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The Why? Curve

The Why? Curve

Written by: Phil Dobbie
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About this listen

 Each week Phil Dobbie and Roger Hearing get to grips with one issue that impacts our lives. It could be economic, social, technological or geopolitical. Whatever the subject, they'll talk to the experts who can give help explain what's really going on. And Phil and Roger back it up with their own research and opinions. It's half an hour to get across one of the key issues of the time, and they promise, it'll never be boring.

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Phil Dobbie Economics Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Chaos of Trump World

    The Chaos of Trump World
    Jan 22 2026
    There has been a seismic and permanent shift in the international order, and the President of the European Commission says this new world is defined by raw power. So where do the pieces fall after Donald Trump's threats to take Greenland, and his intervention in Venezuela? Is the global order now just a matter of money and military force? Is Europe in any position to say no to the man in the White House? Phil and Roger ask Stefan Wollf, Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham

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    41 mins
  • Teens Turned Off

    Teens Turned Off
    Jan 15 2026
    Australia has launched itself into combatting the bad effects of social media on kids by banning under 16s from using them. It’s a world first, and a huge experiment that’s brought resentment from some young people, scepticism from many adults, and a collective shrug from most social media companies. So a month into the ban - is it working? Is it an infringement of free speech? And will youngsters just find a way around the restrictions? Or is it the start of a global push back against the power of Meta, TikTok and the rest? Phil and Roger have been speaking to Paul Wallbank, a tech journalist with the Sydney Daily Telegraph

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    37 mins
  • Marriage Guidance

    Marriage Guidance
    Jan 8 2026
    As divorce lawyers enter their busiest season, how sustainable is modern marriage? Plenty of couples never bother to formally marry, and the rate of break-ups in those who do has been rising. Does the model of lifelong partnership, sanctioned by law, work in an era of constant choice about everything from mobile phones to relationships? Are permanent couples the happiest form of human interaction? Phil and Roger get guidance from Dr Veronica Lamarche, senior psychology lecturer at the University of Essex.

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    39 mins
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