News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
I’ve just finished running a global commission based here at the Blavatnik School of Government: Pathways for Prosperity, co-chaired by – among others – Melinda Gates. It was set up to challenge the narrative that in developing countries, technology necessarily equals catastrophic job losses and widening inequalities, and to explore […]
The bushfires in Australia are unprecedented and devastating. Yet one of the most inspiring things in the wake of the destruction is the outpouring of support from Australians and friends overseas to donate to the rural fire services, humanitarian organisations and animal support agencies. Giving to these organisations is meaningful […]
There is much discussion on possible causes for the unrest of people around the world, even in countries with good macroeconomic performance. A common cause seems to be the sense of exclusion, either because of the perception that other groups are doing better or for fear of losing political rights and […]
Although the media often depict giant corporations as the engine of the American workforce, the opposite is closer to the truth. Global retail giant Walmart, for example, employs about 1.5 million workers in the US alone – about 1% of America’s workforce. Other major corporations such as Amazon, Home Depot, […]
The question of what duties are owed to future generations is a puzzling and difficult intellectual problem. It has ceased to be only that, however. As members of younger generations – millennials, born 1981–2000, and Gen Z, born since 2000 – encounter unexpected challenges in the economy, there is a […]
Whatever we might say is right or wrong with cities of the 21st century, they’re indisputably a defining feature of our age. As much as we’re post-modern, post-gender or post-colonial, we’re also post-rural. Our existence, for an increasing majority, is urban. Even more than that, our aspirations are urban. This […]
We all want to see the recovery of investment in Brazil. The fall in investment has been a major factor in the weakness of our GDP, and its resumption is the path to more jobs and social peace. Despite the clouds in the global trade arena, several elements favouring investment […]
In my home country of Pakistan, I have witnessed the lack of opportunities for women to achieve their full economic potential. Policymakers must identify transformative policy solutions for women to develop skills, earn an income, and secure equitable access to credit, information and markets. Increasing women’s labour force participation will […]