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MEET THE GUESTS

American Professor of Government Ned Lebow warns us we are missing the point if we think economic greed and the desire for national security are the only motivations governing foreign policy.

He says it is essential to take into account a nation's self-esteem and honour in order to understand the driving forces behind war and conflict.

Writer and historian Lisa Appignanesi surveys our changing attitudes to mental illness over the last 200 years, particularly among women.

What has caused the substantial growth in the number of mental disorders in the last century? Are we simply counting things we haven't counted before, or do we have sicker societies?

Austrian physicist Peter Klimek provides statistical explanations for why decision-making bodies comprising more than 20 members are rarely effective, backing up observations on bureaucratic inefficiency formulated half a century ago by the historian and satirist CN Parkinson.

He also calculates when a worker ceases to be effective at his or her job.