The Why? Curve

With growing numbers of claimants for benefits, pensions and social care, and little sign of growth in the economy, how can we balance the books? Has the whole idea of supporting every member of society ‘from the cradle to the grave’ been superseded by financial conditions? Or is it just a matter of raising more taxes from the richest in society, following the Scandinavian pattern? Phil and Roger ask Peter Starke, Professor of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark.

Hacks of major parts of the UK economy, drones putting European airports out of action, a British politician convicted of taking bribes - does Russia's campaign of influence and disruption amount to hybrid warfare against the West? Is there any way to tackle it effectively inside liberal democracies? And is it the precursor to a real conflict? Phil and Roger discuss this with Christian Kaunert, Professor of Policing and Security at the University of South Wales

Why is the BBC in semi-permanent crisis? Is there a way the premier national and international broadcaster can escape a cycle of scandal and resignations? After more than a century, does it need to revisit what it is for, and how it is funded? And, in an age of streaming and citizen journalism, is there still a point to having the BBC? Phil and Roger ask Simon Potter, Professor of Modern History at Bristol University, and author of the centenary history "This Is The BBC" 

Everyday heroes - what is it that makes some people put themselves in harm's way to save others, while most of us flee from danger? The recent events on a train at Huntingdon - in which a railway employee appears to have suffered terrible injuries by putting himself in front of a man wielding knife - suggest there are those who choose, in a moment of crisis, to put their lives at risk. Why do they do that? Would YOU fight, or would you flee? Phil and Roger examine the psychology behind heroism with Frank McAndrew, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Knox College in Illinois

Is it time our ancient monarchy got a modern makeover? When a prince of the realm can be downgraded to plain Mr Mountbatten Windsor, has something fundamental shifted in the magic and mystique? The accident of birth means that not all members of the royal family will be morally-upstanding and dutiful. So can a time-honoured but expensive and tainted institution be reformed in a way that fits the 21st century, or is it time to shelve the whole thing in favour of a republic and a president? Francesca Jackson of Lancaster University tells Phil and Roger about her research into the public’s views of constitutional monarchy.

Is everything becoming the same? High streets all over the world with identical shops, people consuming the same burgers, the same video games, the same social media, the same music? Are we losing what makes us different - the cultures, the foods, the languages? In a world of online hyper-connectivity, is it going to be a flattened, greyer world that our children inherit?  Or should we welcome universal homogenisation - the convenience of a one-size-fits-all planet? Phil and Roger get the views of Dr Mike Hynes, lecturer in Environmental Sociology at the University of Galway.

How do you deal with the world's second largest economy when it seem to be intent on spying in the UK, persecuting dissidents here, and hacking into our computer systems? Is the priority national security, or keeping on good terms with our third-largest trading partner at a time when we are in desperate need of economic growth? The challenges of the collapsed spy trial, and whether to give the go-ahead to a new Chinese embassy in London, have brought all these questions to the fore. So Phil and Roger got the view of George Magnus, an associate at the China Centre at Oxford University, a research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and former chief economist of UBS.

Will we all soon be required to show our ID cards? The government says it wants a digital and universal ID system in place to counter illegal working and benefit fraud. It’s been tried before, and many of its opponents say it will fail again. But what is the case for ID cards? Will they solve any problems? Or are they an affront to liberty and a waste of money? Phil and Roger ask Dr Tim Holmes, lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Bangor University.