Valuable Conversations with UCL IIPP UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

In this episode of 'Valuable Conversations', MPA Alumni Justin Beirold and Coralie Gervaise from UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose discuss the importance of imagination in the public sphere with ‘renegade scientist’, Phoebe Tickell. Tickell, who has a background in microbiology, talks about her journey into systems thinking and her fascination with how science, governance, and economic systems impact our worldviews. Through her organization, Moral Imaginations, Phoebe aims at introducing imagination and the concept of 'imagination activism' into policy-making, ambitioning to transform societal perceptions and behaviors. She explores the concept of imagination as a transformative tool, noting its impact on the Camden Council's approach to policy-making. She further delves into the importance of integrating future generations and non-human actors in public policy and highlights the importance of art, theater, and creativity in this process. In conclusion, they discuss the fundamental role of imagination in times of scarce resources and the challenge it poses for changing societal behaviors.

Learn more about Phoebe:

- Phoebe Tickell (Link) https://www.phoebetickell.com/

- Camden Imagines Report (Link) https://www.moralimaginations.com/camden-imagines

- Follow Phoebe on Twitter: @PhoebeTickell

Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL 

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/

Production and music by Justin Beirold

Welcome to Valuable Conversations with the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. In this episode, MPA Alumni Justin Beirold and André Ribeiro Coutinho talk to Venkat Ramaswamy, Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. Venkat is a globally recognized thought leader, idea practitioner, and eclectic scholar with wide-ranging interests in innovation, strategy, marketing, branding, IT, operations, and the human side of the organization. We were very excited to sit down with Venkat, who studies many topics that we are familiar with at IIPP - including public value, co-creation, and digital public infrastructure - but from the academic discipline of business and management rather than public administration.

Professor Ramaswamy provides insight into the evolution of the “India Stack”, its digital public goods, and the government's role as an entrepreneur. The conversation pivots to 'experience-first' digital transformations, focusing on the interplay of Web 3.0, NFTs and digital asset ownership. The surge of start-ups in India, alongside its digital asset expansion, aims for fairness and ease of participation in this digital reshaping. Ramaswamy underscores the need for an interdisciplinary approach to education, enabling future generations to understand intricate human and environmental interactions within the digital world. This dialogue provides an in-depth overview of co-creation, its impacts on sustainable development, digital asset growth, and the future of digital interactions in an increasingly interconnected world.

Learn more about Venkat:

- Venkat Ramaswamy (Link) https://michiganross.umich.edu/faculty-research/faculty/venkatram-ramaswamy

- Follow Venkat on Twitter: @VenkRamaswamy

Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL 

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/

Production and music by Justin Beirold

Welcome to Valuable Conversations with the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. On this episode, MPA alumni Justin Beirold sits down with Ph.D. candidate Nai Kalema. If you have been following this podcast, you heard Nai as co-host on several episodes, including our conversations with George the Poet, George Aye, and Damon Silvers. But today is all about Nai. Nai is a brilliant scholar and practitioner, who has been working for years on topics including global development, innovation, and strategic design. Her Ph.D. thesis is about digital transformation and determinants of health and their relationship with Digital Identity systems in Kenya and Uganda. The recording of this episode was unusual. Typically we book a guest, record the episode, and then I lightly edit it before release. But with Nai it went a little differently. I first interviewed her when we just started working together on the podcast, in November 2021. In that conversation, we talked about her life - growing up in Minnesota, attending George Washington University, and watching the Black Lives Matter movement emerged in her home state after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We discussed her work at MIT and Harvard on global development and innovation policy, and how she got interested in design. And she told me why she chose to attend IIPP for her Ph.D. research. We also talked about her research. But this is where we changed things up. By the time I was ready to release the episode, quite a lot of time had passed. And most importantly, Nai has made enormous progress in her research - including narrowing down her topic to health and digital ID systems in Kenya and Uganda. So what you are about to hear is two interviews: one on her life journey and background, and a second one, recorded nearly a year later in October 2022, where we dig in deep on the research: Digital ID, the fact that both Biometrics and Eugenics were both invented at UCL by the same person - Sir Francis Galton - and some of the bigger picture concepts like data colonialism. Because this episode is long, I’ve included time stamps if you want to skip around. Nai is so awesome that I have tried to work with her as much as possible. It is worth noting that along with George the Poet, Nai is the first black PhD student at IIPP. And as we discuss in the conversation, I think she is the perfect person to assume that mantle. I’ve learned so much from her, and I’m so grateful for her hard work and time. I hope you enjoy my conversations with Nai Kalema. *****-3 min: Nai’s life journey, education, working in development and innovation -34 min: why Nai chose IIPP for her Ph.D. research -48 min: Design Justice -55 min: Nai’s Ph.D. research on digital ID and health in Kenya and Uganda.***** -Recorded in two conversations: November 2021 and October 2022 -Learn more about Nai: - Nai Kalema https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/nai-lee-kalema - Follow Nai on Twitterr: @NaiKalema -Learn about our host: - Justin Beirold  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/justin-beirold - Justin’s Twitter: @VibeEconomy -Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/ -Production and music by Justin Beirold

Welcome to Valuable Conversations with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. On this episode, Ph.D. student Nai Kalema and MPA alumni Justin Beirold talk to IIPP Visiting Professor of Practice, Damon Silvers. For over 30 years, Damon has been a leading voice in the US labour movement. He tells Justin and Nai how he got involved in labour activism during the dining hall worker strikes and anti-apartheid protests when he was an undergraduate at Harvard. He talks about how the labour movement has changed over his career, and how we are now at a crucial inflection point for aligning the objectives of unions, environmental activism, and innovation policy. As Damon is also a scholar of constitutional law, he also provides a lengthy explanation of the recent right-wing supreme court rulings in the US, and how we might be able to overcome them. This is a long interview - the longest we have done so far on this podcast. But it is also a really good conversation! So rather than cutting it into pieces, we've provided a few time stamps so you can skip around if you desire. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Damon Silvers! ******* - 3 min 40 sec: Damon's life journey, undergraduate labour activism. - 29 min 30 sec: the anti-apartheid movement - 35 minutes: How Damon started working for unions - 44 min 30 sec: The past, present, and future of the organised labour - 59 min 30 sec: Joining IIPP, and his lectures on "Climate Change, innovation, and the labour movement." - 1 hr 33 min: The US Supreme Court rulings of Summer 2022 ********Guest Bio: Damon A. Silvers a Visiting Professor in Labour Markets and Innovation at the UCL IIPP. He is on sabbatical from the AFL-CIO where is has served as the Director of Policy and Special Counsel for the AFL-CIO. He joined the AFL-CIO as Associate General Counsel in 1997. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Silvers served as the Deputy Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for TARP. Mr. Silvers has also served on the Treasury Department's Financial Research Advisory Committee, as the Chair of the Competition Subcommittee of the United States Treasury Department Advisory Committee on the Auditing Profession and as a member of the United States Treasury Department Investor's Practice Committee of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets. Mr. Silvers led the successful efforts to restore pensions to the retirees of Cannon Mills lost in the Executive Life collapse and the severance owed to laid off Enron and WorldCom workers following the collapse of those companies. He served from 2003 to 2006 as pro bono Counsel to the Chairman of ULLICO, Inc. and in that capacity led the successful effort to recover over $50 million related to improperly paid executive compensation. Mr. Silvers received his J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School. He received his M.B.A. with high honors from Harvard Business School and is a Baker Scholar. Mr. Silvers is a graduate of Harvard College, summa cum laude, and has studied history at Kings College, Cambridge University. Recorded in Summer 2022 *******-Check out Damon's IIPP lectures on Labour, Innovation, and Climate Change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u34XWAmzeJ0 -Blog: "The End of the Roberts Court" https://damonsilvers.substack.com/p/the-end-of-the-roberts-court -Follow Damon on Twitter:@DamonSilvers -See Damon's full bio: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/people/damon-silvers Learn about our hosts: - Justin Beirold - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/justin-beirold - Nai Kalema - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/nai-lee-kalema -Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/ -Production and music by Justin Beirold

Welcome to Valuable Conversations with UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. On this episode, Ph.D. student Nai Kalema and MPA alumni Justin Beirold sit down with George Mpanga - aka George the Poet. 

George the Poet is an artist and activist from North West London. He is well known in the UK and beyond for his politically and socially powerful poetry, spoken word, and rap. In 2019, he became the first person outside the United States to win a Peabody Award for his podcast, “Have you Heard George’s Podcast?”. He is a member of the National Council of Arts England and performed at Harry and Megan’s Royal Wedding. Obviously, this is quite a different profile from the typical person we interview on this podcast. And that is precisely what makes it so exciting that George is also a Ph.D. student at IIPP.

You’ll hear Justin say to him at the beginning of the interview that he is something of a mystery man at IIPP. Everyone has heard that he is a Ph.D. student, but only a few have met him. People want to know why someone in his position - being an already pretty famous poet/rapper - wants to do a Ph.D. in the first place.  He said we would see him around a lot more often, which is good.

There is a lot to love about George. Every answer he gives is exceptionally thoughtful and interesting, and most are really profound. When he agreed to talk to us, we wanted to settle the question once and for all about why he is doing a Ph.D. at IIPP. (The short answer: Mariana Mazzucato talked him into it). He shares his thoughts on our narrow ways of thinking about innovation, how IIPP’s concept of “Tilting the Playing Field” applies to his own life, and much more. But we also wanted to know about his journey to where he is now - from a kid growing up in a family of Ugandan immigrants in a council estate, to a sociology major at Cambridge, to a rapper, then leaving his record deal to pursue poetry. One of the most beautiful things about George’s story is his intellectual journey. George was always extremely socially conscious. But what you will hear in the conversation is how he progressed from thinking about the problems in his community as problems of individual choices to structural problems of power, political economy, and public policy. His Ph.D. is the next step on that journey.

This is one of our favorite podcasts so far. We hope you enjoy our conversation with George the Poet.

Recorded in May 2022

- Listen to George’s Peabody Award winning podcast - “Have you Heard George’s Podcast” https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07915kd/episodes/downloads

- Listen to George’s song with Maverick Sabre - “Follow the Leader” (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYG1Waliqbw

Follow George on Twitter: @georgethepoet



Learn about our hosts: 

- Justin Beirold - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/justin-beirold

- Justin’s Twitter: @VibeEconomy

- Nai Kalema - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/nai-lee-kalema

- Nai’s Twitter: @NaiKalema



Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL 

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/

Production and music by Justin Beirold

Welcome to Valuable Conversations with the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. In this episode, MPA alumni Gwen Casazza and Justin Beirold talk to IIPP’s fearless leader, Mariana Mazzucato. Like many people at IIPP, Gwen and Justin came to the institute in large part because of Mariana and her ideas. Mariana is one of the most influential economists in the world, and as a result, there are hundreds of podcasts, YouTube videos, interviews, and lectures featuring her. We decided that we would get into the weeds about the substance of her research, but we also wanted to learn more about her as a person.

We talked about her childhood in an Italian family in New Jersey and being inspired by her High School history teacher. We discussed the trials and tribulations of the past decade, as she went from being a respected professor to running her own institute and becoming low-key famous (relative to most economists). She tells us about the critical importance of crafting new economic narratives in addition to new policy ideas. And of course, we covered some of the most exciting projects she is working on at the IIPP, including her work with Camden Council, the City of Barcelona, and the (all-women) WHO Council on Economics of Health For All.

Guest Bio:
Mariana Mazzucato is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP).  She is winner of international prizes including the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She was named as one of the '3 most important thinkers about innovation' by The New Republic, one of the 50 most creative people in business in 2020 by Fast Company, and one of the 25 leaders shaping the future of capitalism by WIRED.

She advises policymakers around the world on innovation-led inclusive and sustainable growth. Her current roles include being Chair of the World Health Organization's Council on the Economics of Health for All and a member of the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisors, the South African President’s Economic Advisory Council, the OECD Secretary General’s Advisory Group on a New Growth Narrative, the UN High Level Advisory Board for Economic and Social Affairs, Argentina’s Economic and Social Council, Vinnova’s Advisory Panel in Sweden, and Norway’s Research Council. Previously, through her role as Special Advisor for the EC Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation (2017-2019), she authored the high-impact report on Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union, turning “missions” into a crucial new instrument in the European Commission’s Horizon innovation programme.

We hope you enjoy this conversation!

- Read Mariana’s latest book - “Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism (Link) https://marianamazzucato.com/books/mission-economy

- Learn more about the WHO Council on the Economics of Health for All (Link) https://www.who.int/groups/who-council-on-the-economics-of-health-for-all/members

Follow Mariana on Twitter: @MazzucatoM

Learn about our alumni hosts:

- Justin Beirold (Link) https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/justin-beirold

- Gwendolyn Casazza (Link) https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/gwendolyn-casazza

Follow IIPP on Twitter: @IIPP_UCL https://twitter.com/IIPP_UCL

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/

Production and music by Justin Beirold