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public policy

February 9, 2021

New Zealand beat Covid-19 without a vaccine: this is how they did it

Lynda Gilby Lynda Gilby explains how and why, against expectations, it is New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has proved to be one of (if not the) most successful in the world Read more

December 21, 2020

Academic activists want to break out of their ivory towers, but in doing so risk creating a new form of elitism

Francesco Saverio Montesano An increasing number of scholars want to campaign for positive change outside the academic echo chamber, but overlook their own evidence when they refuse to engage with any view not exclusively based on science. Francesco S. Montesano argues that this will only deepen the gap between ‘experts’ and the rest of society Read more

December 16, 2020

Sweden stands out for its soft approach to the pandemic – but the jury is still out on whether it will work

Oscar Larsson Unlike most other countries, Sweden adopted a ‘soft’ approach to managing the Coronavirus pandemic, flying in the face of ‘securitisation theory’. Oscar Larsson considers whether its approach will succeed Read more

December 15, 2020

The Constitutional Court struck down the Austrian government’s discriminatory welfare policies against migrants and refugees. But that won't prevent social exclusion

Irene Landini The Austrian government's openly discriminatory policies against migrants have been invalidated by the Constitutional Court and challenged by the European Commission. But, argues Irene Landini, that has not ended ‘welfare chauvinism’ and social exclusion, either in Austria or elsewhere in Europe Read more

October 28, 2020

How we can learn from South Korea and Singapore in their responses to Covid-19: the ‘precautionary principle’

Kannen Ramsamy Covid-19 is a crisis caused by scientific and evidential uncertainty. Kannen Ramsamy argues that adopting the so-called ‘precautionary principle’ in developing policy responses is crucial. Countries that have not done so, such as the US and Sweden, are now paying a heavy price Read more

September 30, 2020

Why the coronacrisis is strengthening, not weakening, the European Union

Marianne Riddervold Contrary to popular belief, Covid-19 has not pushed the EU to the verge of an existential crisis. Rather, the pandemic has prompted common health and economic policies which have led to greater integration, write Marianne Riddervold, Jarle Trondal, and Akasemi Newsome Read more

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