News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
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 […]
March was a critical month for the unfolding of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world. While the virus started to spread rapidly across different countries, China, Spain and Italy portrayed a sombre future for those that left the virus unchecked. And that seemed to be the case for Brazil. As […]
The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the policymaking process into sharp focus, highlighting the complex and interconnected challenges on how to take decisive action in the face of so many ‘unknown unknowns’. As countries around the world move towards easing lockdown measures, governments have struggled with the unintended consequences of […]
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 […]
In 2018, Uganda passed a daily ‘social media tax’ of 200 Ugandan shillings (around US$0.05) for several internet applications, including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. Policymakers hoped the measure would increase revenue. It backfired: after the introduction of the tax, use of online platforms and tax revenues from these services plummeted […]
Christina is an engaged, capable and professional young woman. She excelled in her university studies and had the pick of employers for her first job. A strong commitment to her community led her to work for her country’s government, where she has progressed rapidly through a set of increasingly challenging […]
At the Blavatnik School of Government students are taught how to critically analyse, develop, and influence public policy. The tools and skills gained by students are universal and the ability to think about policy challenges through economic, philosophical, legal, scientific, and political lenses opens a wide array of professional paths. […]