Professor David Spencer interviewed as part of the 'Ethics in Action' podcast
Professor David Spencer was recently interviewed by the ‘Ethics in Action’ podcast as part of a mini-series on the future of work.
In the series’ first episode, Professor Spencer discusses the experience of alienated labour under contemporary capitalism, the importance of work for meaning and dignity in our lives, and the reduction of the working week.
When asked what drove him to focus his research on the area of work, Professor Spencer explained that his own experience of work led him to understand its “importance as an activity”. Spencer goes on to describe his particular interest in the economics of work, as it is often a “blind spot” for economists who focus on the trade off between income and leisure. Professor Spencer outlines his approach as that of “political economy” that focuses on the importance of wages.
Professor Spencer goes on to define work as an “obligation”, however he makes a strong case for a future in which we can have “less but better” work. These ideas for a better world of work are detailed in Professor Spencer’s most recent book, ‘Making Light Work: An End to Toil in the Twenty-First Century’.
