Episode 2104: Thomas Hale on how to be a Transnationalist in an age of Nation-States

Keen On

It’s an odd world. Many of our most pressing political problems, particularly global warming, are long term, and yet we are still confined to the here-and-now of national politics to determine policy. This is the issue that Thomas Hale, an Oxford Professor of Public Policy, addresses in his interesting new book, LONG PROBLEMS: Climate Change and the Challenge of Governing across Time. For the self-styled “transnationalist” Hale, long problems like climate change are best addressed not just by international organizations like the United Nations, but also by new local political initiatives like citizen assemblies. He may well be right. But Hale’s long-term transnationalism is a hard political sell in our short-term nationalist age of Trump, Modi and Le Pen.

Thomas Hale is a professor in public policy at the University of Oxford Blavatnik School of Government. Hale’s research explores how we can manage transnational problems effectively and fairly. He seeks to explain how political institutions evolve–or not–to face the challenges raised by globalization and interdependence, with a particular emphasis on environmental, economic, and health issues. He holds a Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University, a master’s degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, and an AB in public policy from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School. A U.S. national, Hale has studied and worked in Argentina, China, and Europe. Hale leads the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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