Protest movements become radicalised by two factors: escalating policing and competitive escalation between political adversaries and other protesting groups.
Rather than pursue self-interested policies that widen the gap between rich and poor, companies can invest in their workers, curb income inequality and make more money all at the same time.
Income poverty statistics tell us relatively little about why Australian children live in poverty, or how to alleviate it. But housing plays a critical part in the problem.
A row between South Africa’s finance minister and the country’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations has prompted academics to pen an open letter asking President Jacob Zuma to intervene.
There is a view that philanthropy from super-wealthy individuals, rather than government policy, will be the force that changes the world for the better. But this seems unlikely in Australia.
The first Renaissance struggled with the same doubts and uncertainties and blinding possibilities that we face today. Any gains we make will have to be achieved amid relentless shocks.
Sydney’s Sirius building - a brutalist classic, providing public housing with waterfront views - will soon be gone. Its loss speaks volumes about our contemporary values and architecture’s shift away from utopianism.