Labour has bet big on green industrial policy. But there may be there cheaper ways to net zero: Labour’s first budget in 15 years included a highly anticipated change to the so-called fiscal rules which constrain how much the government can borrow or spend. By relaxing the rules, chancellor Rachel Reeves has opened the door …
Labour promised to scrap the Rwanda policy. But its new approach aims to be just as tough on asylum seekers: Home secretary Yvette Cooper has started to lay out the government's migration policy plans. Number 10/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Migration policy has always been an ideological headache for the Labour party. Caught between the party’s labour …
Uncertain times for South Africa’s foreign policy as country heads for coalition government: After South Africa’s 29 May election, the African National Congress has lost the electoral majority it held for 30 years, but remains the party with the highest number of seats in parliament. This makes it a key partner in the formation of …
US election: Jewish and Muslim votes probably don’t have the power to change the outcome – despite backlash on Gaza policy: Recent polling suggests that Joe Biden’s policy of backing Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian war is hurting him in the eyes of American Muslims. An #AbandonBiden campaign was launched by Muslim voters in Minnesota in …
Trade rules and climate change: Africa stands to lose from proposed WTO policy tools: The World Trade Organisation launched its Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action during the COP28 conference. International economic law expert Olabisi D. Akinkugbe discusses whether the new Trade Policy Tools benefit Africa. What are the WTO’s new Trade Policy Tools? The …
South Africa’s foreign policy under Ramaphosa has seen diplomatic tools being used to provide leadership as global power relations shift: Leadership plays a critical role in diplomacy. What quality of leadership does South Africa need if it’s to secure its international interests? This is a question my colleagues and I have had the opportunity to …
Henry Kissinger was a global – and deeply flawed – foreign policy heavyweight: Declarations of the end of an era are made only in exceptional circumstances. Henry Kissinger’s death is one of them. Kissinger was born into a Jewish family in Germany, and fled to the US in 1938 after the Nazis seized power. He …
Labour’s immigration policy: will focus on ‘security’ win an election?: Labour’s immigration policy is starting to take shape. Migration, historically, has been a tricky issue for the party. So it’s perhaps not surprising that they are taking a leaf from the Conservative playbook by focusing on border security. But Labour has shifted the villain from …
Five things that the west doesn’t understand about China’s foreign policy: China’s capacity to surprise western politicians was demonstrated recently, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping was unexpectedly absent from the G20 summit. There were a few reasons why this G20 might have been less important for Xi, including the rising influence of the Brics (Brazil, …
Offshore wind: a perfect storm of inflation and policy uncertainty risks derailing the UK’s main hope for a low-carbon future: pauljrobinson/Shutterstock In what many have deemed a disaster, the UK government’s latest auction for renewable power – an annual attempt to incentivise private sector investment in a range of power sources – has failed to …
Don’t blame postwar school building programmes for concrete crisis – the fault lies with decades of neglect and ineffective policy: Physical spaces make a difference to education. There are small but fairly reliable correlations between the quality of the buildings where students learn and student behaviour, attendance and academic achievement. In particular, inadequate buildings are …
China is switching away from its aggressive ‘wolf warrior’ foreign policy – here’s why: As India prepares to host the G20 summit on September 9, there’s one person not readying his plane for the gathering of world leaders. China’s president Xi Jinping, who has attended every meeting of this summit since 2013, is not going. …
Zimbabwe’s president was security minister when genocidal rape was state policy in 1983-4. Now he seeks another term: Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images Trigger warning: this article contains accounts of sexual violence. Zimbabwe will hold its elections on 23 August. The current president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is running for re-election. This is …
Ghana’s housing policy and regulation is failing – COVID proved as much: Affordable housing in Ghana is unavailable for most people Wikimedia Commons Access to decent housing is a fundamental human right. Across sub-Saharan Africa, however, this right remains an elusive dream for many households. In Ghana, for example, the government estimates a staggering deficit …
Food safety policy neglects informal markets in developing countries – 3 ways this can change: The informal sector poses great challenges for food safety. Steven Jaffee The food industry in many low- and middle-income countries is dominated by the informal sector. Numerous micro and small businesses, which are not legally registered and mostly compete on …
Zimbabwean migrants: South Africa’s anti-immigrant sentiments are hindering policy reform: Effective African economic development depends on economic integration and free movement of people. GettyImages The South African Minister of Home Affairs, Aaron Motsoaledi, recently lost a court case that anyone could have anticipated was unwinnable. He probably expected to lose it too. He lost it …
Nigeria’s growing population can be an advantage, with better data and a policy focus on young people: Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images Nigeria’s population is currently estimated at over 222 million, with the median age – the age at the midpoint of the population – 18.1 years. This poses challenges and opportunities. Akanni Akinyemi explains …
Nigeria’s new foreign exchange policy is good news – but it can’t work wonders for the economy on its own: A man exchanges Nigeria's Naira for US dollars in Lagos in April 2021. Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images The Central Bank of Nigeria recently announced changes to the way the country’s foreign exchange market …