Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the news cycle and a bit lost without the background to everything that's going on?You care what's happening in the world - but you can't help feeling you missed the part where the key stuff got explained. What's a budget deficit? How does voting actually work? What's the deal with the UN? And what does net zero mean again?Thankfully, No Silly Questions is here to lay out the facts and principles behind the day's headlines. ...

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the news cycle and a bit lost without the background to everything that’s going on?You care what’s happening in the world – but you can’t help feeling you missed the part where the key stuff got explained. What’s a budget deficit? How does voting actually work? What’s the deal with the UN? And what does net zero mean again?Thankfully, No Silly Questions is here to lay out the facts and principles behind the day’s headlines. ...

New York Times BestsellerRenowned political scientist Ian Bremmer draws lessons from global challenges of the past 100 years—including the pandemic—to show how we can respond to three great crises unfolding over the next decade.In this revelatory, unnerving, and ultimately hopeful book, Bremmer details how domestic and international conflicts leave us unprepared for a trio of looming crises—global health emergencies, transformative...

The acclaimed account of post-Brexit British politics: a must-read for understanding how we've got to where we are today.'Richly argued and brilliantly written... a deeply thoughtful analysis that should be mandatory reading for anyone seeking to understand where we have gone wrong.' - FINANCIAL TIMESIn WTF? Robert Peston draws on his years of experience as a political, economics and business journalist to show us what has gone bad...

Economics is like a tyre lever: it can be used to solve a problem, or to beat someone over the head.What is econobabble? We hear it every day, when politicians and commentators use incomprehensible economic jargon to dress up their self-interest as the national interest, to make the absurd seem inevitable or the inequitable seem fair. This book exposes the stupid arguments, bizarre contradictions and complete lack of evidence upon which much ‘common sense’ about the econom...

For some time, Australia's democracy has been slowly sliding into disrepair. The nation's major policy challenges go unaddressed, our economic future is uncertain and political corruption is becoming normalised. It's tempting, but distracting, to point to the usual list of reasons, from the declining calibre of the political class to the growing polarisation of politics. But we can't understand the current predicament of our democracy without recognising the central role of Murdoch's natio...

'Essential reading ... An incisive and urgently needed book' Tim Harford'[An] entertaining introduction to the uses (and misuses) of data ... a penetrating analysis of why statistical literacy matters to our politics and our daily lives' Professor Jonathan PortesOur politicians make vital decisions and declarations every day that rely on official data. But should all statistics be trusted?In BAD DATA, House of Commons Libra...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019'A near miracle' Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You About CapitalismAccording to the economy, we have never been wealthier or happier. So why doesn't it feel that way? The Growth Delusion explores how we prioritise growth maximisation without stopping to think about the costs. So much of what is important to our well-being, from safe streets to ...

Australia’s prosperity relies on the continent’s extraordinary natural — primarily mineral — riches and good fortune. But economic, financial, environmental, geopolitical and societal pressures now threaten the nation’s high living standards. The COVID-19 pandemic is the first of many trials to come. Lacklustre reform proposals are mired in ideological necrophilia: ideas which have been tried and failed. Politics is trading insults and slogans. Institutions lack the quality, skills, organi...

Australia is a wealthy nation with the economic profile of a developing country – heavy on raw materials, and low on innovation and skilled manufacturing. Once we rode on the sheep’s back for our overseas trade; today we rely on cartloads of coal and tankers of LNG. So must we double down on fossil fuels, now that COVID-19 has halted the flow of international students and tourists? Or is there a better way forward, which supports renewable energy and local manufacturing?Judith Bret...

'A dazzling history of the future – Hamish McRae has given us a tour de force' - Tim Harford_______________A bold and illuminating vision of the future, from one of Europe's foremost speakers on global trends in economics, business and societyWhat will the world look like in 2050? How will complex forces of change – demography, the environment, finance, technology and ideas about governance – affect our glob...

Scott Morrison wants to spend a lot more money on defence, the business community wants more spending on infrastructure and education, an ageing population wants better health and aged care, and young Australians want more action on climate change and affordable housing. Each problem requires more public spending, but for decades Australians have been told that the less government spends, the better their lives will be.Furthermore, while spending more money will be essential to fun...