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Vladimir Bortun

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oxford
I am a critical political scientist interested in political elites, class, left parties, transnational politics, and the EU. Currently, I work on the Changing Elites project, hosted by the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Here, I focus on the impact of class background on the ideology and decision-making of power elites.
At the same time, I am developing a research agenda around the class character of right-wing populist parties in Western Europe. I am interested, in particular, in their economic policymaking and the class background of their party elites.
My work is rooted in a historical materialist approach and has been published so far in the Journal of Common Market Studies, Capital & Class, New Political Science, Qualitative Research, and European Political Science. My first book, "Crisis, Austerity and Transnational Party Cooperation in Southern Europe: The Radical Left's Lost Decade", was published in 2023 by Palgrave Macmillan.

Economy

Swiss National Bank Scales Back Currency Interventions After Taming Inflation

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) significantly reduced its foreign currency interventions in 2024, purchasing just 1.2 billion Swiss francs ($1.36 billion) after selling 132.9 billion francs in 2023. The drastic shift...

Asian Stocks Surge as Hong Kong Rallies on AI Hype and China Stimulus

Asian stocks climbed on Tuesday, with Hong Kong leading gains as optimism over Chinas economic stimulus and growing confidence in AI innovation fueled a rally in major tech stocks. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index jumped nearly...

Oil Prices Rise Amid Gaza Strikes and Fed Uncertainty

Oil prices gained in Asian trading Tuesday after Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, allegedly violating a ceasefire following failed hostage negotiations. Brent crude rose 0.4% to $71.32 per barrel, while WTI climbed 0.4%...

Gold Surges Past $3,000 Again Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Dollar Weakness

Gold prices soared past the $3,000 mark for the second time in a week, hitting a record high of $3,014.83 per ounce on Tuesday as investors sought refuge from economic uncertainty. Spot gold was up 0.4% at $3,012.74 per...

ANZ Raises China’s 2025 Growth Forecast Amid Stronger Industrial Output and Policy Support

ANZ analysts have upgraded their 2025 GDP growth forecast for China to 4.8% from 4.3%, citing robust industrial production and new policy measures aimed at boosting consumption and market confidence. The bank also raised...

Politics

Global CEOs to Convene in Beijing as China Seeks Foreign Investment Amid Economic Challenges

Dozens of global CEOs will attend the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 23-24, with some expected to meet President Xi Jinping on March 28. This high-profile event comes as China seeks to attract foreign...

Trump Takes Over Kennedy Center, Criticizes ‘Disrepair’ and Threatens Changes

U.S. President Donald Trump visited the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, marking his first appearance since appointing himself chairman. Trump criticized the iconic venue, calling it tremendously...

Trump to Press Putin for Ceasefire in Ukraine Amid High-Stakes Call

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, aiming to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The call will test Trumps negotiation skills and his...

Judge Challenges Trump Over Controversial Venezuelan Deportations

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to explain the deportation of 261 Venezuelans, despite a court ruling blocking the flights. President Donald Trump claims the deported individuals were linked to Tren de...

NASA Astronauts Return to Earth After Prolonged ISS Mission

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth after an extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Originally set for an eight-day test, their journey stretched to nine months...

Science

Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve

Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...

One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today

In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Technology

BYD Stock Hits Record High After Unveiling Ultra-Fast EV Charging Platform

Shares of BYD Co (HK:1211) surged to an all-time high on Tuesday following the companys launch of an advanced electric vehicle (EV) platform with ultra-fast charging technology and plans for a nationwide charging network....

Tesla Stock Drops 5% After YouTube Video Exposes Autopilot Flaws

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares fell 5% on Monday, underperforming the broader markets 0.6% gain. Meanwhile, Luminar Technologies (NASDAQ: LAZR), a leading LiDAR maker, surged 27.5%. The market shift follows a viral video by...

AstraZeneca Acquires EsoBiotec for $1B to Boost Cell Therapy Innovations

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) has announced plans to acquire biotechnology company EsoBiotec for up to $1 billion, aiming to advance its cell therapy capabilities, particularly for cancer and autoimmune treatments. The deal...

SpaceX Crew-10 Arrives at ISS to Bring Stranded Astronauts Home

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday, completing a 29-hour journey from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. The Crew-10 mission, which launched Friday at 7:03 p.m....

Baidu Unveils AI Models to Rival DeepSeek, Boosts Competition in China’s AI Race

Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU) has launched two new artificial intelligence models, including the reasoning-focused ERNIE X1, aiming to rival Chinese AI startup DeepSeek in an increasingly competitive AI landscape. DeepSeek has...