Prime Minister of Italy (2016 – 2018) - Paolo Gentiloni

Stop smoking, eat less, exercise more, pay your taxes on time. So many things governments want us to do; so hard to get us to do them.Shaun Ley speaks to behavioural economist Richard Thaler who thinks he has the answer. It's called 'nudge' theory, but it's not just an academic idea. Britain's Prime Minister is so impressed, he's set up a whole 'nudge unit' in the heart of his government. If you live in Britain, you may unwittingly already be part of a nudge experiment. So is the nudge guru teaching those in power how to encourage us to live better; or helping politicians to control us?

24 Okt 201223min

What has happened to Europe’s ambition to lead the world toward a low-carbon, sustainable future? As austerity bites, so doubts intensify about the wisdom of de-carbonising the European economy and financing greener growth in the developing world. Stephen Sackur speaks to the EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard. Are Europe’s politicians failing the climate change challenge?(Image: Connie Hedegaard, Credit: AFP/Getty)

20 Okt 201223min

The grandeur of the French foreign ministry in Paris gives a sense of how France sees its role in Europe - it's assumed here, Paris will have a dominant role in shaping the continent's future. But how does that square with current reality? The French economy is in a mess, the public is apparently disillusioned with the EU and the new Socialist government has yet to define a clear vision for Europe's future. Stephen Sackur speaks to France's Europe minister Bernard Cazeneuve.Is France capable of leading Europe out of its current crisis?(Image: Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister delegate for European Affairs, France. Credit: JOHN THYS/AFP/GettyImages)

17 Okt 201223min

The aviation industry is in trouble. Fuel prices have soared, there’s been a drop in passenger numbers and some airlines have gone out of business, but in Europe there’s one airline which is bucking the trend. The low-cost, no-frills Ryanair carried almost 80 million passengers last year. Michael O’Leary is the pugnacious, outspoken Chief Executive of Ryanair who has ambitions to make his airline even bigger, but how far can he fly before he gets shot down? He talks to Stephen Sackur in Dublin. (Image: Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive of Ryanair Credit: Getty Images)

12 Okt 201223min

With elections approaching in six months, many Kenyans are apprehensive. The last disputed presidential election resulted in violence which claimed 1500 lives. Two of today’s presidential candidates face charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague as a result of their alleged involvement in 2008’s bloodshed. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur talks to one of those men, former education minister, William Ruto. Are Kenya’s politicians failing their people?

9 Okt 201223min

In-depth, hard-hitting interviews with newsworthy personalities.

3 Okt 201223min

Can the euro be saved? Europe's leaders think so; its central bank says there's no limit to the money it's prepared to spend to defend it. But is their solution in danger of destroying not just a currency but Europe's union, too? Otmar Issing fears so. As one of the most senior officials when the European Central Bank was founded, he helped bring the euro into being. Until this year he advised Germany's Angela Merkel and he remains one of Europe's most influential economic voices. When the euro was being planned, Otmar Issing believed that political union was essential. Now he fears that centralising power in Brussels and Frankfurt and sharing financial risk could provoke a public backlash that would wreck both the currency and the continent.

1 Okt 201223min

In the lead-up to November's Presidential election in the United States, groups on the right and left are sounding the alarm at the influence of money on US politics.Katya Adler speaks to one guest who knows a lot about that. At the height of his career he made millions as a career lobbyist in Washington, wining, dining and influencing lawmakers. His fall from grace was dramatic and saw him publicly disgraced and imprisoned for fraud and bribery. A free man once again, Jack Abramoff says he is a reformed man, lobbying to correct what he describes as a corrupt system where he says his behaviour was and continues to be commonplace. Is he trying to make amends for his past or put the blame on others?

27 Sep 201223min