Reports & Media

Germany has voted. The result is not an earthquake, but a landslide. Read more

If all political careers end in failure, then Angela Merkel is the exception to the rule. When Germany goes to the elections on Sunday, the chancellor will not seek re-election after 16 years in power. Read more

The process of decision-making is complex. Furthermore, its significance transcends both the private and public sectors, and is crucial not just in politics. Read more

The vaccination phase of the Covid pandemic raises some tricky conflicts. The Government is reluctant to make vaccinations compulsory. Read more

Who thinks that the current Labour government should seek to emulate the “great traditions” of the 1935 Labour government? At least one person thinks it should, and his opinion counts. Read more

In his Budget speech last year, Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson, outlined the government’s policy aspirations. He saw Labour as being able to take decisions that “will define the lives and livelihoods of many people for years to come”. Read more

Recalling ambassadors from one’s allies is a special kind of diplomatic fireworks. Following the announcement of the new AUKUS defence alliance with Britain, France did just that to the US and Australia. Read more

Two years ago, Paul Romer warned the incoming President of the World Bank that the Bank should outsource its research function because “diplomacy and science cannot both thrive under the same roof.” The Bank depends on good relations with member countries. Romer had been World Bank Chief Economist from 2015 through his early 2018 departure, winning the Nobel Prize in Economics later in 2018. Read more

Arriving into the UK from New Zealand, the fear of entering a “Covid world” has proven unfounded. In England, more than 90% of adults have Covid antibodies either from vaccination or having had Covid-19. Read more

Reading the great philosophers is intimidating: Long sentences, difficult language. Now there is hope for us mortals. Read more