, and highlights questions that arise from the theory: Is the British economy too London-centric? Have our politicians overlooked foundations of economic life and their importance? Should these services be delivered by the state?