Al Brown is Director of Neurosymbolic Artificial Intelligence at the Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies, Fujitsu.

Over 2 billion people were eligible to vote in 2024, and in the elections that followed populist politicians did well, culminating in the re-election of President Trump in the United States. So, what actually happened, and why? In this first kick-off seminar, we’ll hear from polling experts and political scientists about what the 2024 elections told us about the state of politics across the West, some of the common cultural and economic explanations and the outlook for how more mainstream politicians might react.

Join us for an engaging panel discussion on EU Enlargement, featuring a distinguished lineup of speakers. Dr. Othon Anastasakis will chair the event with HE Jacek Czaputowicz present in the room, whilst HE Ditmir Bushati, and HE Vuk Jeremić will be joining us online. They will share their insights on their countries’ perspectives regarding the current and future landscape of EU Enlargement, drawing from their extensive careers in academia and politics. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session, fostering an interactive dialogue between the audience and panelists.

Join Saïd Business School for the annual Rewley Lecture with guest speakers Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, and Evan Sharp, co-founder of Pinterest.

Do local political institutions influence the balance of power in national politics? If so, how? Drawing on insights from the literatures on multi-level politics, party organization and strategy, and the effects of institutions, I argue that certain local political institutions strengthen party branches. This, in turn, leads to better performance in national elections, particularly for parties that rely on grassroots mobilization. To test the argument, I take advantage of a quasi-experimental local governance setup in early-20th-century Sweden.

The Oxford Conservative Thought (OCT) Reading Group is a non-partisan group devoted to academic exploration of small-c conservative political thought.

We welcome, and actively encourage, viewpoint diversity and constructive engagement across ideological divides (all good-willed participants are welcome!)

Each week we read one assigned text, and we recommend more for anyone who is very keen!

You can view our reading list here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-FnMPnWCQm3urAvD38jjRQkTEGA2EuSSjZjWm41Eszw/edit?usp=sharing

When Japan’s late Prime Minister Abe Shinzō introduced the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” (FOIP) concept in 2016, few would have imagined the effect it will have on global geopolitics. While initially highlighting the confluence between the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, the FOIP has been instrumental for the formulation of other major powers’ strategic outlooks in Europe, Asia, and across the Atlantic, providing a new overarching conceptual framework that continues to define Indo-Pacific security dynamics today.