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2024 is a significant year for elections with over 60 countries having been to the polls or are going to the polls this year. The United States election on 5 November is without doubt the most consequential. Read more
Having worked at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney from 2008 to 2012, I know how inspirational the think tank’s annual Consilium conference can be. Last week’s gathering on the Gold Coast certainly was, not least because of a remarkable speech by historian Sir Niall Ferguson. Read more
In this episode, Dr Eric Crampton and Prof Steven Hamilton explore why New Zealand and Australia's COVID responses shared similar successes and failures despite their different paths. Their conversation draws from Prof Hamilton's new book "Australia's Pandemic Exceptionalism: How we crushed the curve but lost the race," examining how both countries excelled at initial elimination and wage subsidies but stumbled with testing regulations and vaccine procurement, ultimately revealing important lessons about institutional capacity and adaptable policy responses for future pandemics. Read more
In this episode, Oliver and Nick talk to Oliver Wittke, former mayor of Gelsenkirchen. They discuss a significant local government reform in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that could offer valuable insights for New Zealand's current system. Read more
There are easier jobs than NATO Secretary-General. And if you have just finished almost 14 years as Dutch PM, it is hardly a downscaling option. Read more
For decades after World War II, Austria was a model of political stability to the point of boredom. The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and the centre-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) dominated the political landscape. Read more
It was an ambitious plan to make the European Union the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy within a decade. It aimed to boost innovation, productivity and economic growth across the bloc. Read more
On Sunday, Germany experienced a political earthquake. For the first time since 1933, a far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), became the largest party in a state election. Read more
New Zealand often reminds me of The Shire, the peaceful abode of the hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Read more
Classic-era Simpsons episodes may not have had the solutions to all of life’s problems, but they did get a few things right. Be sceptical of monorail salesmen. Read more