Topic_
Government & politics
News and analysis of domestic and international politics and government
Latest news
29 August 2024
Why Americans do political speeches so well (and debates so badly)
While US political culture is defined by visionary speeches that can launch presidential careers, such as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream," Australia's political speeches, like Keating's Redfern address, are memorable but rare. Why? Associate Professor David Smith explores.
13 August 2024
Making workers return to the office might not make them any more productive, despite what NSW premier says
Employers and workers agree that working from home is more productive, with most time saved on commuting spent working instead, writes Professor David Hensher for The Conversation.
12 August 2024
Young and vulnerable will keep fighting for a safe climate
Dr Blanche Verlie, Sydney Horizon Fellow from Gender and Cultural Studies, argues we must both adapt to climate change and continue to reduce emissions in her review of Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld's new book Living Hot: Surviving and Thriving on a Heating Planet.
09 August 2024
Giving early childhood educators an extra 15% is good policy, and even better politics
The pay rise is a partial amendment for gender pay inequity and prevents providers from hitting families with excessive fee rises, writes Professor John Buchanan for The Conversation.
08 August 2024
'Political nepo babies': The global rise and consequences
In an age when so-called "nepo babies" are criticised for their unfair advantages, democratic voters around the world continue to support those with familial ties to the powerful. A recent study sheds light on the pervasive phenomenon of hereditary democracy.
07 August 2024
Research centre to build gender equality at work
World-leading research is paired with practical, evidence-based insights at a new multidisciplinary research centre with a practical mission.
01 August 2024
A decade of disorientation: The biggest leadership challenge of the future
A Sydney Executive Plus report has identified the leadership skills key to futureproofing, ranging from the urgent to the unexpected.
31 July 2024
Does Donald Trump really want to be a dictator?
David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy in the Discipline of Government and International Relations, unpacks the language Donald Trump is using to address his Christian audience.
31 July 2024
How old housing and time of use electricity rates are leaving some households worse off
New research from Dr Lee White in the School of Social and Political Sciences suggests the energy efficiency of a person's home shapes how they respond to electricity rates that vary with time of use.
25 July 2024
Nitrogen emissions have a net cooling effect. But researchers warn against a climate solution.
An international team of researchers has found that nitrogen emissions from fertilisers and fossil fuels have a net cooling effect on the climate. But they warn increasing atmospheric nitrogen has further damaging effects on the environment, calling for an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to halt global warming.
24 July 2024
Who is Kamala Harris and how might she fare against Trump?
Jared Mondschein from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney provides a history of Kamala Harris' political career and outlines the potential challenges that lay ahead if she becomes the next Democratic nominee for the 2024 US election.
19 July 2024
Quantum technologies: the time to discuss risks is now
A huge race is on to develop quantum technologies. It's important to consider the potential security and economic implications of quantum science breakthroughs, write Professor James Der Derian and Dr Stuart Rollo from the Centre for International Security Studies.
16 July 2024
Past shootings of US presidents led to new gun controls - will this one?
David Smith, Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy in the Discipline of Government and International Relations, looks into the history of the AR-15 rifle and attempts at gun control in America.
12 July 2024
Why real wages have fallen in Australia but risen in most other OECD countries
A changing workforce and the shift to enterprise bargaining have held back real wage growth, writes Professor John Buchanan.
18 June 2024
Tight-knit communities can prevent environmental progress
New research indicates that strong community bonds could hinder rather than help environmental initiatives.
13 June 2024
The new power and politics of comedy
Dr Benjamin Nickl, a humour expert from the School of Languages and Cultures, and his co-author Dr Mark Rolfe, Honorary Lecturer at UNSW, discuss the politicisation of comedy in the new academic book The Moral Dimensions of Humour.
11 June 2024
Is age verification for pornography access reliable? Research suggests no
A new study by Professor Alan McKee and Dr Zahra Stardust (QUT) suggests that age assurance technologies restricting access to pornography are unreliable and ineffective, and that there are better, evidence-based alternatives to facilitate access to diverse and healthy representations of sexuality online.
31 May 2024
Donald Trump verdict: experts explain
University of Sydney experts offer opinions on the guilty verdict for Donald Trump, who is now the first US President, serving or former, to have been convicted of a crime.
23 May 2024
Age verification for social media: Do kids and parents even want it?
Age verification for social media would impact all of us. Dr Justine Humphry, Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, Dr Jonathon Hutchinson and Dr Olga Boichak from Media and Communications investigate the efficacy and risks of age-checking technologies and whether there are better approaches to mitigating online harms affecting young people.
20 May 2024
The tentacles of retracted science reach deep into social media. A simple button could change that.
On social media, health myths based on debunked science abound. A new tool could be social media's best defence against misinformation.