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With a few exceptions, economists place a lot of weight on the combination of self-interest and incentives to drive behaviour. If there is a lesson to be drawn from 2021 it must surely be that this doesn’t come close to fully describing how people behave, or what it is reasonable to ask of our fellow citizens.
The second year of COVID tumult has seen countless acts of sacrifice and kindness. Self-interest may account for some success in driving vaccination rates over 90%, but surely not all. We are all in this together and many people have found many ways to rise to the moment.
We have seen this community spirit up close at The Conversation. We are a not-for-profit organisation that exists to serve the public with reliable information from experts. To our dedicated team nothing is more important, but we know life is full of competing demands.
In 2021 it has been humbling to work with health experts who continue to give up their nights and weekends to write for The Conversation while spending their days doing vital work. The same applies to all the hard-working academics who give freely of their time.
We have also been encouraged by the support of our curious and passionate readers and the thousands of people who have made generous donations. Everyone who supports our efforts to make quality information freely available is contributing – selflessly – to bring about a better-informed society.
Our continued growth is made possible by generous contributions from our university partners in Australia and New Zealand and a handful of visionary philanthropists. We also appreciate the work of our international colleagues and the generous contributions of time and expertise from our Chair and the eminent members of our Board and Editorial Board.
It is a privilege to work for a project that galvanises so much support from people who are willing to put others first. Thank you for reading and supporting us in 2021. Have a great break and rest assured we will work tirelessly in 2022 to repay the faith you have placed in us.
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Misha Ketchell
Editor & Executive Director
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Scott Morrison and his government enter the new year with a fresh iteration of the “women problem”. This is the multiple high-profile female independents contesting a number of Liberal seats.
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John Hawkins, University of Canberra
The government budgets for the unannounced because it doesn’t want its projections to “blow out” during the campaign.This gives us an idea of how much, but not what, is in store.
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Jared Mondschein, University of Sydney
Caroline Kennedy’s nomination follows months of speculation and promises to fill a position left vacant for almost a year.
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Hassan Vally, Deakin University; Catherine Bennett, Deakin University
What did Melbourne and Victoria get right, and wrong, amid the pandemic?
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra; Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Budget update shows the government has a big election war chest, and an optimist economic outlook
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Jane Messer, Macquarie University
The sea-pool made my body my friend again. I felt then that it had always been thus, for a few moments, lithe and buoyant, and almost joyful.
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Politics + Society
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Taylor Coyne, UNSW
Country by Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage is a dialogue between experts on First Nations ways of farming and agriculture. It is also a call to Australia to look after Country better.
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Claudio Bozzi, Deakin University
China and the US have differing interpretations of the law of the sea – and this is fuelling deep distrust and suspicion.
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Health + Medicine
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Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford; Alberto Giubilini, University of Oxford
We have moved beyond burning witches and lynching wrong-doers. So we should also stop shaming unvaccinated people. There are better ways to change behaviour.
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Science + Technology
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Bruno Alves Buzatto, The University of Western Australia
Millipede means ‘1,000 feet’, but until now the name was a bit of an exaggeration.
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Environment + Energy
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Madeline Taylor, Macquarie University
Such tension has played out over many decades between agricultural communities and coal companies. We can avoid history repeating itself if we urgently set the right policies and laws in place.
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Taylor Coyne, UNSW
Country by Bruce Pascoe and Bill Gammage is a dialogue between experts on First Nations ways of farming and agriculture. It is also a call to Australia to look after Country better.
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Shayne McGregor, Monash University
Severe coastal flooding inundated islands in the Pacific last week, including the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. It’s a taste of things to come.
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Education
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Shirley Alexander, University of Technology Sydney; Allison Littlejohn, UCL; Rhona Sharpe, University of Oxford; Sue Bennett, University of Wollongong; Tunde Varga-Atkins, University of Liverpool
Since the pandemic began university decision-making has become more student-centred in response to students’ demands for flexibility.
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Julia Caldwell, The University of Queensland; Koa Whittingham, The University of Queensland; Pamela Meredith, University of the Sunshine Coast
Parenting means internal competition between three evolved responses: the threat, drive and soothing system. The threat light is on often, but it can be dampened by tapping into the soothing system.
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Arts + Culture
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Jonathan Barrett, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Items on display at the Eastern Southland Gallery in New Zealand’s South Island open a window on the complex world of art repatriation.
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Business + Economy
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Richard Holden, UNSW
The dominant forces in the Coalition seem to have learnt their lesson: Australia’s economy still needs serious budget support.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra; Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Budget update shows the government has a big election war chest, and an optimist economic outlook
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Allan Fels, The University of Melbourne
The inaugural chair of the ACCC says Gina Cass-Gottlieb’s experience opposing the ACCC in court will prove invaluable, and that it’s time to appoint a lawyer as chair.
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Featured Events & Courses
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— Victoria, Australia — The Conversation Weekly Podcast
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