As we all know, in 2016, the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America was not only unexpected but also signalled both a rising tide of populism as well as a ‘right-wing pivot’. While many books have been written about the Trump election, key here is that Trump [...]
Sitting in Australia and watching United States politics can be confounding. What I have learnt in my time in the Western states is that much of the information making its way to Australia and other ports of the world makes its way via the east or west coast of the USA and does not [...]
The first thing you notice when arriving in Wyoming is that the sky is different. Somehow it seems bigger, deeper and the clouds seem, ‘fluffier’. The second is that the endless landscape that reaches out to the horizon on either side of the highway give me the same sense of wonder when I stare [...]
Political Divisions A recent report by More in Common, an organisation based in the United States, began a large research project into the polarisation of American society – something being experienced by most western democracies. In Australia, the progressive left and conservative right seem intent on conflict over ever political point: climate change, [...]
Over the last year or so I have been working on the concept of 'data ethics' and 'data fairness', doing some awesome work with the folk in the Centre for Research Mathematics (at Western Sydney University), the Consumer Policy Research Network, ABC investigative team as well as the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). [...]
I have just finished reading the autobiography of United States Senator, Professor Elizabeth Warren, titled A Fighting Chance. I am a bit of a fan of Senator Warren ever since I saw her discussing the causes of the Global Financial Crisis all over US television explaining the culpability of the banks and the hollowing [...]
Before beginning this blog, I want to say that a ballot (or poll) on same sex marriage (or marriage equality) is one of the worst policy failures I have ever witnessed (up there with energy ‘policy’ and climate change ‘action’). It is less about policy formation and more about an ideological battle within the Liberal/National [...]
We can confidently say we are living in the age of the algorithm. Some of the most influential organisations of our day use secret algorithms that steer us towards what we should read and watch, recommend restaurants and holiday destinations, as well as provide relationship guidance. But what about how we vote? The innovation [...]
Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the re-emergence of One Nation, refusal to accept human induced climate change and the failure of other evidence based policy initiatives such as needs-based school funding and health care. As we see this occurring, Prof. Andrew J. Hoffman from the University of Michigan wars that educators are losing relevance [...]
