The Policy Shop

Ramachandra Guha and Patricia Werhane join Glyn Davis to discuss the global problem of poverty. What’s the best way to tackle poverty - through the market, the state, or non-government organisations?  And what can we learn from the Indian experience? And what can we learn from the Indian experience?   Dr. Ramachandra Guha is the pre-eminent historian of post-Independence India, and author of many works including India after Gandhi.  Professor Emeritus Patricia Werhane holds a joint appointment at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, and at DePaul University Chicago, where she is Wicklander Chair in Business Ethics and director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics.  

In the US presidential election the politics of personality has ‘Trumped', leaving the election of the most powerful leader in the world a policy free zone. Thomas Mann, a senior Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution and a Resident Scholar at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Associate Professor Barbara Keys of the School of Historical and Philosophical studies at the University of Melbourne and Tim Lynch, Associate Professor in American Politics and the Director of the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Melbourne joins the host the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis. 

Can a simple nudge encourage us to eat less chocolate or pay our parking fines on time? Nudge is having a growing influence as a public policy tool. But what exactly is nudge? how effective is it?  And are there ethical concerns?  Dr David Halpern, Board Director and Chief Executive of the Behavioural Insights Team in the UK, Professor Abigail Payne, Director of the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research joins the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis to discuss these questions.

Melbourne has experienced a 74% street count increase in homelessness in the past two years. Why? What about those who are homeless across Australia? What policies can be implemented to assist them? What learning's can we glean from other countries? Dr Sam Tsemberis, a psychologist and founder of Housing First which has been credited with ending chronic homelessness in cities across the United States, Professor of Urban Planning at the Melbourne School of Design, Carolyn Whitzman and Deb Batterham, a researcher at Launch Housing, which has been working under various labels for 75 years in Melbourne with those who are homeless, are the guests, who join the host, Professor Glyn Davis, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. 

Baroness Valerie Amos, former UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and prominent international lawyer Professor Guy Goodwin-Gill join University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis to discuss the global response to the refugee crisis and on-going tragedy in Syria.   

Are we asking too much of literature to influence public policy in an age of 140 characters or less? What about great political movements that rose on the back of great literature? And as we see the rise of far right politics has literature been to one too many of its own dinner parties?  Author Chloe Hooper, Associate Professor Tim Lynch from the University of Melbourne, and writer and editor Sophie Cunningham join the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Glyn Davis to discuss the role of literature in influencing public policy - with particular reference to the Australian context. 

How can a university justify charging fees? Has political correctness on campus gone too far? Renowned philosopher and author, and Master of the New College of Humanities (NCH), Professor AC Grayling, is the guest on the Policy Shop as the subject of higher education is discussed.    

Was #CensusFail a one-off?, or rather just the latest of a string of recent public service failures, underpinned by poor corporate memory, vague accountability processes and poor leadership?     Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Glyn Davis is joined by Professor Helen Sullivan, Foundation Director of the Melbourne School of Government and Terry Moran, Chair of the Centre for Policy Development to ask, is the public service competent?  

Is inequality and wealth on the rise in Australia? An annual Australian data set paints the social picture for the Lucky Country.' The latest annual HILDA (Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia) survey points to some significant trends in Australian society. So what can we learn from this insight into the lives of Australians? And can the data inform good policy choices? Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Glyn Davis is joined by the Deputy Director (Research) of the HILDA Survey, Professor Roger Wilkins from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne. And also Professor Shelley Mallet - General Manager, Research and Policy at the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Professorial Fellow of Social Policy at the University of Melbourne.

At a time of increasing global uncertainty and rancour around environment policy, Melbourne University Vice Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis hosts a wide-ranging discussion with one of the world’s most respected yet controversial philosophers, Professor Bruno Latour. In discussion also with Australian public intellectual Professor Clive Hamilton, from the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, and Professor Rachel Fensham, head of the School of Culture and Communication and the University of Melbourne, Latour argues for an entirely new way of thinking about public policy, in view of our changed ‘climatic regime'.

In the wash up from the 2016 Australian federal election, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Glyn Davis is joined by political scientists Dr Lauren Rosewarne and Dr Andrea Carson to discuss public engagement in politics. The election saw a drop in primary votes for the major parties and a rise in support for minor parties and independents.  And while the major parties spent millions on advertising, research shows that fewer people are taking notice.  So what does this mean for political parties and Australian democracy?  And where do young people fit in?

In the lead up to the Australian federal election and the Brexit referendum, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Glyn Davis is joined by Melbourne University political scientist Philomena Davis and John Daley, CEO of the Grattan Institute to talk about size of government.     Are national and regional governments are becoming too big?  And what parallels or differences can be observed between Australia and Europe?

In a political system like the Australian Federal system, where elections must be held every three years, what impact do elections have on policy making, its processes, its implementation, and its outcomes?Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis is joined by former Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training,Lisa Paul, and political scientist Dr Scott Brenton, to discuss elections and policy making.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis speaks with the departing Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mark Scott. Mark Scott reflects upon his ten years guiding the national broadcaster through a period of digital disruption. What were the challenges and achievements? And what might be the future for public broadcasting in Australia?

How should public policy grapple with a constantly changing media environment? Can policy keep up with the pace of change? And if a free media is a pillar of democracy, what values should media regulation uphold? Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis is joined by Dr Margaret Simons and Professor Jock Given to discuss the complex issues around media policy and regulation Australia.

Australians appear to have an insatiable appetite for property, as both owner-occupiers and investors. But at the same time, the 'great Australian dream' of home ownership is becoming out of reach for many, and affordable rental properties can be difficult to find. This discussion explores the policies driving the current trends, ideas for change, and the impacts on Australia financially, socially and economically. Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis is joined by economists Dr. Judy Yates and Professor John Freebairn to go behind the political debate and talk about the role of governments in housing.

How can Australia attract and retain the best teachers? What is the best teaching education model? How can a worrying exit from the profession be stymied and what can Australia learn from other nations across the world. These are among the questions in the first episode of The Policy Shop. Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis is joined by Professor John Hattie and Judy Crowe, President of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals, to examine how Australia can implement policy to develop Australia's teaching education profession.