The coronavirus pandemic is shaking a system that was pretty wobbly already.
South Africa’s Alexandra township in the foreground, where the majority live in squalor, and Sandton in the background, representing the most privileged
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Most consumers in South Africa aren’t able to fill up a trolley of groceries for their daily needs, let alone join the panic buying induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
An employee prepares items for a 2019 holiday sale at a Walmart in Las Vegas.
(AP Photo/John Locher)
We are addicted to consumption during these holidays, which leads to a massive amount of landfill waste. Giant retailers like Walmart could help the problem, but they haven’t.
The Furby craze was a big deal in the 1990s, just like Cabbage Patch Kids were in the 1980s and Hatchimals were this decade.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
If Australia follows international trends and allows supermarkets to open pharmacies, what are the effects on neighbouring pharmacies? And when does running a business mean health care suffers?
A national minimum wage could benefit young people who have jobs and stimulate those who have given up trying to find work. But those without work need additional help.
The independent owner-operated businesses that bring life to run-down neighbourhoods often have a hipster ethos.
Peter Walters
It’s easy to scorn the gentrifying hipster stereotype, but many inner-city neighbourhoods benefit from the distinctive mix of businesses and activities they pursue. So why should the suburbs miss out?
Interim Director, UWA Public Policy Institute; Associate Professor & Programme Co-ordinator (Masters of Public Policy), The University of Western Australia