News and views from the Blavatnik School of Government community 
As the world seeks to “build back better” from the COVID-19 crisis, and as China seeks a political re-set with the world, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) must adapt to a new reality. If China embraces and enforces social and environmental standards, its financial support can play a major […]
After COVID-19 there is a risk the world could be yet more divided, conflictual and nationalistic. But an alternative scenario is within reach. In this scenario, collective action within communities and, where necessary, internationally, will make a more rapid and peaceful exit from the crisis possible. The high-risk scenario […]
Even in ‘normal’ times, there’s nothing ordinary about the pace of innovation at the Blavatnik School. This was a school created to take on some of the biggest public policy challenges of our time, including climate change, inequality, extremism and corruption. So, when the COVID-19 crisis hit, it wasn’t surprising […]
The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented threat to both public health and the global economy. Only by ditching nationalist rhetoric and policies, and embracing stronger international cooperation, can governments protect the people they claim to represent. The world that emerges from the coronavirus pandemic may be a warring collection of […]
Countries around the world are adopting increasingly stringent policies to contain the spread of COVID-19, and digital tools have been important allies in governments’ responses to the virus. The internet has of course proved invaluable to fill the void left by social distancing, allowing individuals to continue to work, study, […]
Historically, English local councils aspired to be self-sufficient. Despite engaging in thorough collaboration with agencies outside of the local government system, local authorities have exhibited a remarkable aversion to the kinds of inter-municipal collaboration commonly practised in Europe and the USA. But this changed markedly after 2010, with the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government […]
With just over eight months to go, we now have a new COP26 president in place and preparations for the biggest international summit the UK has ever hosted are in full swing. Alok Sharma has no easy task. The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow this November for […]
Before the coronavirus exploded into the news, a report by the World Health Organization warned that the world was not prepared for “a fast-moving, virulent respiratory pathogen pandemic” that could kill 50-80 million people, cause panic and instability, and seriously affect the global economy and trade. The experience of the last 200-plus […]