Festival of Debate presents Kate Pickett: The Good Society
- Date
-
Wed 6 May 2026
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
- Venue
- Foundry
6.30pm Doors, 7pm Start
A fairer, healthier, more caring and sustainable society is entirely within our grasp. The new book by Kate Pickett, co-author of The Spirit Level and The Inner Level, shows us the way.
- How do we ensure that everyone has good health and receives the care they need?
- How do we provide education that allows every child to flourish?
- How do we ensure safety, justice and a sustainable environment for all?
Kate Pickett is a world-leading social scientist whose life’s work has been to identify the underlying causes of society’s most important problems – and the long-term solutions that will actually work.
In this inspiring book, she shows that to make a good society – in which everyone has what they need to be well, and everyone would be better off – we must prioritise the health, care, education and rehabilitation of those who have the least and suffer the most. This means confronting once and for all the fundamental problems of poverty and inequality that lie behind all the others.
Drawing on over three decades of evidence, and an array of proven solutions and real-world success stories from across the globe, The Good Society cuts to the essence of the challenges we face and presents us with a practical, galvanising, perspective-shifting vision for how to tackle them.
The conversation will be hosted by philosopher and social innovator Simon Duffy.
EVENT FORMAT & INFORMATION
- 18:30 - Doors open
- 18:30-19:00 - Attendees arrive, get a drink if they like, and find a seat.
- 19:00-20:00 - The speakers will talk from the front of the room.
- 20:00-20:30 - Q+A with the audience where participation is optional.
- 20:30 approx. - Event ends, although attendees can leave at any time.
During the event attendees will be expected to sit and listen although if they need to stand or move around while listening there is space at the back to do so.
ACCESSIBILITY
There is detailed information about accessibility at the Foundry on their website here - https://foundrysu.com/accessibility
If you have any questions regarding accessibility for this event, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology at University of York, a Global Ambassador for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, co-author of The Inner Level and The Spirit Level, and a founding member of The Equality Trust.
Founder of the Citizen Network Research, a Sheffield-based think tank which works globally. In 2020, the Centre launched the Neighbourhood Democracy Movement to advance grassroots democratic citizen action.