Oxford Policy Pod

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Policy in Action: The UAE civil service Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

The 2022-23 MPP cohort has some amazing people who are going to make a positive impact on the world. This mini-series in the Oxford Policy Pod will introduce you to some of these aspiring and ambitious change-makers.

Our host, Chiraag Shah, is joined in this brief episode by Reem AlNuaimi and Maryam AlHashmi - two MPP-ers from the United Arab Emirates. They discuss their personal motivations for coming to Oxford to do the MPP, what it’s like to be a public servant in the UAE, and their future aspirations.

This episode is conceptualised by Chiraag Shah, and edited by Paul Austin. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Driving Change in Governance: A Conversation with Dean Ngaire Woods Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

With over a decade of existence, the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford is championing a world that is better led, better served, and better governed through its programs and centers that educate experts in public policy and governance to tackle the world's most pressing issues. In ten years, the institution has grown from a vision to a cutting-edge institution that advances practical skills and hands-on experience for its students through the incorporation of simulations, internships, and experiential learning. Students leave the school with the tools and knowledge to enact change in policy and governance.

In this episode of Oxford Policy Pod, host Wantoe T Wantoe speaks with Professor Ngaire Woods, the founding Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and a Professor of Global Economic Governance. Together, they discuss the Blavatnik School's achievements over the past decade and its impact on shaping global leaders.

Professor Ngaire Woods is renowned for her research on enhancing the governance of organizations, grappling with the challenges of globalization and global development, and the role of international institutions and global economic governance. She established the Global Economic Governance Programme at Oxford University and co-founded the Oxford-Princeton Global Leaders Fellowship program with Robert O. Keohane. Professor Woods also played a key role in the creation of the Blavatnik School of Government.

In addition to her academic work, Professor Woods serves as a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a Non-Executive Director at Rio Tinto, and a trustee for the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Education Foundation.

This episode was created by Wantoe T. Wantoe a current master of public policy student and supported by the Oxford Policy Pod Team.

Unleashing the power of AI: governments as consumers and regulators Jun 25, 2023

Show notes

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gone from science fiction to a critical part of our everyday lives. Governments play the role of regulators but they are also consumers.

How are governments using AI to enhance citizen engagement, decision-making, and better service delivery? How to ensure that public services powered by AI are accessible and beneficial to all citizens?

Our host, Paola Galvez Callirgos, is joined in this episode by Dr. Carlos Santiso, head of the Digital, Innovative, and Open Government Division at the OECD. He has worked in over two dozen countries in various capacities in multilateral development banks, bilateral aid agencies, and policy think tanks. Dr. Santiso is committed to improving lives and social impact in emerging economies. In that sense, both discuss the role of the public sector as AI consumers, diving into innovation, transparency, and inclusion. Finally, Dr. Santiso reflects on an adequate way to achieve an agile and intelligent AI regulation to harness its benefits and address its challenges.

This episode is conceptualised by Paola Galvez Callirgos, and edited by Paul Austin. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Exploring Liberia's Upcoming Election Jun 09, 2023

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In this episode of the Oxford Policy pod Co-executive producer Gloria Wawira is in conversation with Mayor Jefferson Koijee from Liberia. They discuss Liberia’s and Monrovia’s preparation to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections later in 2023 and the successes and challenges in the management of Monrovia. Koijee is the Mayor of Monrovia and the youngest mayor in the history of Liberia. The conversation strands youth leadership in Africa, Liberia’s upcoming elections, and sustainable cities. The Mayor shares his experiences serving as the National Youth Chairman for the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and his current role as the National Secretary General of the ruling party. This episode was developed with the support of Wantoe T Wantoe an MPP 2023 from Liberia.

Making change: lessons from post-apartheid South Africa May 27, 2023

Show notes

How is social change advanced? How do leaders build institutions in low-trusting environments? How do we inspire, design, plan, influence, guide, steer and make change in our relationships, our communities, our society, and our planet? These are some of the questions about making change that we navigate in the conversation with Andrew Boraine.

Andrew Boraine joins our host, Annelisse Escobar to discuss the process of change through his experience in post-Apartheid South Africa. Andrew refers to the process of change as a transition. A transition can be defined as a fundamental change in the way a society meets its needs.

He is an international expert on economic and urban development and partnering for systems change, who has worked in the development sector in South Africa for more than 41 years. He was a senior official in the constitutional department of Nelson Mandela’s government in the immediate post-Apartheid years and was the first post-Apartheid City Manager of Cape Town. He served as CEO of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership. He has experience from the side of the government, being civil society and an articulator of actors to promote change.

This episode is conceptualised by Annelisse Escobar, and edited by Paul Austin. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Financing nature conservation Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

“The Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in late 2022, is a landmark agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030. A key target in the framework is to mobilise at least $200 billion per year from public and private sources for biodiversity-related funding. How will we achieve that?

Our host, Chiraag Shah, is joined in this episode by Anna Ducros and Andreas Hansen to discuss what is biodiversity finance and what are some of the financing mechanisms available to achieve the $200 billion per year target.

Ducros is a Researcher and Nature Economist at the International Institute for Environment and Development working on how markets and market mechanisms contribute to environmental sustainability. Hansen is a Senior Policy Adviser for Ocean and Conservation Finance at The Nature Conservancy where he provides government relations advice on Blue Bonds strategy and coordinates global ocean policy work.

This episode is conceptualised, researched and hosted by Chiraag Shah; produced by Annelisse Escobar, Gloria Wawira and Vitor Tomaz; and edited by Paul Austin. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Successful development—for real—from practitioner's eye Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

“You betrayed us. I've just been a donkey my whole life and you told me my child's life would be different [if they went to school]. But now I’ve learned that he hasn't learned anything”.

Join us in a thought-provoking conversation with Lant Pritchett, Visiting Scholar and Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government and Research Director of the RISE program (Research on Improving Systems of Education). We will discuss development, aid, RCTs, failing education systems and how to turn them around, and monkeys.

Prof. Pritchett is a prominent scholar of development and a ******provocateur******, with years of experience in the practice and study of the practice of development, with passages at BSG, the Harvard Kennedy School, the World Bank, and more. He is the author of “Deals and Development: The Political Dynamics of Growth Episodes”, and “The Rebirth of Education: Schooling ain’t Learning”, among others.

Vitor Tomaz, a candidate for the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, hosts this episode. This episode was produced by Annelisse Escobar, Gloria Wawira, and Vitor Tomaz—edited by Paul Austin (Thanks, Paul!).

To keep up with our latest episodes in conversation with public leaders, practitioners, and analysis, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Vatican’s policy work in thinking and on the ground Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

The Vatican and its various bodies are not only heading the Catholic Church but also disseminating thinking and advancing work in different social policy themes. Amongst those, ecology and peacebuilding are discussed here. But how does that work?

Our host, Baudouin de Hemptinne, is joined in this episode by Professor Joshtrom Kureethadam and Professor Gerard Powers. Kureethadam is heading the Dicastery for Integral Development and is Chair of Philosophy of Science and Director at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. He has been a researcher at Berkeley and Oxford and published various books on ecology. Professor Powers is the director of Catholic Peacebuilding studies at the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame in the US. He is a very respected scholar in peacebuilding, religion, and conflict studies. Both have an extensive understanding of the Churches’ work in thought leadership on the ground.

This episode is hosted, conceptualised, and researched by Baudouin de Hemptinne with the help of Melinda Davis; and produced by Annelisse Escobar, Vitor Tomaz, and Gloria Wawira. To keep up with our latest episodes, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Ukraine 1 year: Memory, forgetting and social media in modern warfare Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

One year ago the world held its breath as the Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. In this particular special episode, we welcome Prof. Andrew Hoskins, whose expertise concerns the impact of digitisation of contemporary warfare on society, and Kanykei Tursunbaeva, a journalist from Ukraine and research associate at the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, who reports directly from Odesa, where she has been covering the conflict first-hand.

In the episode, we discussed how social media transform our perceptions of warfare, from forming memories and national identities to how people navigate what is forgettable or not. Kanykei brings her insight into how Telegram played a crucial role in the daily routine of the war - amidst air raids and power cuts.

This episode is hosted by Vitor Tomaz and Denis Karlovsky, a candidate for the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. This episode was produced by Annelisse Escobar, Gloria Wawira, and the host, Vitor Tomaz. To keep up with our latest episodes in conversation with public leaders, practitioners, and analysts, follow us on Instagram @oxfordpolicypod_.

Colombian President Ivan Duque - Would you have done anything differently? Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

Just six months out of office, Colombian president Ivan Duque Marquez shares his personal insights and reflections on his government period. Having led the country during the pandemic he explains how he was able to navigate the political scene and whether or not he would have done anything different in his leadership (7:09). He also inherited the early stages of Colombian recently signed Peace Agreement and was in charge of strengthening the necessary institutions for its implementation.

President Duque highlights the hardships of today’s polarized society and the need to promote social cohesion to advance development (16:12). He also comments on the necessary actions to work with the opposition and social demands during the protests in 2021 around the tax reform (18:38).

Listen to learn more about his post-presidency phase, the personal projects to advance innovation for development (21:00), and his recommendations to the new Colombian president, Gustavo Petro.

This episode is hosted by Annelisse Escobar, a candidate for the Master of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. This episode was produced by Vitor Tomaz, Gloria Wawira, and the host, Annelisse Escobar. To keep up with our latest episodes in conversation with public leaders, practitioners, and experts follow us on Instagram @Oxfordpolicypod_.

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