About

Science and politics have collaborated throughout human history, and science is repeatedly invoked today in political debates, from pandemic management to climate change. But the relationship between the two is muddled and muddied.

In this free event, Geoff Mulgan calls attention to the growing frictions caused by the expanding authority of science, which sometimes helps politics but often challenges it. He dissects the complex history of states' use of science for conquest, glory and economic growth and shows the challenges of governing risk – from nuclear weapons to genetic modification, artificial intelligence to synthetic biology. He shows why the governance of science has become one of the biggest challenges of the twenty-first century, ever more prominent in daily politics and policy.

Tickets
Free, but booking required.

Speaker profile: Geoff Mulgan is Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London (UCL), in STEaPP, part of the Department of Engineering. Prior to that he was Chief Executive of Nesta and between 1997 and 2004 had roles in the UK government including Director of the Government's Strategy Unit and the Performance and Innovation Unit, and Head of Policy in the Prime Minister's office. He was the first director of the think-tank Demos.

This event is hosted by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), University of Bath.