Big Ideas

An army of rural and regional workers are the engine of China's manufacturing boom but there's a growing gap between the urban rich and the rural poor which could slow China's development. At the helm is Xi Jinping, the most powerful leader since Mao. Despite the pandemic his grip on power and the central role of the Communist Party is secure.

Archaeologists in Western Australia are discovering the 50,000 year old story of indigenous occupation and advocating stronger heritage legislation to preserve it. We also look at the learning losses caused by school closures during the pandemic and a government funded tutoring scheme in Britain to help disadvantaged students catch up.

Archaeologists in Western Australia are discovering the 50,000 year old story of indigenous occupation and advocating stronger heritage legislation to preserve it. We also look at the learning losses caused by school closures during the pandemic and a government funded tutoring scheme in Britain to help disadvantaged students catch up.

How should a nation confront its racist past?  Should public monuments linked with racial injustice be removed? These questions are being asked all over the world. Susan Neiman’s book, “Learning from the Germans”, charts Germany’s attempts to grapple with its Nazi past.  It also examines the legacy of racism in America’s Deep South.

How should a nation confront its racist past?  Should public monuments linked with racial injustice be removed? These questions are being asked all over the world. Susan Neiman’s book, “Learning from the Germans”, charts Germany’s attempts to grapple with its Nazi past.  It also examines the legacy of racism in America’s Deep South.

Stephen Hicks and Gloria Alvarez discuss socialism of the 21st century. 'Democratic socialism' is supposed to be the answer to free-market failures of the past.

A new wave of leftist ideas is sweeping across Latin America. What are the reasons behind anti-liberalism and the obsession with socialism in many Latin American countries?

Stephen Hicks and Gloria Alvarez discuss socialism of the 21st century. 'Democratic socialism' is supposed to be the answer to free-market failures of the past.

A new wave of leftist ideas is sweeping across Latin America. What are the reasons behind anti-liberalism and the obsession with socialism in many Latin American countries?

Do you have a convict ancestor? Imagine standing trial in the Old Bailey and waiting for the sentence: either a British jail or transportation to Australia. The convicts had no way of knowing whether they’d be better off in Britain or the new penal colony.

But armed with the historical record,  criminologists can now make a judgement. They can also compare the effectiveness of the convict system and modern prisons.

Do you have a convict ancestor? Imagine standing trial in the Old Bailey and waiting for the sentence: either a British jail or transportation to Australia. The convicts had no way of knowing whether they’d be better off in Britain or the new penal colony.

But armed with the historical record,  criminologists can now make a judgement. They can also compare the effectiveness of the convict system and modern prisons.

When the Berlin Wall came down we all breathed a sigh of relief. It signalled the end of the Cold War. But is there a new Cold War on the horizon? Conflict between China and the United States is escalating in the Asia-Pacific and allies like Australia could be collateral damage. Australia's relationship with China is also being tested on many fronts as we attempt to navigate our way between our economic and strategic interests.