The Good Society

Join the University of York, Compass and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on Friday 20 February as we partner for the launch of Professor Kate Pickett’s new book, The Good Society!

The ‘Good Society’ is a paragon of Compass’ work – the lodestar that we hold in all things we do. As a result, this book is a comprehensive insight into the world we want to build and how we can do that. The Good Society argues that many of the biggest challenges we face in this country – declining health outcomes, failing care systems, gaps in education, crime, and environmental damage – share a common root: inequality. Kate Pickett dares to ask what would the ideal, realistic outcome on all of these be, and used real-world examples to show that those ideal outcomes do exist in separate places. Drawing on well-researched evidence and real-world examples, Kate Pickett shows that fairer societies are healthier, safer, greener, and more prosperous, and that building the Good Society is a political choice, not a utopian dream.

To showcase that the world we want can be built and to talk through the ideas in this book, we are joined by three of the foremost names who are committed to this vision:

• Professor Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, where she leads the Public Health & Society research group and is Director of the Born in Bradford Center for Social Change at the University of York. She is an academic co-director of Health Equity North. Kate is also a Fellow of the RSA and of the UK Faculty of Public Health and the Academy of Social Sciences. She is co-author, with Richard Wilkinson, of the award-winning and best-selling The Spirit Level (2009) and The Inner Level (2018).
• Rachael Maskell is the Member of Parliament for York Central and has used her position to advocate against inequality. She chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Adoption and Permanence, Ageing and Older People, and Dying Well. She had the Labour Whip suspended in July 2025 for, in part, voting against the Government's plans to reform the PIP welfare system. The whip was restored in November 2025.
• Helen Barnard is Director of Policy and Research at Trussell. She was formerly Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Research and Policy Director at Pro Bono Economics. She is a leading national expert on poverty, inequality and social policy. Her extensive body of research and policy work have covered poverty, destitution, labour markets, housing, social security and civil society. She is author of ‘Want (Giants: a new Beveridge Report)’ which examines modern day poverty and the institutions and reforms required to address it.

Register here to join us for what is sure to be an unforgettable event!

“[A] thought-provoking, erudite book” - Martin Chilton, The Independent

“a challenging read and one that contains a vital positive message: we can move towards a fairer, healthier, more compassionate and sustainable society.” - Martin Chilton, The Independent

“Pickett…shines a light for hope – an elusive thing in these dark days.” - Martin Chilton, The Independent

If you are interested in this event, you may also like to attend The Future of Education: Driving social change and life chances on 26 February.