News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
COVID-19 has offered some tough but useful lessons about governance. Many wealthy countries did not manage the crisis as well as anticipated, whereas many poorer, populous, and vulnerable countries exceeded expectations. The difference raises important questions not just about public health management but also about the state of governance in […]
The Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December saw countries making various kinds of pledge to accelerate emission-cutting: ending use of fossil fuels (Barbados), putting an end to new coal-fired power station building (Pakistan), making deeper reductions over the next decade (Colombia, Rwanda)… and setting a net zero emissions target (Kazakhstan). Welcome, Kazakhstan, to the […]
With governments ratcheting up COVID-19 restrictions in many parts of the world, the public is trying to understand – and comply with – seemingly contradictory policies. For example, in many places you can meet your friend at the pub but not in your house. When cases rise, should we close bars or […]
Picture this. It’s 1932, the height of the Great Depression in the United States. The unemployment rate is over 20% and growing. American citizens are looking to the government for answers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is running for the US presidency against incumbent President Herbert Hoover. On the campaign trail, FDR […]
When citizens of the United States go to the polls next month, they will be engaged in an act of faith. They don’t know what will happen in the election or in the weeks, months and years after their election. Like believers lighting a votive candle in a church to […]
Although China and the US are strategic rivals, each depends on global markets, finance and innovation, and needs to co-opt other countries and regions in order to sustain its own power. For this reason, both will use multilateralism, formal and informal, to protect the system within which they have flourished […]
On 24 June 2020, Ib Petersen was appointed to serve as the Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Management of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Mr Petersen brings over 30 years’ experience serving the Danish government in bilateral and multilateral affairs and development. He has served as Director for the […]
The changing scene of global trade After graduating from high school, I spent the summer of 2011 at the Université de Fribourg in Switzerland. I visited international organisations, interacted with international experts and senior officials, learned about trade and advocacy, and developed an understanding of the role of international organisations […]