S10 Ep8: Harnessing Creative Destruction with Philippe Aghion

S10 Ep8: Harnessing Creative Destruction with Philippe Aghion

From The We Society by AcSS

April 22, 2026 · 48 min · Season 10 · Episode 8

About this episode

Philippe Aghion discusses the concept of creative destruction and its importance for economic growth with Will Hutton.

We end Season 10 with an intimate interview between the Nobel Prize winning economist Philippe Aghion and Will Hutton. They delve into the concept of "creative destruction," a term coined by economist Joseph Schumpeter, which highlights the dual nature of innovation in driving economic growth while simultaneously rendering older methods and certain industries and jobs obsolete. Aghion believes that for an economy to thrive creative destruction is key. They talk about certain countries such as Finland where creative destruction is allowed and supported to thrive by the Government. Aghion is Professor of Economics at the LSE. In the We Society podcast, join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems. Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on wesociety@acss.org.uk and tell us who we should be speaking to. The We Society podcast is brought to you by the Academy of Social Sciences in association with the Nuffield Foundation and the Leverhulme Trust…

People in this episode

Host: Will Hutton

Guest: Philippe Aghion

Topics covered

  • creative destruction
  • economic growth
  • innovation
  • social science
  • government policy

Keywords

  • creative destruction
  • Philippe Aghion
  • Will Hutton
  • economic growth
  • innovation
  • Finland
  • social science

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Academy of Social Sciences, Nuffield Foundation, Leverhulme Trust

Books & works: The We Society

Places: Finland

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