Tap into Cambridge’s Hay lectures

Can we reduce the gender pay gap? What would a socially just education system really mean? And should our political leaders be looking to Ancient Greece for ideas as they seek to build a fairer democracy? These are just some of the thorny issues being tackled in a new blog launched today, ahead of the University of Cambridge lecture series at the Guardian Hay Festival. Starting on Thursday this week, 17 Cambridge academics will be giving talks at the famous literature festival in Hay-on-Wye, offering a unique insight into some of the latest thinking on issues as diverse as climate change, stem cell research, ancient history and the works of Jane Austen. To mark the series, the University is launching a new blog at http://comms.group.cam.ac.uk/blogs/hayfestival/ , where readers will find previews about some of the speakers and their work, as well as live reports from the Festival and the Cambridge series. The blog begins today, with features on Ben Barry, the Judge Business School PhD student who set up his own modelling agency aged 13, and Professor Jacqueline Scott, a sociologist who looks at the causes and consequences of the gender gap, and how it might be narrowed. More previews will follow over the next few days, covering Professor Paul Cartledge's views on the lessons of Ancient Greek democracy; Professor Diane Reay's work on the education system and social mobility; Dr. Priyamvada Gopal's examination of the legacy of the British Empire and Dr. Jude Browne's research into the relationship between gender equality and the law.