We all need psychoanalysis – it would make Britain a happier, kinder place
Susanna Rustin
With one in four teenage girls being depressed, it’s clear that there is no shortage of people needing help, says Guardian writer and editor Susanna Rustin
Meritocracy is a myth. But reforming education could make it real
Frances Ryan
The UK has some of the most socially segregated schools in the developed world. That has to change, says Frances Ryan, who writes the Hardworking Britain column for the Guardian
If they are to understand our digital world, MPs should play videogames
Rob Gallagher
Tech is all-powerful and all-pervasive. The gaming industry reflects (and lampoons) this better than any other medium, writes PhD research associate Rob Gallagher
Don’t lock up young offenders – send them to top boarding schools instead
Afua Hirsch
Placing at-risk children in custody doesn’t work. They need the same educational support as their richer peers, says writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch
We should stop maligning U-turns. They can avert disaster
Nesrine Malik
Instead of shaming those who change their minds, we should be grateful they have the flexibilty and the humility to admit they were wrong, says writer and commentator Nesrine Malik
The west’s wealth is based on slavery. Reparations should be paid
Kehinde Andrews
If the countries that became rich by exploiting human flesh paid their debts, the world would be a radically fairer place says Kehinde Andrews, associate professor in sociology at Birmingham City University
Let’s restrict the number of privately educated people in Britain’s elite
Ellie Mae O'Hagan
A quota system would redress the woeful under-representation of state-educated people in our establishment, and improve the quality of our government, writes freelance journalist Ellie Mae O’Hagan
The benefits to society would be profound – not least that people would learn the difference between a joke and a threat, says comedy writer Jack Bernhardt
Why are so many people dying from opiate overdoses? It’s our broken society
Marc Lewis
Neuroscientist and author Marc Lewis examines how today’s stressed, isolated existence has created a soaring number of overdose deaths as drugs fill our emotional void
What if we could stop exploiting people and cut unemployment at a stroke?
Phil McDuff
The unavailability of decent jobs is a problem that looks likely to get worse. But there’s a policy solution for this: a job guarantee underwritten by government
• Phil McDuff writes on economics and social policy
What if tech tried to be healing instead of just addictive?
Rohan Gunatillake
Whether you are a giant global platform or a hip new startup, the most important first step in your business plan should be to care about mental wellbeing
Schools don’t prepare children for life. Here’s the education they really need
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
From computer coding to toilet unblocking, we need well-rounded citizens, not rote-taught robots – and what you learn shouldn’t depend on where you live
