The big asks Africa needs to table with the IMF and World Bank: here's the list

By Danny Bradlow

The coronavirus and its economic consequences have caused economic tsunamis in every country in the world. The scale of the onslaught will dominate discussions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank spring...

Investing in research is South Africa's best insurance policy against crises

By Brenda Wingfield

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads around the world, causing the disease COVID-19, it is becoming ever clearer that the solutions to this pandemic will all be based on research. In some cases these solutions will be based...

Why Canadians and Americans are buying guns during the coronavirus pandemic

By Noah S. Schwartz

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in gun sales. Estimates based on background checks show that an estimated 2.6 million guns were sold in the United States in March. That is an 85 per cent increase over the same...

Porn use is up, thanks to the pandemic

By Joshua B. Grubbs

Across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic is affecting almost all aspects of daily life. Travel is down; jobless claims are up; and small businesses are struggling. But not all businesses are experiencing a downturn....

50 years of bold predictions about remote work: it isn't all about technology

By Julian Waters-Lynch

If youre working from home for the first time, you might be asking yourself why you didnt get to do this years ago. The benefits of remote work have been discussed for nearly half a century. Many thinkers predicted a...

Coronavirus & Easter: Lapsed Christians unlikely to return to church even in uncertain times

By Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme Et Al

Easter may be fast approaching but the fastest growing religious group is those who say they have no religion, commonly referred to as religious nones. This group currently represents just under a quarter of the population...

Boris Johnson in hospital: constitutional expert on what this means for governance of the UK

By Robert Hazell

Since Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and admitted to an intensive care unit, the airwaves have been full of speculation about how government is being conducted in his...

Boris Johnson is in intensive care, so who is in charge in the UK?

By Jonathan Kirkup Et Al

The fact that Boris Johnson is in intensive care following his COVID-19 diagnosis reminds us that the UK is unusual in not having a clear system of who to turn to when the prime minister is incapacitated. Other...

A virtual Passover may be the first for many, but Judaism has a long history of ritual innovation

By Samuel L. Boyd

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across the globe, it is affecting how families celebrate important religious events such as Easter, Passover and Ramadan, which would normally involve the gathering of families. For...

How Moi put foreign policy at the centre of his presidency

By Patrick Muthengi Maluki Et Al

Scholars have described the years during which Daniel arap Moi served as Kenyan president as the golden age of Kenyas diplomatic practice. Moi was the longest serving president of Kenya remaining in office from 1978 to...

New book shows how corruption took root in democratic South Africa

By Mcebisi Ndletyana

In evidence before a commission of inquiry investigating corruption, South Africans have been treated to shocking revelations about brazen looting of state coffers. Ín his new book, Anatomy of the ANC in Power:...

Stop calling coronavirus pandemic a 'war'

By Alexandre Christoyannopoulos

In speeches, commentaries and conversations about the coronavirus pandemic, we keep hearing war-like metaphors being deployed. It happens explicitly (we are at war, blitz spirit, war cabinet) and implicitly (threat,...

Homeschooling during coronavirus: five ways to teach children about climate change

By William Finnegan

Schools around the world have closed in reponse to the COVID-19 pandemic, so many families are finding themselves thrust into homeschooling. Parents are figuring out how to teach their children subjects like mathematics...

Striking Amazon, Instacart employees reveal how a basic economic principle could derail our ability to combat the coronavirus

By Leigh Osofsky

A series of recent protests by the workers preparing and delivering our essential foods and other goods highlights a key risk to our ability to combat the coronavirus. Some employees at an Amazon warehouse and Instacart...

Hoarding during the coronavirus isn't just unnecessary, it's ethically wrong

By Jaime Ahlberg

As people rush to stockpile provisions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, stores have placed restrictions on the purchase of basic goods and medicines. When supply chains are vulnerable to spikes in demand, one...

Why wear face masks in public? Here's what the research shows

By Hector Chapa

With the coronavirus pandemic quickly spreading, U.S. health officials have changed their advice on face masks and now recommend people wear cloth masks in public areas where social distancing can be difficult, such as...

How the coronavirus recession puts service workers at risk

By Donald T. Tomaskovic-Devey Et Al

Economic activity is slowing rapidly, both in the United States and around the world. Social distancing, stalling global trade, widespread illness and the closing of borders, restaurants and schools will all contribute...

Why Trump tried to use the coronavirus crisis to 'Mexicanize' the U.S.-Canada border

By Bruno Dupeyron

For more than 150 years, the United States and Canada have shared what is commonly called the longest undefended border in the world. And yet in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, reports emerged that the United States...

Coronavirus will have long-term implications for business leaders. Here are the top five

By Ralph Hamann

As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, the focus of business leaders and others has been on immediate responses and short-term time horizons. This is for good reason. Yet there are initial signs of how the crisis may be shaping...

Coronavirus is a once in a lifetime chance to reshape how we travel

By Marcus Enoch Et Al

The transport sector has been impacted as much as any by the coronavirus. This isnt a normal period of disruption, which is usually caused by failures in supply such as road accidents or industrial action. In this case it...

Coronavirus: migrants in frontline jobs not entitled to any financial help if they get sick

By Amina Chitembo

Frontline NHS staff are working around the clock to save lives, while putting their own lives at risk. Doctors, nurses and other staff are keeping the nation alive. But one group of these brave heroes is invisible....

Managing postpartum depression: New moms isolated by coronavirus pandemic

By Ryan Van Lieshout

Up to one in five women will develop postpartum depression, a condition that can adversely affect the thoughts, emotions and functioning of mothers, as well as the mental health of their partners and children. Adjusting...

Leading an online social movement requires offline work

By Delia Dumitrica Et Al

Today, most social movements around the world are digital in some capacity. When a hashtag seems enough to start a movement, social media promise to replace the role of leaders in setting a movements goals, coordinating...

Taiwan must find ways to enhance Indigenous representation

By Cassandra Preece

President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured a majority government win following Januarys Taiwanese elections. Now that the dust has settled, its time to reflect on the quality of democracy...

Why undocumented immigrants still fear the 2020 census

By Mary Lehman Held

The United States might not be able to get information about more than 10 million people in the 2020 census. Thats the number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Another 16.7 million individuals live...

Insider trading by members of Congress may be difficult to prove

By Stanley M. Brand

Recent allegations regarding stock trading by members of Congress in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic have raised calls for the investigation of these politicians for illegal insider trading. But successfully...

There are many COVID-19 tests in the US – how are they being regulated?

By David Pride

When it comes to COVID-19 testing in the United States, the situation is about as messy as it gets. The U.S. went from having no tests, or assays, available for COVID-19 diagnostics to having multiple different tests...

India's stark inequalities make social distancing much easier for some than others

By Priyasha Kaul

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing its spread around the world, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, announced a three-week complete nationwide lockdown of 1.3 billion people on March 24. The government advised...

How to boost your internet speed when everyone is working from home

By James Jin Kang Et Al

With #StayAtHome and social distancing now becoming a way of life, an increasing number of people are relying on the internet for work, education and entertainment. This has placed greater demand on our network...

Can I still go to the dentist? How coronavirus is changing the way we look after our teeth

By Alexander Holden Et Al

The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we access health care, and dental care is no exception. Dentists are no longer allowed to provide a raft of care, such as regular check-ups and tooth whitening, to minimise...

Coronavirus: as a health economist, I'm not convinced the case for mass testing stacks up

By Cam Donaldson

In 1974, a classic book, Who Shall Live?, was published. Written by Victor Fuchs, a Stanford University professor, it marked the birth of health economics. It arrived at a moment when the post-war era of continued growth...

Coronavirus: BBC News is uniquely placed to serve the nation – how it does so will define its future

By Stephen Cushion Et Al

With misinformation about countering the global pandemic rife, the BBC has stood out as a guarantor of truth and accuracy, delivering on its traditional Reithian values of entertaining, informing, educating the nation...

The limits of federal emergency law during a pandemic

By Amy Swiffen

While there has never been an official national public health emergency in Canada, there has been discussion of whether the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to precipitate one soon. Its therefore important to understand the...

Social distancing and exercise: are active video games the solution?

By Sam Peter Kirk

The social distancing measures and self-isolation initiated by the coronavirus pandemic has left people looking for new ways to exercise at home. Could active video games (AVGs) such as Pokemon Go and the recent hit Ring...

Local newspapers are an 'essential service'. They deserve a government rescue package, too

By Kristy Hess Et Al

The coronavirus pandemic has spawned a lexicon of its own. We have had to quickly incorporate words like self-isolation and social distancing into our everyday language to navigate it. Essential service is another one....

Public spaces bind cities together. What happens when coronavirus forces us apart?

By Tahj Rosmarin

In modern cities, our public spaces represent our shared values. They are our common assets, owned, maintained and used by all members of our society. The outbreak of coronavirus and its immediate impacts, such as social...

How to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus self-isolation

By Emmanuel Stamatakis Et Al

The extensive social distancing policies put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 mean most people will have to spend much, if not all, their time at home. Self-isolation means far fewer opportunities to be...

Hotter weather brings more stress, depression and other mental health problems

By Susana Ferreira Et Al

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. Whats the big idea Thinking about your mental health which includes stress, depression and problems with emotions for how many of the last 30 days...

Can robots help us overcome the coronavirus health crisis and lockdown?

By Hector Gonzalez-Jimenez

The widespread use of robots has long been debated, in part because many critics see them as a threat to jobs and livelihoods. Despite such concerns, robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are already being used in...

Coronavirus and the global economy: yes, there really is cause for optimism

By Arturo Bris

Stock markets are rebounding on the back of the newly agreed US$2 trillion American fiscal stimulus plan. It comes after a week that was the worst in history for the Dow and many others around the world. My impression is...

Video games can help stop kids feeling lonely while stuck at home

By Drew Cattanach

Schools are out for who knows how long. This new reality provides a unique challenge for parents who have now become full-time educators alongside their work and household responsibilities. As a parent of two primary...

Four ways the coronavirus pandemic could now unfold

By Adam Kleczkowski Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic has already caused several thousand deaths, widespread health problems, massive anxiety and economic losses. Most people are concerned with what happens day by day as we wait for control measures to...

Coronavirus and the politics of crisis fatigue

By Matthew Flinders

The new coronavirus pandemic is affecting our daily lives in many unexpected ways. We are particularly trying to understand why some people are not heeding official advice about social isolation. I believe this relates to...

China's expulsion of American journalists a dangerous mistake at a deadly moment

By Yuan Zeng

As the world wages a difficult battle with the coronavirus pandemic, China is escalating its own diplomatic war with the US and the media is the casualty. On March 18, China announced it would expel at least 13...

The six mega challenges testing leaders at a time of national and global crisis

By Richard Calland

The COVID-19 pandemic is an extreme crisis that puts government under severe pressure. It puts the political judgement of the president or prime minister under the most intense spotlight. Not since the height of the Cold...

Halting jury trials may impact a defendant's right to a fair trial

By Sarah Lloyd

The decision of the lord chief justice, Lord Burnett, to halt new jury trials in England and Wales in response to COVID-19 follows the example set by Scotland and Northern Ireland. This is understandable as the safety of...

Medical supply chains are fragile in the best of times and COVID-19 will test their strength

By Emily Tucker Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought medical supply chains into the spotlight. There has been a national shortage of testing kits, and at least one drug is already unavailable because of the outbreak, though it hasnt been...

In battling the coronavirus, will 'optimistic bias' be our undoing?

By Marie Helweg-Larsen

As the coronavirus has fanned across the globe, some people have been more complacent about the risk of contracting the virus than others. On March 21, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was apoplectic after photographs emerged...

Coronavirus fears over farmers markets could hit new growers hard – just when Americans need them most

By Tamara J. Benjamin

The familiar sight of weekend shoppers brushing shoulders at farmers markets across the U.S. is under threat from the coronavirus and fears of its spread. In Seattle, farmers markets have been suspended altogether. In...

Coronavirus: to save businesses, we should pioneer an unusual kind of insurance

By Alistair Milne

The COVID-19 outbreak has triggered a collapse of revenues in sector after sector: transport, hotels, restaurants, tourism, recreation and culture, consumer durables and numerous others. This economic shock, equivalent to...