How is social change advanced? How do leaders build institutions in low-trusting environments? How do we inspire, design, plan, influence, guide, steer and make change in our relationships, our communities, our society, and our planet? These are some of the questions about making change that we navigate in the conversation with Andrew Boraine. Andrew Boraine joins our host, Annelisse Escobar to discuss the process of change through his experience in post-Apartheid South Africa. Andrew refers...

“The Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in late 2022, is a landmark agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030. A key target in the framework is to mobilise at least $200 billion per year from public and private sources for biodiversity-related funding. How will we achieve that? Our host, Chiraag Shah, is joined in this episode by Anna Ducros and Andreas Hansen to discuss what is biodiversity finance and what are some of the financing mechanisms available to achieve the...

“You betrayed us. I've just been a donkey my whole life and you told me my child's life would be different [if they went to school]. But now I’ve learned that he hasn't learned anything”. Join us in a thought-provoking conversation with  Lant Pritchett, Visiting Scholar and Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government and Research Director of the RISE program (Research on Improving Systems of Education). We will discuss development, aid, RCTs, failing education systems and how to...

The Vatican and its various bodies are not only heading the Catholic Church but also disseminating thinking and advancing work in different social policy themes. Amongst those, ecology and peacebuilding are discussed here. But how does that work? Our host, Baudouin de Hemptinne, is joined in this episode by Professor Joshtrom Kureethadam and Professor Gerard Powers. Kureethadam is heading the Dicastery for Integral Development and is Chair of Philosophy of Science and Director at the Salesian...

One year ago the world held its breath as the Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. In this particular special episode, we welcome Prof. Andrew Hoskins, whose expertise concerns the impact of digitisation of contemporary warfare on society, and Kanykei Tursunbaeva, a journalist from Ukraine and research associate at the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, who reports directly from Odesa, where she has been covering the conflict first-hand. In the episode, we discussed how social media...

Just six months out of office, Colombian president Ivan Duque Marquez shares his personal insights and reflections on his government period. Having led the country during the pandemic he explains how he was able to navigate the political scene and whether or not he would have done anything different in his leadership (7:09). He also inherited the early stages of Colombian recently signed Peace Agreement and was in charge of strengthening the necessary institutions for its...

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting has been garnering more attention in recent years – especially the environmental component. But how reliable is a reporting method that is not auditable or verifiable? Our host, Benjamin Weiser, is joined by Professor Karthik Ramanna. Professor Karthik Ramanna is a Professor of Business and Public Policy, and Chair of the Master of Public Policy Program at the Blavatnik School of Government. He is also the founder and co-director of the...

For policymakers and governments, new challenges emerge nowadays to communicate effectively with citizens. The evolution of media channels, trust deficit, misinformation, social dislocation, emotional connection in media content, and nudging are among the long list of changes institutional communication is faced with. Our host, Baudouin de Hemptinne, is joined in this episode by Sean Larkins. Both of them lead the government practice of WPP, one of the leading communications agencies...

COP27, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, was expected to be the ‘Implementation COP’ that would translate previous commitments and plans for tackling climate change into tangible action. However, the immediate reaction in the aftermath of the conference was that it was marred by organisational issues and ultimately failed to deliver on its promise.  Our host, Vitor Tomaz, is joined in this episode by Professor Thomas Hale, who attended COP27, to discuss the evolution of global climate...

COP27, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, was expected to be the ‘Implementation COP’ that would translate previous commitments into tangible action.  Our host, Vitor Tomaz, is joined in this episode by Dr Courtney Howard to discuss her intellectual journey into climate advocacy, how global health advocacy and organisations can also push forward climate goals, and what a civil society participant aims to achieve at a global climate conference like COP.  Dr. Courtney Howard is a current MPP...

Welcome to Oxford Policy Pod Season 5! The new cohort of the Blavatnik School of Government brings you a new set of episodes. We will be having short conversations with practitioners worldwide to understand today's policymaking challenges.

The recent 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party revealed Xi Jinping’s intention to present to the world an image of a “credible, loveable, and respectable China.” The pursuit of soft power is inseparable from other government initiatives – China spends an estimated $10 billion on initiatives aimed at enhancing its soft power around the globe. Yet, public opinion polling from Pew Research shows that China is viewed unfavorably in many advanced economies. This data raises...

The COVID-19 crisis forced school closures in 188 countries, disrupting the learning process of more than 1.7 billion children, youth, and their families. This had immediate short-term temporary learning loss effects. However, long-term impacts like curbed educational aspirations and disengagement from the school system may be irreversible. This podcast episode deep dives into these adverse consequences and mitigation strategies as schools re-open.  Our host Nikunj Agarwal is joined in this...

In September 2015, leaders from around the world gathered in New York at the United Nations General Assembly and committed to an ambitious global agenda, setting forth seventeen “Sustainable Development Goals”, or SDGs, to be achieved by 2030. These goals, if accomplished, would mark incredible feats of human history. Unfortunately, the most recent report from the UN Economic and Social Council shows that the world is not on track to meet these targets by the 2030 deadline. This episode of...

This episode provides an update on the political and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. In August 2021, after the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan after twenty years of military presence, the Taliban took control of the country. Almost one year after the withdrawal, other global events have eclipsed Afghanistan in global media headlines, but the situation on the ground remains dire. In this episode, we will explore the most pressing humanitarian issues facing the...

On the eve of the first round of the 2022 presidential election in Colombia, this episode dives into some of the major political currents affecting the region. Over the past several months, leftist candidates have won the presidencies of Chile, Honduras, and Peru, and former left-wing guerilla Gustavo Petro is leading in the polls in Colombia. This episode explores what is driving these political developments, and if they represent the beginning of a long-term decisive shift toward left-wing...

This episode discusses the challenges associated with the transition to a net-zero future in Africa. Presently, more than 600 million people across the continent lack access to electricity, and many African countries are reliant on fossil fuels for economic development. At the same time, Africa only accounts for 2-3% of global carbon emissions. This reality means that the transition to a cleaner economy may impose an acute burden on people living in Africa.  Our host, Ujunwa Ojemeni, is...

This episode discusses the challenges associated with migration and human displacement in the context of climate change, and explores policy responses available to international organisations. Given the complex interactions between climate change, conflict and displacement, many humanitarian agencies and NGOs are only just beginning to come to grips with the implications of climate change on displacement issues.  Our host, Roshan Melwani, is joined by Dr. Nina Hall, an Assistant Professor of...

Have you ever wondered how the disastrous impacts of climate change affect national and global security? How do we, states, and international organizations respond to these and prepare for imminent challenges?   In this first episode of our Earth Month "Climate” series, host Logan Williams and the team at the Climate Change and (In)security Project discuss the intersections of climate change and national security and the challenges that come with addressing this existential threat. From...

As we close International Women’s Month, this episode discusses the economic challenges and opportunities facing women all over the world.

This episode discusses the housing crisis that cities around the world are facing, and explores the public policy solutions needed to address it.

On February 24th, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since the initial invasion, the Russian army has made significant advances on the capital Kyiv and several other major cities. This invasion has shocked the world and has resulted in a level of violence that has rarely been seen in Europe since the Second World War. Tragically, many civilians have lost their lives and the conflict continues more than two weeks later without a clear end in sight. This first episode of Season 4...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Oxford Policy Pod, based out of the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. This season, join students in the 2021-2022 Masters of Public Policy cohort who will guide you through policy challenges shaping our world.

March 15 marked the 10 year of the start of the conflict in Syria. This conflict that started as civilians protests against the Assad regime quickly became a proxy war waged on many different fronts. Over the course of 10 years, 12 million Syrians – half the pre-conflict population were displaced. Over 400,000 Syrians lost their lives in this crisis and the infrastructure is in shambles with no straight path forward. This raises a lot of questions about how reconstruction should occur and...

As the COVID-19 daily confirmed cases and death rates decrease in some African countries, the need for strategically re-opening economies and developing sustainable recovery plans has become increasingly imminent. The pandemic offers an opportunity to build forward better. To understand what building forward better means in practice, our correspondent Hafsa Anouar is joined by Professor Kevin Chika Urama, Senior Director of the African Development Institute at the African Development Bank....