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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

UK Productivity Crisis: BCG Urges Hard-Edged Industrial Strategy and Creative Destruction

Britains once-dominant corporate sectors that powered national productivity growth are now lagging behind global competitors, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The consultancy warns that the UK...

U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Trump Tariffs Rise; Nvidia Earnings in Focus

U.S. stock index futures moved lower Sunday evening after President Donald Trump announced plans to raise global tariffs using a different legal authority, adding fresh uncertainty to U.S. trade policy. Investors are also...

Global Markets Waver as U.S. Tariff Uncertainty Grows and Nvidia Earnings Loom

Global share markets opened the week cautiously as investors grappled with renewed uncertainty over U.S. tariffs and awaited key earnings from AI giant Nvidia. The U.S. dollar slipped in Asian trading on Monday, reflecting...

Oil Prices Slip as Trump Tariff Hike Fuels Economic Growth Concerns

Oil prices edged lower on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to raise tariffs on global imports, a move that has heightened uncertainty סביב global economic growth and future fuel demand. The latest...

MOEX Russia Index Ends Flat as Gazprom Gains and Gold Prices Surge

Russian stocks closed mixed on Sunday, with the MOEX Russia Index finishing unchanged at the end of trading in Moscow. Despite limited movement in the benchmark index, individual stocks posted notable gains and losses,...

Politics

Northeast Winter Storm Triggers State of Emergency, Travel Bans and Thousands of Flight Cancellations

A powerful winter storm is sweeping across the Northeast, prompting governors in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts to declare states of emergency and impose strict travel restrictions. Forecasters warned...

U.S.-Led Task Force Aids Mexico in Operation That Killed CJNG Leader ‘El Mencho’

A newly formed U.S.-military-led task force focused on intelligence gathering against drug cartels played a supporting role in the Mexican military operation that killed Nemesio Oseguera, widely known as El Mencho,...

Trump Weighs Potential U.S. Military Strike on Iran as Nuclear Talks Intensify

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a potential military strike against Iran in the coming days, according to a New York Times report citing officials familiar with internal White House discussions. The...

Islamic State Claims New Attacks on Syrian Army as Violence Escalates Under President Ahmed al-Sharaa

Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for two new attacks targeting Syrian army personnel in northern and eastern Syria, signaling what the militant group describes as a new phase of operations against the countrys...

Thousands March in Lyon After Killing of Far-Right Activist Quentin Deranque

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Lyon, France, on Saturday following the killing of 23-year-old far-right activist Quentin Deranque, whose death has intensified political tensions across the country. Deranque was...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Nvidia Earnings Preview: AI Growth Outlook Remains Strong Beyond 2026

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) is heading into its upcoming earnings report with Wall Street expecting another quarter of solid performance, driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. While...

Microsoft Gaming Leadership Overhaul: Phil Spencer Retires, Asha Sharma Named New Xbox CEO

Microsoft has announced a major leadership transition in its gaming division, as longtime executive Phil Spencer retires after 38 years with the company. The move marks a significant shift for Microsoft Gaming at a time...

OpenAI Targets $600B Compute Spend as IPO Valuation Could Reach $1 Trillion

OpenAI is reportedly planning a massive expansion of its artificial intelligence infrastructure, targeting approximately $600 billion in total compute spending through 2030. According to a source cited by Reuters, the...

Alibaba, Baidu, BYD Shares Slide After Pentagon Military List Update

Alibaba Group, Baidu, and electric vehicle giant BYD saw their Hong Kong-listed shares fall sharply on Friday after the companies were briefly included on a U.S. Pentagon list of firms allegedly linked to the Chinese...

Nvidia Nears $30 Billion Investment in OpenAI, Replacing Previous $100 Billion AI Partnership

Nvidia is reportedly close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI, marking a major shift in the companies artificial intelligence partnership. According to a Financial Times report published Thursday, the new...