<p>When you think of people in debt, what do you imagine? Irresponsible people who leave telephones ringing and hide from debt collectors, or people faced with an impossible situation?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Ryan Davey, author of ‘The Personal Life of Debt’, about the true, everyday lives of indebted people.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>They discuss the people Ryan met during his fieldwork on a southern English housing estate, the reality of living on the ‘never-never’, and what changes, to debt itself and society as a whole, are needed to break this vicious cycle.</p><br><p>Find out more about the book at: <a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-personal-life-of-debt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-personal-life-of-debt</a></p><br><p>The transcript is available here: <a href="https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/10/24/podcast-are-people-really-to-blame-for-their-debt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/10/24/podcast-are-people-really-to-blame-for-their-debt/</a></p><br><p>Timestamps:</p><p>1:55 – What was your experience of Woldham during your research?</p><p>7:52 – Did you experience any class tension?</p><p>10:07 – How can debt be worse now than during the 2008 financial crash?</p><p>17:08 – What is ‘living on the never-never’ and what does it mean to different people?</p><p>25:46 – Are these communities perfect prey for credit?</p><p>32:19 – How does the rescue mindset of child protection manifest in a place like Woldham?</p><p>38:35 – What affect did right to buy, and other similar policies, have on working class communities?</p><p>44:34 – Why would debt advisors have negative views of debtors?</p><p>51:03 – What changes are needed to break this unending cycle of debt?</p><br><p>Intro music:</p><p>Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax</p><p>Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com&nbsp;</p><p>Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</p><p>creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Transforming Society podcast

Bristol University Press

PODCAST: Are people really to blame for their debt?

OCT 24, 202556 MIN
Transforming Society podcast

PODCAST: Are people really to blame for their debt?

OCT 24, 202556 MIN

Description

<p>When you think of people in debt, what do you imagine? Irresponsible people who leave telephones ringing and hide from debt collectors, or people faced with an impossible situation?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode, Richard Kemp speaks with Ryan Davey, author of ‘The Personal Life of Debt’, about the true, everyday lives of indebted people.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>They discuss the people Ryan met during his fieldwork on a southern English housing estate, the reality of living on the ‘never-never’, and what changes, to debt itself and society as a whole, are needed to break this vicious cycle.</p><br><p>Find out more about the book at: <a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-personal-life-of-debt" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-personal-life-of-debt</a></p><br><p>The transcript is available here: <a href="https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/10/24/podcast-are-people-really-to-blame-for-their-debt/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2025/10/24/podcast-are-people-really-to-blame-for-their-debt/</a></p><br><p>Timestamps:</p><p>1:55 – What was your experience of Woldham during your research?</p><p>7:52 – Did you experience any class tension?</p><p>10:07 – How can debt be worse now than during the 2008 financial crash?</p><p>17:08 – What is ‘living on the never-never’ and what does it mean to different people?</p><p>25:46 – Are these communities perfect prey for credit?</p><p>32:19 – How does the rescue mindset of child protection manifest in a place like Woldham?</p><p>38:35 – What affect did right to buy, and other similar policies, have on working class communities?</p><p>44:34 – Why would debt advisors have negative views of debtors?</p><p>51:03 – What changes are needed to break this unending cycle of debt?</p><br><p>Intro music:</p><p>Cold by yoitrax | @yoitrax</p><p>Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com&nbsp;</p><p>Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License</p><p>creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>