How Uber opens cities only to close them
How Uber opens cities only to close them [First published by The Conversation, co-written with David Carter and Fanny Thornton, this essay came out of discussions we had about the possibility of home-grown, city made, alternatives to Uber where better deals can be negotiated locally.] Citation guide: Gagnon, Jean-Paul, David Carter, and Fanny Thornton. 2016. […]
What animal could a democracy be? Ape, fox, lion...how about jellyfish?
What animal could a democracy be? Ape, fox, lion…how about jellyfish? [This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the 21st century. It is inspired by the Old Canberra Inn – a pub close to […]
Push to curb activists may add to sweatshop workers’ struggle
Push to curb activists may add to sweatshop workers’ struggle [First published by The Conversation, this article was co-authored with Mark Chou and Tezcan Gumus.] In late 2012, at least 117 workers died in a garment factory fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Kalpona Akter, a union activist from Dhaka, and Sumi Abedin, a survivor of the fire, retold their […]
Bold spiders ensure a bright future for the whole colony
Bold spiders ensure a bright future for the whole colony [First published by The Conversation. I ran into this research on ‘leadership’ in a social spider species whilst reading for an altogether different work (a forthcoming book on non-human democracy).] Stegodyphus dumicola is a social spider. This curious little creature lives in shared nests with more than 2,000 others. […]
The ‘will of the people’? It’s the bastardisation of democracy
The ‘will of the people’? It’s the bastardisation of democracy [First published by The Conversation, this article was co-authored with Mark Chou.] The Abbott government, when faced with opposition over the past year, has commonly resorted to two lifeline statements. The first is that it’s carrying out the “will of the people”. And the second is […]
Bringing the free market down to earth is a moral question
Bringing the free market down to earth is a moral question [Originally appearing in The Conversation, this article was co-authored with Mark Chou.] Five years on, the response of governments around the world to the global financial crisis (GFC) continues to draw criticism. Leaders failed to fulfil the promises they made during the GFC’s darkest days […]
Democracy needs heroes to champion the cause
Democracy needs heroes to champion the cause [Originally published by The Conversation, co-authored with Mark Chou and Octavia Bryant.] Laureates, like symbolic ambassadors and commissioners, draw attention to causes and issues that we, as a society, consider to be of widespread importance. In various parts of the world, medicine, physics, chemistry, economics, literature, peace, poetry, children, writing, research and human rights all have the dedicated service of […]
Kicking pacifism: Japan’s pivot to militarism defies popular will
Kicking pacifism: Japan’s pivot to militarism defies popular will [First published by The Conversation, co-authored with Anthea McCarthy-Jones and Mark Chou.] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got his policy wish late into the night of September 18. Abe’s coalition government, which has majorities in both houses of the national Diet, passed controversial legislation that reinterprets Article 9 of the constitution. […]
Shorten’s plan to lower the voting age could help increase political engagement
Shorten’s plan to lower the voting age could help increase political engagement [This news article first appears in The Conversation. It was co-authored with Mark Chou and Catherine Hartung. It proved inspiration for the book the three of us wrote with Lesley Pruitt, Young People, Citizenship and Political Participation: Combating Civic Deficit? (<- for the […]
Should Australia lower the voting age to 16?
Should Australia lower the voting age to 16? [I was invited by The Conversation to answer this question. I, and the other four commentators (Helen Berents, Philippa Collin, Lisa Hill, and Louise Phillips) said yes.] The Conversation: Voting is a key part of the democratic process. It allows all citizens of a certain age to […]
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