Ethical Matters:
The Empathy Fix

Poverty is detrimental to everyone. Being at the sharp end of disadvantage is shameful, reduces brainpower, and hampers positive action. It increases crime, burdens healthcare systems, and raises taxpayers’ bills. While the ultra-rich bask in the glory of superstar status, people in poverty are cast as second-rate citizens. Deeply ingrained prejudice and punitive policies lead to vicious cycles of deprivation.

Positive psychology that emphasises personal strengths can be empowering for some, but it can also feed toxic narratives of failure and defeat. The flipside of taking credit for individual success is that the inability to achieve it is attributed to personal shortcomings.

Writer and researcher Keetie Roelen exposes the realities of poverty and reveals why current policies don’t work. She offers a radical rethink of efforts to tackle poverty, what it means, and how we can break the cycle. Keetie provides the tools to relate to poverty, understand why current interventions often fail, and respond in a way that gives everyone a sense of dignity and agency.

Keetie Roelen is a leading thinker in poverty and social policy and a longstanding advocate for social justice. She currently works as a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Deputy Director at the Centre for the Study of Global Development at The Open University, the largest university in the UK. She is the author of The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change It.

Keetie’s book, The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change It, will be available to buy in person from Newham Bookshop on the day.

Age Recommendation:

16+

Price: *All ticket prices below include a £1 booking fee*

In person: Standard £10 • Living Support £7 • Students £7 • Members FREE
Online: Standard £7 • Members FREE

Access Information

Due to the age and Grade II listing of the building, there is no lift access to rooms above the ground floor.

All the ground-floor rooms are fully accessible by wheelchair. Main Hall (street access, step-free), Brockway Room (street access, step-free), Bertrand Russell Room (street access, shallow ramp), Hive Cafe (street access, step-free). There is also an accessible toilet on the ground floor opposite the Brockway Room.

Other events that may interest you:

The Power of Sound: Creating a Better Future

The Spirituality Gap: Searching for Meaning in a Secular Age