Peter Saunders personal website
'As science does not, who is to answer the question: What shall we do, and how shall we arrange our lives?.. Only a prophet or saviour can give the answers. If there is no such man, then you will certainly not compel him to appear on this earth by having thousands of professors, as privileged hirelings of the state, attempt as petty prophets to take over his role' (Max Weber, Science as a Vocation' 1919)
Sociologist
(Professor Emeritus, University of Sussex, England)
Social researcher
(Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Independent Studies, Australia; Professorial Research Fellow at Civitas, London)
Writer
(Fiction, non-fiction and journalism)
Consultant
(specialising in social policy issues)
Media commentator and public speaker
"Ideas wrecker" (The Guardian)
"Devastating" (The Sunday Times)
"The most prominent liberal intellectual in Australia" (Sydney Morning Herald)
"The antithesis of an Ivory Tower intellectual" (ABC Radio National Counterpoint)
"Saunders uses spare and stylish English to mow down paddocks of sacred cows" (The Australian)
"Virtuoso...dazzling...brash, brilliant and cannot be ignored" (Times Higher Education Supplement)
Latest...
Latest publications:
Social Mobility Myths (published by Civitas) explains why politicians are wrong when they claim Britain is a 'closed shop society'. Social mobility is common, it is not declining, and it is no less extensive in Britain than in other comparable societies. To buy a copy, click here
Beware False Prophets (published by Policy Exchange) offers a thorough critique of the claim in the influential book, The Spirit Level, that more equal societies have better social outcomes than less equal ones. To download a free copy, click here
Latest media:
The Guardian belatedly publishes a response by Snowdon and me to its article attacking us as 'ideas wreckers' (26 August)
'Social Mobility Myths explodes the lies about our supposedly class-ridden society' says Julia Hartley-Brewer in The Sunday Express (22 August)
Jeff Randall quotes from Social Mobility Myths in the Daily Telegraph (20 August)
Discussing social mobility on BBC Radio 4 Today programme (17 August) - listen
Toby Young comments on the Spirit Level controversy in The Spectator (14 August)
A full-page Guardian report (14 August) attacks 'ideas wreckers' for criticising The Spirit Level
Latest events:
I present evidence to Frank Field's Independent Review into Poverty and Life Chances (26 August) - download my paper on child poverty targets here
For the 2nd time, Channel 4 News abandons a planned debate on The Spirit Level because neither Wilkinson nor Pickett will come on the programme (25 August)
Nigel Hawkes in The Independent (21 August) attacks Wilkinson & Pickett's attempt to shelter behind peer review as a 'disgrace'
Richard Wilkinson tells the Times Higher Education Supplement that he is a scholar and he should not have to respond to criticisms from 'non-experts' like me (19 August)
Chris Snowdon and I debate with the Spirit Level authors at the Royal Society of Arts (22 July) - listen
