Analysis

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.

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.

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.

The Muslim Brotherhood's influence extends far beyond its Egyptian base. Christopher de Bellaigue investigates a network which stretches from North Africa to Indonesia.

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?

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?

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?

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?

The cash question facing an independent Scotland. Chris Bowlby discovers the key role of currency in debate about the UK's political future.

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.

Are Egyptians questioning authority more as a result of the Arab Spring? Christopher de Bellaigue investigates for Analysis.

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?

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.

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.

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.