I am the author of The Work We Need (2025) and Radical Help: How We Can Remake the Relationships Between Us & Revolutionise the Welfare State (2019) published by Virago LittleBrown.
Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland has praised the forthcoming The Work We Need writing, ‘Hilary Cottam has done it again, pushing us to rethink our most basic assumptions about a fundamental aspect of our lives. Full of empathy, insight and the courage to think anew, Cottam is the humane revolutionary our turbulent century needs – and this book our roadmap to a better future ‘ Radical Help was hailed as ‘mind shifting’ in the New York Times and a read of the year in the Guardian.
My writing is born out of my social practice. I am happiest with my sleeves rolled up, working alongside communities, governments and change-makers from all walks of life. My current work includes a review of working life in England’s Upland communities, where I am asking those who live in these precious lands, what would enable flourishing for people, planet and place. This work is being undertaken at the invitation of the Secretary of State at Defra. I am also working with communities and local governments across the UK and in Scandinavia, who are seeking to implement the principles of Radical Help. Currently these collaborations have a particular emphasis on the work of health and social care. I am also collaborating with a number of companies and work organisations seeking to transform work. You can read more here.
If you would like to collaborate or invite me to speak you can find out more here. I enjoy speaking to public audiences for example at the Hay and Edinburgh Literature Festivals, the global business community and policy makers for example at the Brussels Economic Forums at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and with activists in village halls. You can also watch my TED talk