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The fight for compensation Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

Are NFL players being denied compensation because of racial-norming? Thousands of former American footballers claim they suffered brain injury as players, but are being denied compensation on racial grounds. Ed Butler speaks to Roxanne Gordon, the wife of Amon Gordon, once of the Cleveland Browns, who is one of hundreds of ex-players now claiming compensation from the NFL for brain injury sustained on the field of play. She says that race-norming was used in the testing of his concussion settlement. New York Times journalist, Ken Belson, who's pioneered a lot of the reporting on this story, told him what race-norming is. And Cathy O Neill, author of a book, Weapons of Math Destruction, who also runs Orca, a software auditing company, says race-norming applies in lots of areas of modern life particularly with the increased use of algorithms that can easily dominate and distort the way companies market to consumers, frequently on racial grounds. The NFL says it “remains fully committed to paying all legitimate claims and providing the important benefits that our retired players and their families deserve.”

(Picture: Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings runs the ball as Adrian Amos of the Green Bay Packers tackles on November 01, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Credit: Getty Images.)

What it takes to vaccinate the world Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

With Covid-19 vaccinations preparing to roll out, how do we make sure everyone gets it? John Johnson, a vaccine programme co-ordinator for Doctors without Borders, outlines just how much is involved in getting vaccines, by truck, motorbike and even foot, to every town and village in the developing world. The Covid-19 vaccine, like others, needs to be transported below a certain temperature, adding an extra layer of complexity, as Toby Peters from the University of Birmingham explains. But David Elliot, of Dulas Solar, says technology like their solar-powered refrigerators can help solve the problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Rebecca Weintraub, Faculty Director of the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard University, is enthusiastic that the world’s institutions can come together to co-ordinate the task.

Producers: Frey Lindsay and Joshua Thorpe.

(Picture: A Malaria vaccine implementation pilot programme in Malawi, April 2019. Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Rich countries line up for Covid-19 vaccine Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

After Pfizer and Moderna vaccines earlier in the month, a third arrives from the University of Oxford. The question now becomes when the vaccines will be distributed and to whom. We’ll hear from Bruce Y Lee, professor at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, about just how daunting a task a global inoculation programme will be. Meanwhile, Alex de Jonquieres, the head of the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, explains how they’re trying to make sure every country can afford enough of the vaccine to protect their country. But Kate Elder, senior vaccine policy advisor at Doctors without Borders, says there’s nothing to stop richer countries jumping to the front of the queue.

Producer: Frey Lindsay.

(Image credit: Getty Creative)

What children owe their parents Nov 23, 2020

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Is it up to children to support their parents financially? Manuela Saragosa hears from Lamees Wajahat in Canada, who has been supporting her parents to pay the bills since she had her first part-time job. But is it the duty of the family, or the state to provide? Manuela speaks to Professor Sarah Harper of Oxford University, who argues that opportunities for younger generations are better than ever before, and that family obligations have always been a part of life. (Pic of piggy bank via Getty Images).

Business Weekly: 21/11/2020 Nov 21, 2020

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In this edition of Business Weekly, we look at Britain’s drive to go green, and how effective the proposed ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars might be. The Chief Operating Officer of the electric vehicle maker Polestar tells us what help the automotive industry needs from the government to persuade people to buy electric. Plus, we meet the first British Royal Air Force officer to openly transition from male to female and chat to her about transgender rights in the workplace. We also look at the digital afterlife and hear from some of the companies promising to manage our online affairs once we’ve passed away. And we discuss why the British Royal Family are still seen as fashion icons. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

How Africa's economies are withstanding Coronavirus Nov 20, 2020

Show notes

Many African countries have been praised for waging effective campaigns against coronavirus, and the region has a relatively low case count compared to Europe and the US. African economies have likewise been hit less hard, and Amandla Ooko-Ombaka of McKinsey and Company explains how a mix of a youthful population, hot climate and swift government response helped many of these economies stay resilient. But Lisa Owino, of the Kenyan human rights organisation KELIN, says in some cases government intervention over-stepped and was overly punitive to ordinary people. And Tosin Eniolorunda, founder & Chief Executive of Nigerian financial services company TeamApt says digital finance tools helped people maintain social distancing while conducting business.

(Picture: Kenyans walk past a mural about the Coronavirus in Nairobi. Picture credit: Getty Images)

Can Fintech fuel Africa’s Covid recovery? Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

2019 was a landmark year for investment into digital financial services, or Fintech, across Africa. Despite the pandemic, the Fintech scene is not only still thriving; it’s poised to play a key role in Africa’s economic recovery. Uzoma Dozie, the head of Nigerian startup Sparkle, says with Covid limiting our ability to handle cash, the cashless revolution in Africa is moving along rapidly. But Viola Llewellyn, president of Ovamba Solutions, which helps finance small businesses across Africa, says some sectors of African banking still lagged behind in digital services provision. Barbara Iyayi of Unicorn Growth Capital says Africa has a “perfect storm” of a young population, prevalent mobile services and a low rate of bank account holding, means Fintech will thrive across African economies but the infrastructure needs to be built up more.

(Image credit: Getty Creative)

Your digital legacy Nov 18, 2020

Show notes

The companies managing your online life after death. Ed Butler speaks to Tom Ainsworth, CEO of Memories, an online memorial service that provides messages from beyond the grave, and to Rikard Steiber, founder of startup GoodTrust, which aims to help people take control of their digital legacies. Pyschologist Dr Elaine Kasket discusses the phenomenon of online death in the age of the pandemic, and why online legacies may be less permanent than we think.

(Photo: A funeral is livestreamed in Austria earlier this year, Credit: Getty Images)

Varoufakis: My alternative to capitalism Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

With Covid rampaging and many economies on life-support, some say we need to look beyond capitalism. A blue-sky thinker, the outspoken former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, gives his thoughts on a radical alternative to standard market economics, including making all employees shareholders in corporations. And Miatta Fahnbulleh, chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, imagines how this might ever be seriously attempted in practice.

The Pink Frontline Nov 16, 2020

Show notes

A lack of legal protection in many parts of the world leaves many transgender employees vulnerable. Few countries offer legal protection against discrimination of transgender people. This week is transgender awareness week - what role do companies play in the rights of transgender people? Manuela Saragosa speaks to Caroline Paige, joint chief executive of a UK pressure group called Fighting with Pride. In 1999 she became the first transgender officer to transition openly while serving in the UK Armed Forces, some 19 years after she’d first joined the Royal Air Force as a pilot. South African author of The Pink Line, Mark Gevisser describes the fight to get laws to protect transgender people from discrimination as a new culture war along a human rights frontier. He says one of the most significant markers is which countries allow people to legally change their gender on official documents. Manuela also speaks to Lily Zheng who is a diversity consultant to businesses and organisations and is herself transgender and to Thai university lecturer Kath Khangpiboon, living and working as a woman in Thailand although official documents only recognise her as male.

Pic of Kath Khangpiboon, via Kath Khangpiboon

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