Featured Interviews

Jane Waldfogel is Chair Professor in Social Work at the University of Columbia. In this interview, the main author of the book Too Many Children Left Behind proposes solutions for tackling differences in performance between students.

In this interview David Throsby, a specialist in the economics of art and culture, offers a global view of what the concepts of culture and art mean, including their value as well as the relationship that these disciplines have with the economy. 

Víctor Fernández Blanco builds up a diagnosis regarding cultural participation, highlighting the different consumer profiles and the changes that these reflect in their behaviours and routines. 

Atmospheric contamination causes 7 million deaths every year. María Neira, director of the WHO department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, explains how policies focusing on improving people’s health also benefit the planet.

Michael Marmot, director de Instituto de Equidad y Salud del University College London, explica los mecanismos que vinculan la desigualdad social con una mala salud, así como las políticas que deberían ponerse en marcha para reducirlas.

What diseases are caused by the pollutants that we release into the environment? Why do they affect children most? What repercussion do these illnesses have on health and the economy? We interview Leonardo Trasande, professor at New York University and an expert on the subject.

Alan Daly, Chair Professor of Education at the University of California, offers in this interview granted to the Social Observatory of "la Caixa” a view of the role of personal relations in the world of education, in which he highlights the concept of social capital.

The reduction in aid programmes for vulnerable groups has caused an increase in situations of social exclusion in Europe. In this interview, Nick Axford explains to the Social Observatory of "la Caixa” how social protection policies are designed and the factors that intervene in the process.

"What purpose does science serve in current times? Is it for the common good or for the benefit of just a few? Science needs to learn humility and be prepared to admit it when a solution cannot be given.” Andrea Saltelli, researcher at the University of Bergen and at ICTA Barcelona, talks about the current crisis affecting science and its possible solutions.

In this interview, John O’Hagan explains the numerous benefits that the arts bring to society, from their contribution to the formation of a collective identity to their positive impact on the economy.