DEMOS

• Exchanging ideas I’ve just seen this article by John Craig – of the newly formed third sector innovation exchange – which is well worth a read. For me it identifies an important part of the debate that public service reform that gets lost in debates about ‘competition’, ‘choice’, ‘contestability’, whatever. The point, in John’s words, is that: continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 8th April 2008
• Social Innovation Camp It was post-it notes at dawn for the inaugural Social Innovation Camp in London last weekend. An ‘unconference,’ the camp brought together teams of web 2.0 geeks and other bright young things to compete in “an experiment in using social technology for social change.” continue reading Posted by Kirsten Bound on 7th April 2008
• Eppur si muove? Last week we hosted a joint seminar with the Italian think-tank Vision on the Italian general elections. Thanks to everyone that came along, and especially to the speakers. You can listen to the presentations from the event here. continue reading Posted by Peter Bradwell on 4th April 2008
• Anthropology of ourselves Having just been reminded of the 'mass observation' project, founded back in 1937, I was struck by how the same impulses drive us to collect and document everyday life now. The difference now is simply in the tools we use. The Mass Observation website describes how the original project  worked, and it sounds like a weighty undertaking: 'In Bolton, a team of paid investigators went into a variety of public situations: meetings, religious occasions, sporting and leisure activities, in the... continue reading Posted by Celia Hannon on 31st March 2008 in Video Republic
• Ask me no questions, I'll give you the facts Just caught Ben Goldacre's programme on Radio 4. Ben, for those who don't know, is the man behind the Guardian's Bad Science column. He is keen on using science to debunk snake oil merchants and puncturing the scientific claims that they make. When he first began writing, I thought he was a naive positivist. But, the more I read and occasionally chat to him, the more I sympathise with and learn from his approach to the new politics of science, expertise and evidence. He is tackling some... continue reading Posted by Jack Stilgoe on 31st March 2008 Comments (11)
• Life and art WARNING: If you have not seen the West Wing and intend to, do NOT continue reading this post continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 31st March 2008
• Book Review: 'Provoking Democracy: Why we Need the Arts' I've just written a review of Caroline Levine's book, Provoking Democracy: Why we Need the Arts. Overall, it encourages constructive discussion of the relationship between the arts and democracy that goes beyond territorialism and, even if it does leave questions unanswered, that is part of its value, flagging up areas to which policy-makers and cultural professionals must pay greater attention. continue reading Posted by Samuel Jones on 28th March 2008
• Caring for the Material World Simon Jenkins wrote an article in Good Friday's Guardian in which he made the case that 'the dazzling walls of medieval England deserve a bold restorer'.  It's good to see conservation getting coverage. As discussion of identity intensifies, culture and heritage are increasingly being looked to as sources for that identity, and points around which we can commune.  However, what is often forgotten in this debate is that much of that culture and heritage exists only because it is cared... continue reading Posted by Samuel Jones on 25th March 2008 in Saved for the Nation
• Time for some big ideas According to Time Magazine:
  More than money, more than politics, ideas are the secret power that this planet runs on. So what are their ten big ideas... continue reading Posted by Charlie Edwards on 17th March 2008 in Demos 2050
• Equality of what? John Hutton’s speech to Progress today is causing a stir. (Here’s Polly Toynbee). Hutton argues that: "Rather than questioning whether huge salaries are morally justified, we should celebrate the fact that people can be enormously successful in this country. Rather than placing a cap on that success, we should be questioning why it is not available to more people." I wonder if he actually means different people, rather than more people. There are, after all, always going... continue reading Posted by Duncan O'Leary on 11th March 2008 Comments (2)

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