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Benjamin Moffitt

Senior Lecturer & ARC DECRA Fellow, Australian Catholic University
Benjamin Moffitt is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow (2019-2021) at the National School of Arts, ACU (Melbourne). His research is located at the intersection of comparative politics, contemporary political theory and political communications, and focuses on contemporary populism across the globe.

Benjamin joined ACU in 2018. Prior to this, he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Uppsala University and Stockholm University, Sweden. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2014, and his BA (Hons) from the University of Wollongong. He has been a visiting researcher at the WZB (Berlin Social Science Centre) and University of Toronto, and is an associate of the Sydney Democracy Network and Uppsala University's Department of Government.

Benjamin is the author of 'The Global Rise of Populism: Performance, Political Style and Representation' (Stanford University Press, 2016), and numerous articles and chapters on populism in Australia, New Zealand and Western Europe, as well as the theoretical and media-communicative dimensions of populism. These have appeared in journals including Political Studies and Government & Opposition, and in collections such as The Oxford Handbook of Populism. He is currently writing a book on populism and political theory for Polity's 'Key Concepts in Political Theory' series.

Benjamin is also a frequent commentator in the Australian and international press, and his work has appeared in outlets such as The Economist, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg News, The Conversation, the ABC, and the BBC World Service. In 2018, Benjamin was named one of ABC's inaugural Top 5 researchers in Humanities and the Social Sciences in Australia.

What actually is populism? And why does it have a bad reputation?

Feb 06, 2019 23:39 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

No doubt thanks to Donald Trump, Brexit, and a string of anti-establishment leaders and parties in Europe, Latin America and Asia, everyone seems to be talking about populism. But populism is nothing new. Its long...

Economy

Canada Grants C$7 Million to Greenland Molybdenum Mine to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply

Canada has awarded C$7 million (approximately $4.93 million) in non-repayable funding to support the development of a major molybdenum mining project in Greenland, reinforcing Western efforts to secure critical mineral...

Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Investors Eye China Data, RBNZ Outlook and U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Asian currencies traded in tight ranges on Monday as investors balanced easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East with a busy week of key economic releases across Asia. While the tentative ceasefire between the...

Japan Targets 1%+ Real Economic Growth With ¥370 Trillion Investment Plan

Japans government is preparing an ambitious long-term economic strategy aimed at achieving sustained annual real economic growth of more than 1%, according to a draft of its latest economic and fiscal policy framework. The...

China Factory PMI Seen Returning to Growth in June as AI Export Demand Supports Economy

Chinas manufacturing sector is expected to return to modest growth in June, supported by resilient exports tied to the booming global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. However, economists caution that the recovery...

US Stock Futures Rise as US-Iran Ceasefire Hopes Boost Market Sentiment

U.S. stock index futures moved higher late Sunday as investors reacted positively to reports that the United States and Iran had agreed to suspend recent military hostilities and resume diplomatic negotiations, easing...

Politics

Australia, Vanuatu Sign Security Pact Amid Pacific Influence Competition

Australia and Vanuatu have officially signed a long-awaited development and security agreement, reinforcing their strategic partnership while highlighting the growing geopolitical competition for influence in the Pacific...

Serbia Protests Continue as Thousands Rally Despite Vucic’s Resignation Plan

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the central Serbian city of Kraljevo on Sunday, maintaining pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic just one day after he announced plans to resign within weeks and trigger early...

Iran Skips U.S. Technical Talks Over Unmet MoU Conditions and Frozen Funds Dispute

Iran did not participate in the technical talks scheduled for Sunday, citing recent military attacks on the country and unresolved conditions outlined in its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States. The...

Trump Announces September Overhaul of Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a major renovation of Washingtons historic East Potomac Golf Links will begin on September 1, with plans to transform the century-old public golf course into what he described as...

Andy Burnham Sets Out Vision to Decentralize Britain as Labour Leadership Race Begins

Andy Burnham is set to outline his vision for the United Kingdom on Monday as the Labour politician positions himself to succeed Keir Starmer as the countrys next prime minister. Burnham is expected to focus on shifting...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings

Chinese insurtech firm Baige Online Digital Technology Co. (HK:2672) delivered an impressive debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, with its shares surging as much as 333% in early trading. The strong performance...

Baidu Shares Rally as Kunlunxin Eyes $50 Billion Hong Kong IPO

Baidu Inc. (HK:9888) shares climbed sharply on Monday after reports indicated that its artificial intelligence chip subsidiary, Kunlunxin, is aiming for a valuation of approximately $50 billion through a planned initial...

Open-Source AI Models Gain Ground as Enterprises Seek Lower-Cost Alternatives, Citi Says

Open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models are rapidly gaining traction as businesses search for cost-effective alternatives to proprietary AI systems, according to a new research note from Citi. The shift comes as...

Samsung, SK Hynix to Unveil $1.3 Trillion AI and Semiconductor Investment Plan

South Korean technology leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly preparing to announce investment plans worth a combined 2,000 trillion won (approximately $1.3 trillion) to strengthen the countrys...

UBS Raises TSMC Price Target to T$3,400 on Strong AI Chip Demand Outlook

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) received a fresh vote of confidence from UBS after the investment bank raised its price target for the worlds largest contract chipmaker, citing robust artificial...