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Kate Macdonald

Associate Professor, Political Science, The University of Melbourne
I joined the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne in January 2009. Before coming to Melbourne, I did my DPhil in the Department of International Development at Oxford (jointly supervised in the Department of Politics and International Relations), and I worked as a Fellow of Government (Global Politics) at the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University and a Research Officer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University.

My research focuses on transnational governance and accountability systems, especially in relation to transnational business regulation, and accountability in the international development sector. I have conducted research and consultancy work on these topics for a range of Australian and international organisations including the Forest Stewardship Council, Amnesty International, ActionAid Australia, Oxfam Australia and the UK’s Corporate Responsibility Coalition, and I am currently on the advisory board of the Jubilee Australia Research Foundation.

Economy

Rachel Reeves Faces Fiscal Tightrope After Welfare U-Turn and Budget Woes

U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is under increasing fiscal pressure following a major policy reversal on welfare cuts, which may wipe out her estimated 10 billion budgetary buffer. The sudden U-turn triggered a sell-off in...

Gold Prices Steady as Investors Await US Jobs Data and Fed Clues

Gold prices held firm in Asian trading on Thursday following a three-day rally, as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the key U.S. non-farm payroll report, which could offer fresh signals on the Federal Reserves...

UAE Non-Oil Private Sector Expands in June Despite Regional Tensions

The UAEs non-oil private sector maintained steady growth in June, supported by increased output, even as regional geopolitical tensions dampened demand, according to the latest SP Global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)...

Asian Chip Stocks Rise as US Eases China Export Curbs on Design Tools

Asian semiconductor stocks climbed on Thursday after the U.S. Commerce Department lifted export restrictions on chip design software to China, following a recent trade agreement between Washington and Beijing. The move is...

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung Vows Bold Fiscal Push Amid Economic, Trade, and Security Challenges

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged on Thursday to implement a bold fiscal policy to revive the economy and address mounting challenges from U.S. trade tensions and North Korea. Speaking at a press conference...

Politics

Australia Confirms $1.3B U.S. Missile Deal Amid Defence Spending Debate

Australia has finalized a A$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) purchase of advanced supersonic missiles from the United States, reinforcing its defence strategy amid growing regional tensions. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy...

U.S. Resumes Ethane Exports to China After Trade Tensions Ease

The U.S. has lifted recent restrictions on ethane exports to China, signaling a positive step in easing trade tensions between the two nations. On Wednesday, the U.S. Commerce Department sent letters to key...

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Block Reinstatement of Fired Consumer Safety Officials

The Trump administration has requested the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a lower court order requiring the reinstatement of three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). President Donald Trump had...

US-India Push for Tariff Deal Amid Trump’s Trade Deadline

The United States and India are racing to finalize a tariff-reducing trade deal ahead of President Donald Trumps July 9 deadline. While both sides have made progress, key disagreements remain, particularly over U.S....

Trump Eases Vietnam Tariffs Ahead of July 9 Trade Deadline

President Donald Trump announced a new trade deal with Vietnam, lowering the expected tariff on Vietnamese exports to 20%, down from a proposed 46%. Trans-shipped goods from third countries, especially China, will face a...

Science

FDA Lifts REMS Requirement for CAR-T Cell Cancer Therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirement for all currently approved CAR-T cell therapies, a move expected to improve patient access to these...

Neuren Pharmaceuticals Surges on U.S. Patent Win for Rare Disorder Drug

Shares of Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX:NEU) jumped over 10% on Thursday after the company announced a key development in its rare disease pipeline. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Neurens patent...

CDC Vaccine Review Sparks Controversy Over Thimerosal Study Citation

A presentation on thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative, set to be delivered to the CDCs advisory committee has come under scrutiny for referencing a non-existent study. The report, Thimerosal as a Vaccine...

SpaceX Starship Explodes in Texas During Test, Citing Nitrogen Tank Failure

SpaceXs Starship spacecraft exploded in a dramatic fireball during a late-night test at the companys Starbase facility in Brownsville, Texas, on June 18, 2025. The 400-foot Mars-bound rocket, a key part of Elon Musks...

NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are steadily recovering after spending nine unexpected months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with Boeings Starliner capsule. Initially intended...

Technology

Foxconn Recalls Chinese Engineers from India, Raising Concerns Over Apple’s iPhone Production Plans

Foxconn (TW:2317, SS:601138), the key Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) supplier, has recalled over 300 Chinese engineers from its iPhone assembly facilities in India, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter....

U.S. Lifts Export Curbs on Siemens' Chip Design Software for China

Siemens AG has reportedly received a notice from the U.S. government confirming the removal of export restrictions on its chip design software for use in China, according to Bloomberg News. The decision marks a notable...

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Settles $4.25M Export Violation Over Huawei Shipments

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS) has agreed to pay $4.25 million to the U.S. Department of Commerce for violating export regulations by shipping restricted components to Huawei Technologies. According to a department...

TikTok Shop Faces Layoffs Amid E-Commerce Restructuring and U.S. Pressure

TikTok and its parent company ByteDance are preparing for another round of layoffs, this time targeting the global e-commerce division, according to internal memos obtained by Business Insider. The restructuring will...

Alibaba Cloud Expands in Southeast Asia Amid $53B AI Investment Push

Alibaba Cloud (NYSE:BABA) has announced the launch of its third data center in Malaysia and plans to open a second center in the Philippines by October, further advancing its aggressive AI and cloud infrastructure...