The Big Q
Questions - Ideas - Scholarship - DebatesProject for Public Interest Media
Politics & Society
How can we adapt anticorruption enforcement to an age of populism and polarization?
The resurgence of populism, coupled with increasing polarization, are making it easier for corrupt politicians to evade accountability, even in countries with functional legal and judicial systems.
What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkey and its “corona diplomacy”?
Looming economic problems have not prevented Ankara from showcasing its soft power and engaging in “corona diplomacy.”
Bolsonaro’s handling of COVID-19 in Brazil is a disaster: “So What?”
When Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll passed China’s some days ago, a local reporter asked Jair Bolsonaro his thoughts on the morbid figures. The president’s first answer “So what?”
Will the U.S. Supreme Court leave presidential elections open to corruption?
Electors from the 2016 Presidential Election have brought a case in the Supreme Court challenging “faithless elector” laws as unconstitutional.
What is the future of the New Zealand media sphere post-COVID? 🔊
Change is happening quickly in the New Zealand media sphere as companies try to adapt to a new world post-COVID.
Is Islamic State back?
In the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic the crises of tomorrow can fester. A resurgence of Islamic State (IS) is likely to be one of them.
Science & Technology
Why are COVID-19 infection rates so different across countries?
One of the interesting features of the COVID-19 pandemic is the different incidence rates of the disease and the different mortality percentages, across countries.
From COVID-19 to a sustainable climate: What is the way forward?
People and governments have the chance to learn from Covid-19, and build a new sustainable climate future with a watchful eye on our Sustainable Development Goals, writes Professor Ralph Cooney.
Climate change: Is it worse than we thought?
Just how hot will it get this century? Latest climate models suggest it could be worse than we thought
Coronavirus lockdown: Is a low-carbon future possible?
Lockdown’s effect on air pollution provides a rare glimpse of low-carbon future.
How did the Hubble Space Telescope open our eyes to the first galaxies of the universe?
The famous telescope is celebrating thirty years of operation.
How bad is the state of New Zealand’s rivers?
The latest environmental report on New Zealand’s lakes and rivers reiterates bleak news about the state of freshwater ecosystems, and warns that climate change will exacerbate existing threats.
Business & Economics
How can we rebuild our economies fairly post-COVID?
Rich and poor don’t recover equally from epidemics. Rebuilding fairly will be a global challenge.
Are Google and Facebook taking New Zealand for a ride? A trans-Tasman divide on social media
“There is an emerging dichotomy in the attitude of governments on either side of the Tasman toward social media companies. New Zealand treats these transnationals with kid gloves while Australia is pulling on the boxing gloves.”
What is the future of the New Zealand media sphere post-COVID? 🔊
Change is happening quickly in the New Zealand media sphere as companies try to adapt to a new world post-COVID.
Is the Italian economy ready to re-start after the lockdown?
The lockdown, introduced at the beginning of March to contain the spread of Covid-19, has been an economic nightmare for the country.
What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Turkey and its “corona diplomacy”?
Looming economic problems have not prevented Ankara from showcasing its soft power and engaging in “corona diplomacy.”
From COVID-19 to a sustainable climate: What is the way forward?
People and governments have the chance to learn from Covid-19, and build a new sustainable climate future with a watchful eye on our Sustainable Development Goals, writes Professor Ralph Cooney.
Arts & Culture
Will COVID quieten Beethoven’s big birthday?
The 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth would surely be loud, public, monumental, teleological, triumphant, heroic—like the music of the man himself. Right? Wrong, on both counts.
What is decolonisation?
Many writers only loosely define what they mean by it, and others use it as a general black box for addressing the negative impacts of colonisation upon Indigenous peoples.
How much do we trust our news media?
A survey released last week tells us 53 percent of New Zealanders trust overall news sources most of the time.
First in Family: Our University Voyages
Awarding-winning filmmaker Professor Annie Goldson didn’t have to travel too far from her University of Auckland desk for her latest documentary production, with Dr ‘Ema Wolfgramm-Foliaki.
Why is it so hard to stop COVID-19 misinformation spreading on social media?
Even before the coronavirus arrived to turn life upside down and trigger a global infodemic, social media platforms were under growing pressure to curb the spread of misinformation.
How can we recognise misinformation and disinformation? 🔊
The great promises of the internet to offer inter-connectedness and the spread of great ideas has brought great challenges in discerning fact from fiction.