International leaders in politics, commerce and public sector organisations will take part in a new series of public events, organised by the University, to discuss how the city can respond to the challenges of the current economic environment.
The series focuses on the challenges posed by the current financial environment and how political leaders, social reformers, business executives and members of the public can help shape Liverpool’s future. Speakers at the event will pose new questions about the global economic environment and how Liverpool’s successes could be used as a model for the rest of the UK.
The events will also celebrate Liverpool’s year of ‘City of Radicals’, which recognises a century of radicalism in Liverpool through various events focused on investigating the city’s cultural, social and political history.
Paul Mason, BBC Newsnight’s Economic Editor, and Lord Whitty, Chairman of Consumer Focus, will be joined by Frank Field, Labour MP for Birkenhead; Professor Richard Wilkinson, co-founder of the Equality Trust; and Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of Liverpool Primary Care Trust. They will discuss the current economic crisis and new forms of capitalism, as well as health and social inequality and risk and sustainability in the banking system.
The first event will explore the role of women and social enterprise in the country’s economic recovery and includes discussion from Claire Dove, Chief Executive of Blackburne House Group; Tom Cannon, Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Liverpool, Susan Pedersen, Professor at Columbia University in the US; Karen Lowthrop, Chief Executive of Hill Holt Wood; and Professor Sandra Walklate, Eleanor Rathbone Chair of Sociology at the University of Liverpool.
John Flamson, Director of Partnerships and Innovation at the University, said: “The new financial environment has profound implications for the way we live our lives and how our cities function. During this time of unprecedented change, we must challenge ourselves to ask the difficult questions and then deliver innovative solutions. Working with civic partners across Liverpool, this new series of events will bring city, UK and international figures together to focus on big policy issues. We want it to provide a space for people across the city to learn, engage in debate and think about how we can do things differently”.
The series will open with an introduction to Eleanor Rathbone, an MP and long term campaigner of women’s rights in the early 1900s. She was instrumental in establishing the School of Social Policy at the University and later took an academic role as lecturer in public administration. Professor Susan Pedersen will discuss the role Eleanor played in representing the rights of women and investigate whether the political barriers she faced are still an issue today.
The events are free but tickets must be booked via the University website or by telephoning 0151 794 2650.
Events in the Policy and Provocations series:
Wednesday, 11 May, 5.30pm in Blackburne House.
Enterprise and economic recovery: women leading the way?
Tuesday, 7 June, 5.30pm, Victoria Gallery and Museum.
Financial meltdown, social collapse: can there be a new type of capitalism?
Tuesday, 13 September, 5.30pm, North Liverpool Academy.
Inequality: the enemy between us?
Thursday, 27 October, 6.15pm, Anglican Cathedral.
Can finance ever be fair and does it even matter?