This series describes very briefly the education systems in each of 31 countries, from pre-primary level to higher education. Regularly updated, it also provides information on ongoing reforms and debate in the field of education. The general structure of each national description is similar so that the information concerned is readily comparable: I. Description of...

Emissions trading gets a lot of bad press. James Hansen, a leading advocate for climate change legislation, has rejected emissions trading altogether in favour of a carbon tax. In an open letter delivered on 29 December 2008 to then President-Elect Obama, Dr Hansen described cap-and-trade schemes as ‘ineffectual and not commensurate with the climate threat’...

On 16 November last year, G20 leaders made a commitment to resist protectionism. According to the World Bank, by the end of February 2009, seventeen of the twenty had already ‘implemented 47 measures whose effect is to restrict trade.’ When the leaders meet in Pittsburgh on 24 September 2009, they will have an opportunity to...

In this new Lowy Institute Policy Brief, Executive Director Michael Wesley analyses the multi-faceted international student debate. It canvasses the dynamics of the international student industry and the social, economic and criminal issues faced by international students during their time in Australia. Wesley scutinises the wide-ranging implications of the problem and considers that if left...

Mass media play a significant role in most people’s lives, affecting family routines, social interactions, cultural norms, and leisure activities – all of which impact upon contemporary childhood. Television is particularly significant in early childhood; it is the child’s first and most enduring contact with the mass media and an integral part of the overall...