Analysis makes sense of the ideas that change the world. What made Islam political, whether the Government can make us go green, why we think the market in human organs is repugnant are just some of the subjects the series tackles. With thought-provoking and expert presenters, Analysis aims to make the world of policy and ideas both interesting and surprising. There are 26 episodes a year, in three series. Podcasts are available for a week after transmission while the programme is on air.
Episodes available:
Indefinitely 
Mon, 17 Jun 13
Duration:
29 mins
Predistribution is Labour's new policy buzzword, used by leader Ed Miliband in a keynote speech. The US thinker who coined the phrase tells Edward Stourton what it means.
Mon, 10 Jun 13
Duration:
28 mins
The "quantified self" movement promises that life-logging and data-tracking can make us smarter. Frances Stonor Saunders asks whether by measuring what we do we miss who we are.
Mon, 3 Jun 13
Duration:
29 mins
The gap between English north and south is growing. But does government have the answer? In the north-east, Alison Wolf discovers why 'regional policy' may be a waste of time.
Mon, 27 May 13
Duration:
28 mins
Mukul Devichand hears from leading Labour Party figures who want a radical new welfare settlement, saying the state itself is to blame for society's ills as much as the market.
Mon, 25 Mar 13
Duration:
29 mins
Governments should incentivise rather than force citizens to behave better, according to the book "Nudge". Author Cass Sunstein explains how governments have adopted his theories.
Mon, 18 Mar 13
Duration:
29 mins
A spat between feminist Suzanne Moore and transgender rights activists played out on social networking sites, and then hit the headlines when journalist Julie Burchill joined in too. Jo Fidgen explores the underlying ideas which cause so much tension between radical feminists and transgender campaigners, and discovers why recent changes in the law and advances in science are fuelling debate – and have implications for all of us.
Mon, 11 Mar 13
Duration:
29 mins
As more and more people look forward to ever longer life, Chris Bowlby examines what it's like to grow old in Britain and what we can learn from other countries.
Mon, 4 Mar 13
Duration:
28 mins
The Muslim Brotherhood's influence extends far beyond its Egyptian base. Christopher de Bellaigue investigates a network which stretches from North Africa to Indonesia.
Mon, 25 Feb 13
Duration:
29 mins
Radical American critics of the left's current thinking on the economy outline their critique to Tim Finch. Is it time for a rethink on the British left too?
Mon, 18 Feb 13
Duration:
29 mins
David Goodhart considers whether the declining status of basic jobs can be halted and even reversed. Successive governments have prioritised widening access to higher education to try to drive social mobility, without giving much thought to the impact this has on the expectations of young people who, for whatever reason, are not going to take that path. But even in a knowledge-based economy, low-skilled work survives. Offices still need to be cleaned, supermarket shelves stacked, and care home residents looked after. The best employers know how to design these jobs to make them more satisfying. Are politicians finally waking up to the problem?
Mon, 11 Feb 13
Duration:
29 mins
As high street names close for good, Analysis asks if such failures are necessary for future growth. Or is "creative destruction" a comforting delusion, not a saving grace?
Mon, 4 Feb 13
Duration:
29 mins
Owen Bennett Jones looks at Syria's Alawis, the secretive Shia sect to which President Assad belongs. Who are the Alawis and why are many fearful of a post-Assad future?
Mon, 28 Jan 13
Duration:
29 mins
The cash question facing an independent Scotland. Chris Bowlby discovers the key role of currency in debate about the UK's political future.
Mon, 21 Jan 13
Duration:
29 mins
Workers once won the fight for rewards at work, now executives dominate. Michael Blastland asks how bosses have become so powerful and if workers - and investors - can fight back.
Mon, 12 Nov 12
Duration:
29 mins
Are Egyptians questioning authority more as a result of the Arab Spring? Christopher de Bellaigue investigates for Analysis.
Mon, 5 Nov 12
Duration:
29 mins
As leading opposition politicians with no prospect of more money to spend in Government look for new ideas, as bankers and business people seek to address growing public distrust, both are turning to a surprising source of inspiration. Catholic Social Teaching. What is this teaching, why do so many people think it is relevant now, and why does its growing influence raise difficult issues for the Roman Catholic church itself?
Mon, 29 Oct 12
Duration:
29 mins
A Eurosceptic Labour Party might seem unthinkable. But the European Union is changing and so too should Labour’s attitude towards it, argues Labour MP Gisela Stuart. She reveals to presenter Edward Stourton that she now believes Britain would be better off outside the EU. Her party continues to maintain a pro-European face but, Edward Stourton learns, the Labour leadership is preparing to recalibrate its policy as the Europe of workers’ rights gives way to the Europe of austerity and fiscal federalism.
Mon, 22 Oct 12
Duration:
29 mins
Michael Gove is a fan of E.D. Hirsch, the American educational thinker. Fran Abrams explores Hirsch’s radical ideas and how they could transform schooling in England.
Mon, 15 Oct 12
Duration:
29 mins
Professor Manuel Castells says the current financial crisis is more than just an economic downturn. The causes are so deep rooted that they have provoked a profound reassessment of our economic beliefs and institutions and given rise to new protest movements and economic cultures.
Tue, 9 Oct 12
Duration:
29 mins
Free market capitalism has fallen into disrepute. Even the British Conservative party is blaming the financial crisis on unfettered markets. Jamie Whyte thinks they are wrong.
Mon, 1 Oct 12
Duration:
28 mins
Obama’s foreign policy: has the Nobel peace prize-winning President been as hawkish as his predecessor?
Mon, 24 Sep 12
Duration:
29 mins
A health gap exists in Britain: people in the wealthiest parts of the country, live on average more than a decade longer than those in the poorest parts. An academic discipline which tries to work out why this health gap exists has also grown. It’s called social epidemiology. Its findings have influenced governments all around the world. But not economists. They look at the same data and see something completely different. David Aaronovitch interviews the most prominent social epidemiologist, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, and hears the arguments against his science. Producer: Ruth Alexander
Mon, 17 Sep 12
Duration:
29 mins
How politically rational are you? What are your views on global warming, nanotechnology or the value of IQ tests - and are they based on scientific evidence or cognitive bias? Michael Blastland talks to top international thinkers including Dan Kahan and Jonathan Haidt about our remarkable ability not to let the facts get in the way of deeply held belief.
Mon, 10 Sep 12
Duration:
29 mins
Why obey the law? Is there anything wrong with going through a red light at 3am in the morning if nobody is around? Does the law have any moral force? Questions for this edition of The Philosopher's Arms.
Mon, 10 Sep 12
Duration:
29 mins
Fuzzy logic and baldness: what's the connection? According to the Sorites' Paradox, it's impossible to go bald. If you lose one hair you don't move from being hirsute to being bald: one hair can't make any difference - and the same must be true if you lose a second hair, then a third... So it seems that nobody can ever go bald. That's the paradox addressed, with the help of some fuzzy logic, in this edition of The Philosopher's Arms.
Mon, 3 Sep 12
Duration:
28 mins
Imagine a perfect art fake. A fake Van Gogh that is completely indistinguishable from the original. Does that mean it’s of equal value to the original? Find out in this edition of The Philosopher’s Arms.
Mon, 27 Aug 12
Duration:
28 mins
Personal Identity is a topic that’s long intrigued philosophers. What makes you you? What makes you the same person today that you were as a child? The puzzle addressed in The Philosopher’s Arms, with some assistance from the pop group, The Drifters
Wed, 8 Aug 12
Duration:
43 mins
Should Britain stay in the European Union? With the crisis continuing in the eurozone, recent polls suggest that the vast majority of the British electorate would be in favour of a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. Evan Davis chairs a debate at the London School of Economics, and is joined by Sir Stephen Wall. The former diplomat and EU adviser to Tony Blair argues his position for Britain to remain in the EU against a panel which wants Britain out.
Mon, 9 Jul 12
Duration:
29 mins
China's politburo experiencing an internal power struggle. It is about ideological more than personal rivalry. Mukul Devichand visits the People's Republic to investigate this battle of ideas.
Mon, 2 Jul 12
Duration:
29 mins
Paper money versus gold backed currencies. Simon Jack asks if our financial system would be more stable if money was pegged to gold rather than created at the touch of a button by private and central banks
Mon, 25 Jun 12
Duration:
28 mins
Disintegration or superstate? As the crisis deepens in the Eurozone, Chris Bowlby imagines the EU's future. What will happen to borders, cash movements and political power?
Mon, 18 Jun 12
Duration:
29 mins
The "Swedish model" of welfare was once a left wing obsession. Now it's a Tory one too. Jo Fidgen investigates the truth about Sweden's welfare state and its lessons for Britain.
Mon, 11 Jun 12
Duration:
29 mins
School leavers struggled to find work even in the boom years. Paul Johnson of the IFS asks why employers have become so unwilling to take on young people
Mon, 4 Jun 12
Duration:
28 mins
Newsnight Economics Editor Paul Mason interviews the controversial economist Steve Keen before an audience at the LSE. Keen was one of the few who predicted the 2008 crash.
Mon, 28 May 12
Duration:
29 mins
Edward Stourton explores the prospects for post-revolution government, following the Arab Spring. Elections are being held, but can voters be sure autocratic rule is in the past?
Thu, 24 May 12
Duration:
29 mins
As Greece teeters on the brink of ejection from the Eurozone, Chris Bowlby reveals the scenarios likely to follow a return to the Drachma. Originally broadcast in February 2012
Mon, 26 Mar 12
Duration:
29 mins
Is the value of money determined by anything more than our willingess to believe in it? Frances Stonor Saunders tries to understand the fundamentals.
Mon, 19 Mar 12
Duration:
29 mins
Can war between Iran and the West over Iran's nuclear programme be averted? Leading Israeli, Iranian, American and British voices speak to BBC Analysis; Edward Stourton examines the West's options.
Mon, 12 Mar 12
Duration:
29 mins
Black Swan author Nassim Nicholas Taleb is Downing Street's favourite intellectual. Janan Ganesh of The Economist investigates his appeal.
Mon, 5 Mar 12
Duration:
29 mins
Should Germany be the model for our future economy? Some British politicians, especially in the Labour party, think so. Matthew Taylor, a former policy adviser to Tony Blair, asks whether this is realistic.
Mon, 27 Feb 12
Duration:
29 mins
The American primaries - Justin Webb explores what they reveal about the state of the right in the US. Is the Republican party really split? Has a radical wing taken over? What does the American right offer in the post financial crisis world - that might enthuse Americans and perhaps the rest of us too? And is the party ready to lead again?
Mon, 20 Feb 12
Duration:
29 mins
Wages have failed to rise in line with profits since the early 1980s. Duncan Weldon, a senior economist at the Trades Union Congress, goes in search of the possible causes.
Mon, 13 Feb 12
Duration:
29 mins
Europe thinks the unthinkable - what happens if the Eurozone splits. What would happen to the banking sector, how would a new currency be put in place, can contagion be halted, and more fundamentally could the Euro survive? Chris Bowlby runs through some of the scenarios of what may happen if a country were to withdraw, and, crucially, what would happen next.
Mon, 6 Feb 12
Duration:
29 mins
After the Arab Spring, Islamic parties have won elections: should the world fear or trust them? Sheikh Rachid Gannouchi, an influential Islamist thinker, just returned from London to Tunis and won elections. Owen Bennett-Jones investigates his ideas combining Islam and democratic values.
Mon, 30 Jan 12
Duration:
28 mins
New school league tables have been brought in by the government to help parents choose. But do we really know what makes a good school? And how far can schools transform lives?
Mon, 23 Jan 12
Duration:
29 mins
Defenders of capitalism are turning against the undeserving rich. Edward Stourton asks those on the centre-right who now condemn financial excess, what they would actually change?
Mon, 2 Jan 12
Duration:
29 mins
UK Immigration: were the unprecedented numbers of people migrating to Britain in the Labour era the result of a policy accident or design? In a programme originally broadcast on 8 February 2010, towards the end of the last parliament, David Goodhart looks at the arguments and ideology behind Labour’s immigration policy – including the claim that it pursued deliberate policy to increase diversity. We hope you enjoy this programme from the Analysis archive, which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 26 Dec 11
Duration:
29 mins
Are the political elite losing touch with how most voters really live, asks Michael Blastland in this edition of Analysis, originally broadcast on 22 June 2009. We hope you enjoy this programme from the Analysis archive, which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 19 Dec 11
Duration:
29 mins
Certainty: is the lust for it a sin? And if so, should politics fear for its soul? Michael Blastland makes a plea for policy makers to be less sure of themselves in "Dead Cert", originally broadcast on 6 November 2008. We hope you enjoy this programme - which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 12 Dec 11
Duration:
29 mins
EU withdrawal is being seriously discussed for the first time in a generation. But how would it work? In a programme previously broadcast on 16 November 2009, Analysis looks at the Lisbon Treaty, which contains a clause setting out an exit process. But, as Chris Bowlby reports, the final deal between Britain and its former EU partners would depend a lot on the mood of their "divorce" - amicable or acrimonious. We hope you enjoy this programme - which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 5 Dec 11
Duration:
29 mins
Storytelling is an art that our politicians are keen to use on us. But are their stories getting in the way of making the right decisions? In a programme previously broadcast on 21 February 2008, Frances Stonor Saunders finds that the desire for a dramatic narrative arc can sometimes lead us to ignore the humdrum but important facts. The programme includes an interview with the late Philip Gould. We hope you enjoy this programme - which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 28 Nov 11
Duration:
29 mins
Banks are underwritten by the government in Britain. But should the taxpayer bail out so-called casino banks? In a programme previously broadcast on 1 February 2010 - Edward Stourton talks to the growing band of experts who believe that risk-taking investment banks should be forced to face the consequences of their losses. We hope you enjoy this programme - which we offer you while Analysis is off air.
Mon, 21 Nov 11
Duration:
29 mins
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times asks what changes are neeeded to the global financial system if the world is to fully recover from the worst economic crisis since the depression of the 1930s. Contributors include: Larry Summers, of Harvard and former member of Barack Obama's economic team; Zhu Min, deputy managing director, IMF and formerly of the Bank of China and Adair Turner, FSA chairman. Producer: Sandra Kanthal Editor: Stephen Chilcott
Tue, 15 Nov 11
Duration:
29 mins
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, examines how the world economy has changed since the beginning of the financial crisis four years ago. Contributors include US Treasury Secretary Timonthy Geithner, IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and FSA chairman Adair Turner. Producer: Sandra Kanthal Editor: Stephen Chilcott
Mon, 14 Nov 11
Duration:
29 mins
Professor Robert Frank tells an audience at the LSE that Darwin was a greater economist than Adam Smith. Newsnight's economics editor, Paul Mason, asks him to explain why.
Mon, 7 Nov 11
Duration:
29 mins
We talk much of personal leadership being the key to change in, say, politics or business. But how much can such figures really influence events? Michael Blastland investigates.
Mon, 31 Oct 11
Duration:
29 mins
David Goodhart meets the politicians who claim to advocate on behalf of Britain's black communities and asks how the ideologies of black politics have changed since the 1980s. The programme hears from David Lammy MP, Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Tory activist Shaun Bailey, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips, 1980s Black Sections politician Linda Bellos, and Stafford Scott, who was a community leader during the time of the 1985 Tottenham riots."
Mon, 24 Oct 11
Duration:
29 mins
Frances Stonor Saunders investigates how the UK government uses culture as a tool of soft power and asks whether it does any good for culture or diplomacy.
Mon, 17 Oct 11
Duration:
29 mins
As opinion polls suggest that half of Britons would vote to leave Europe altogether, Edward Stourton asks if the political class is now catching up with public opinion on the EU. The programme hears from several Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who feel that the issue is so sensitive that they want to remain anonymous. Edward Stourton also questions Conservative Home's Tim Montogomerie, former Chancellor Norman Lamont, Blue Labour peer Lord Glasman, and Director of the People's Pledge Mark Seddon."
Mon, 10 Oct 11
Duration:
29 mins
Owen Bennett Jones looks at the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah, regarded by some in the West as terrorists and others in the Middle East as a resistance organisation.
Mon, 3 Oct 11
Duration:
28 mins
The government is committed to protecting the aid budget. Frances Cairncross asks if actually cutting state aid and relaxing immigration controls is a better way to combat poverty.
Mon, 26 Sep 11
Duration:
28 mins
With Colonel Gaddafi gone, Hugh Miles asks if Libya could transform itself into an Islamic capitalist model for the entire Middle East.
Mon, 19 Sep 11
Duration:
29 mins
On the topic of riots, philosopher Roger Scruton tells us, "What needs explaining is why they don't occur, not why they do." Presenter Jamie Whyte searches for some answers.
Wed, 3 Aug 11
Duration:
44 mins
John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek are regarded as two of the twentieth century’s greatest economists. Modern day followers came together at the London School of Economics to debate the ideas of their intellectual heroes. The event was chaired by BBC Newsnight Economics Editor, Paul Mason.
Mon, 11 Jul 11
Duration:
28 mins
The government says that despite budget cuts it is committed to Sure Start Children's Centres - one of the defining policies of the New Labour era. But in this week's Analysis Fran Abrams asks what the service - loved by parents - has really done for their kids.
Mon, 4 Jul 11
Duration:
29 mins
Defying the downturn, Scotland seems to have free public services the rest of the UK is denied. Anne McElvoy assesses SNP plans to defy austerity Britain and assert independence.
Tue, 28 Jun 11
Duration:
29 mins
Justin Webb asks whether the United States is capable of averting economic meltdown.
Mon, 20 Jun 11
Duration:
29 mins
Popular uprisings from Cairo to Damascus shook the West's longstanding foreign policy. Edward Stourton asks Foreign Secretary William Hague what the West will do next.
Mon, 13 Jun 11
Duration:
29 mins
Edward Stourton asks if the Egyptian revolution spells the end of old-style Islamism. As groups like the Muslim Brotherhood embrace democracy, how will they - and Egypt - change?
Mon, 6 Jun 11
Duration:
29 mins
With calls growing for Britain to rebalance its economy away from banking, Janan Ganesh asks if we should really be so hostile to the financial sector - and so warm to manufacturing.
Mon, 30 May 11
Duration:
28 mins
The government’s proposed changes to the NHS are prompting much political discussion. But is it all avoiding the real issue? Michael Blastland presents: ‘Unhealthy Expectations?’
Mon, 21 Mar 11
Duration:
29 mins
David Goodhart examines a radical plan to win back Labour's working-class supporters.
Mon, 14 Mar 11
Duration:
29 mins
David Walker examines the prime minister's proposals for 'muscular liberalism'.
Mon, 7 Mar 11
Duration:
28 mins
Fran Abrams asks whether children need to be taught emotional and social skills in school.
Mon, 28 Feb 11
Duration:
29 mins
Maha Azzam examines the long term implications of the recent uprisings in the Middle East.
Mon, 21 Feb 11
Duration:
29 mins
Edward Stourton assesses where the Liberal Democrats' influential right wing is heading.
Mon, 14 Feb 11
Duration:
29 mins
In this week's Analysis, Chris Bowlby looks at what happens when government plans for the Big Society meet reality.
Mon, 7 Feb 11
Duration:
29 mins
Paul Mason asks whether the expansion of credit created a new form of worker exploitation.
Mon, 31 Jan 11
Duration:
29 mins
Jamie Whyte looks at the free market Austrian School of FA Hayek. The global recession has revived interest in this area of economics, even inspiring an educational rap video.
Mon, 24 Jan 11
Duration:
29 mins
In the first programme of a new series, Edward Stourton interviews the eminent political philosopher, Onora O'Neill, on trust and mistrust, the subject of her 2002 BBC Reith Lectures.
Mon, 15 Nov 10
Duration:
29 mins
Chris Bowlby asks whether a state welfare system can ever distinguish between those who deserve help and those who do not.
Mon, 8 Nov 10
Duration:
29 mins
Emma Jane Kirby investigates Kenneth Clarke's promised "rehabilitation revolution".
Mon, 1 Nov 10
Duration:
29 mins
With future defence under scrutiny Kenneth Payne asks: are we losing the will to wage war?
Mon, 25 Oct 10
Duration:
29 mins
Analysis is 40 years old this year. Michael Blastland uncovers the intriguing cold war history of the BBC's most unashamedly intellectual current affairs programme.
Mon, 18 Oct 10
Duration:
28 mins
Turkey is on the rise, economically and politically. Edward Stourton examines the apparent contradiction of its secular constitution and its government's Islamist roots.
Mon, 11 Oct 10
Duration:
29 mins
Is inequality bad for society as a whole? Mukul Devichand tries to settle the statistical argument kicked off by the authors of The Spirit Level.
Mon, 4 Oct 10
Duration:
29 mins
Budget cuts will hit women three times harder than men. Why aren't feminists protesting?
Mon, 27 Sep 10
Duration:
28 mins
Anne McElvoy examines what the origins of the government's Big Society idea tell us.
Mon, 20 Sep 10
Duration:
29 mins
Fran Abrams asks why the idea of children earning money causes such unease.
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