Big media and big money in 2017
From Disney/Murdoch to Net Neutrality. This week’s events have shown that the new digital media landscape is every bit as monopolistic as the old one. And what’s Murdoch up to now?
A Tale of Two Faltering Unions
An address at the Oxford Guild, Oxford University, on passionate believers who are troublemakers, Brexit negotiations, simulating a federation and other conundrums.
The web began dying in 2014
It may seem as though nothing has changed on the web – but since 2014, Google and Facebook hace acquired direct influence over more than 70% of internet traffic. They’re not stopping there.
Starvation and Cholera in Yemen
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world. The war is taking Yemen back to the dark ages. It is an immoral war, and it is a humanitarian disaster. The United States cannot and should not participate in such a slaughter.
Trump, Pence, Jerusalem: the Christian Zionism connection
The political use of a religious vision spells danger for Israel, America, and the world.
The State of the Market
The right balance between the role of the state and the market is key for susccesful development. In this video, Joseph Stiglitz explains why they should complement each other. This video was recorded at the UNU-WIDER 30th anniversary conference in Helsinki in September 2015.
How did 1917 change the west?
The Director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London looks back at the significance of Russia’s 1917 revolution. “Failed utopias lead to the death of idealism, and the likes of Putin and Trump are symbols of this process”.
The origins of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution is arguably the most important economic event in world history, and successful industrialisation continues to elude many developing countries today.
“The Constitution” by Rajko Grlić
Rajko Grlić’s latest film “The Constitution” is excellent, profound and moving. Set in a building where the political tensions of former Yugoslavia are played out with a mixture of hatred, good grace, solidarity and bigotry. An intelligent movie that must be seen.
The Soviet economy 1917-1991
Russia’s Soviet era was distinguished not by economic growth or human development, but by the use of the economy to build national power. The education of women and better survival rates of children improved opportunities for many citizens, but Soviet Russia was a tough and unequal environment.