The Radical Path to Solving Japan’s Demographic Challenges

Japan increasingly faces a demographics problem of an ageing population and subsequent shrinking workforce. Adapting through increased immigration and increased female workforce participation is the radical salve needed. The Problem: Japan will be one of the first nations to face what will be the inevitable demographics and population crisis across developed states. This was confirmedContinue reading “The Radical Path to Solving Japan’s Demographic Challenges”

Extreme heat and the urban environment

A comparative analysis of extreme heat events across two urban environments, Sydney (Australia) and Ahmedabad (India). Extreme heat events (EHEs) are a hazard that have recently increased in their distribution and severity around the world. Within the scope of this paper, EHEs will be defined as a period—three or more days—of weather that is hotterContinue reading “Extreme heat and the urban environment”

Does the World Trade Organisation act as a stumbling block to effective action on climate change?

This paper seeks to investigate whether the World Trade Organisation (WTO) acts as a stumbling block to effective action on climate change. Within this article, ‘effective action’ will refer to maintaining the global average temperature rise under 2-3°C, through both unilateral and multilateral initiatives. The WTO as the central component of the global trade regimeContinue reading “Does the World Trade Organisation act as a stumbling block to effective action on climate change?”

The failures of neoliberalism in China

An analysis of the major changes that have taken place as a result of post-Mao economic and political reforms and their relationship to Western democratic values in China. To understand trends of reform and democratisation towards a Western model, the characteristics of Western democracy and how it evolved will be extrapolated to ground the possibleContinue reading “The failures of neoliberalism in China”

Regionalism and multilateralism, coexisting within the global trade regime

Ultimately, regionalism can coexist alongside global multilateral trade liberalisation, assisting and deepening liberalisation efforts. Within this essay regionalism will refer to both geographically contiguous and non-contiguous trade agreements in all forms, including free trade agreements (FTAs), bilateral trade agreements (BTAs) and regional trade agreements (RTA). These will hereafter be termed under preferential trade agreements (PTAs).[i]Continue reading “Regionalism and multilateralism, coexisting within the global trade regime”

Why is the separation of powers considered so important in modern democracy?

Separation of powers theory resists a universal definition,[i] but despite its contested nature, if it is traced to its philosophical origins, it is revealed as a bulwark for modern democracy[LO1] . These philosophical origins will be explored chiefly through the works of Montesquieu, Madison and Hamilton, and Blackstone, revealing the ways in which separation of powersContinue reading “Why is the separation of powers considered so important in modern democracy?”

Rising Dragon: China’s challenge to global security in the South China Sea

Is China’s expansion into the South China Sea in recent years a significant challenge to global security? Has this issue been dealt with better by global liberal institutions, or by realist precepts? China’s slow, methodical and at times aggressive expansion into the South China Sea (SCS) in recent years, and spanning back to the 1970s,Continue reading “Rising Dragon: China’s challenge to global security in the South China Sea”

Realist approaches to global governance: Aspects, strengths, and weaknesses

The neorealist paradigm understands global governance through a consideration of the global structure. A structure characterised by anarchy, rooted in state sovereignty, resultant in a self-help system. Whereby states, as singular rational actors, are engendered with an innate will to survive, showing states to be the most important actors within the system, with all otherContinue reading “Realist approaches to global governance: Aspects, strengths, and weaknesses”