Robots and Immigrants

Robots and Immigrants

Author: UCL Political Science October 20, 2022 Duration: 41:00

Rhetoric around immigrants ‘stealing people’s jobs’ has become common in contemporary British politics, especially during the debates around the 2016 Brexit referendum. Meanwhile, rising automation has spurred discussion of how many jobs will be taken over by the ‘robots’. The ways we talk about these two threats of job losses can be strikingly similar and both pose questions about how the labour market will be structured in the future.

A new book examining these discourses and their role in British economic and political debate, called Robots and Immigrants: Who Is Stealing Jobs?, was published last month by Bristol University Press. It’s by Dr Kostas Maronitis, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Leeds Trinity University, and Dr Denny Pencheva, Lecturer in European Politics and Public Policy at UCL.

 

Mentioned in this episode:


Ever wonder what happens when sharp academic minds turn their focus to the headlines? UCL Uncovering Politics pulls back the curtain on the forces shaping our world, straight from the heart of one of the world's leading universities. This isn't a lecture series, but a series of conversations where complex ideas about power, culture, and society are made accessible and urgent. You'll hear researchers from UCL's Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy dissect everything from voting behaviour and international conflict to the philosophy underlying our social structures, connecting rigorous scholarship directly to current events. Each episode feels like sitting in on a fascinating discussion between experts who are as curious about the "why" behind political phenomena as they are knowledgeable. The podcast serves as a direct line to cutting-edge analysis, offering depth and context that goes far beyond the daily news cycle. By spotlighting the fantastic work done within the department, it provides listeners with a richer, more nuanced understanding of the mechanics behind culture, government, and the news we consume. Tune in for a thoughtful and genuinely enlightening exploration of contemporary politics, grounded in research but always engaged with the real world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 161

UCL Uncovering Politics
Podcast Episodes
Prison Protests in Palestine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:30
Today we’re looking at protest by prisoners. Some of the most famous cases of protest politics involve protests by prisoners. Think of hunger striking suffragettes in early-twentieth-century Britain.Think of the dirty pr…
How Has Covid Affected Voter Preferences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:12
In this episode we are looking at a new piece of research - Flight to Safety: COVID-Induced Changes in the Intensity of Status Quo Preference and Voting Behavior.This paper focusses on some important questions around cov…
Alexei Navalny and the Future of Russian Politics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:03
In this, our first episode of the new academic year, we’re looking at politics in Russia. Alexei Navalny – who hit the headlines around the world last year by surviving an attempt to assassinate him by lacing his underpa…
Should the Civil Service Be Neutral? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:13
In this our final episode for the current academic year, we’re going to tackle one of the biggest questions of political science: How do you run an effective government? In particular, how do you build a bureaucracy that…
The Principles of Education Policy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:09
Many of the most important policy decisions that a state can make relate to education. What kind of education should children receive? How far should parents be able to dictate that choice? Is it acceptable to have schoo…
Deciding Northern Ireland’s Future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:59
The future of the Union here in the UK – that is, the union of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland – is very much in the news. In Scotland, many opinion polls over the past year (though not so much over the la…
Does the UK Still Have a Political Constitution? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:47
Most countries have a document call the Constitution – a legal text setting out basic principles of how that country is governed. And in most of those countries there’s a constitutional court (or supreme court) that dete…
The Ethics of Violent Protest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:29
The coming week sees the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. His killing by a white police officer in the American city of Minneapolis, sparked a global wave of protests. The vast majority of these were peac…
Fostering Norms for Dispute Resolution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:07
Alexandra Hartman is Associate Professor in Political Science and Public Policy here at UCL, and her research focuses on the political economy of institutions in fragile states. She looks not just at formal political ins…
Biden’s First 100 Days [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:34
This week, we’re focusing on politics in the United States. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been in office for a little over 100 days now. So how is it going? Has Biden been sleepy Joe? Has he p…