
The civil service doesn't just need more scientists – it needs a decision-making revolution
Jan 24, 2020 05:42 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
The UK governments chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, recently said he was mounting a drive to recruit more scientists and engineers into the civil service. His comments echo the much-discussed call by the...
How political party data collection may turn off voters
Jan 24, 2020 05:41 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
The data collection practices used by political parties could pose a threat to voters engagement in the democratic process and could have negative implications for Canadian democracy. British Columbias Privacy...

Jan 24, 2020 05:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
Climate change no longer seems just a future threat. In 2019, major fires in Australia, Russia and California burned over 13.5 million hectares of land an area four times greater than the size of Belgium. Major floods and...

Quantitative easing now looks permanent – and has turned central banks into pseudo governments
Jan 24, 2020 05:38 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy Central Banks
After a pause of a few months, the worlds leading central banks are printing money again to try to bolster their economies. Commonly known as quantitative easing or QE, the European Central Bank (ECB) resumed its programme...

Big Tobacco wants social media influencers to promote its products – can the platforms stop it?
Jan 24, 2020 05:37 am UTC| Insights & Views Business
Big Tobacco likes to stay ahead of the curve it has to in order to survive. Its fundamental problem is that one in two of its long-term users die from tobacco-related diseases. To hook a new generation into addiction, it...

Ramaphosa's famous negotiating skills have failed him. Here's why
Jan 24, 2020 05:36 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
When Cyril Ramaphosa took over as president of South Africa in early 2018, there was a great deal of talk about a new dawn. But his term in office has failed to deliver, raising the question: has the legendary deal-maker...

Climate-linked financial crises loom, but the fix isn't up to central banks
Jan 24, 2020 05:35 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
The Bank for International Settlements the central bank for central banks made headlines this week with a report outlining how the next major financial crisis may come from unexpected climate risks. The book calls...