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Kate Macdonald

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.

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Economy

Ukraine Faces $56 Billion Budget Gap as War Costs Soar

Ukraine is confronting a deepening budget crisis as Russian attacks cripple major industries, reduce tax revenues and drive the cost of fighting the war sharply higher. Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr...

Thailand Plans Dual-Class Shares to Revive IPO Market

Thailands Stock Exchange plans to introduce a dual-class share structure by 2027, aiming to attract more companies to the countrys struggling IPO market while allowing founders to retain greater control over their...

India-US Trade Deal Talks Hit Plateau, Sitharaman Says

India and the United States have reached a difficult stage in negotiations over a long-awaited trade agreement, with little room left for either side to make additional concessions, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala...

Europe EV Sales Hit Record as Affordable Models Boost Demand

Europes electric vehicle market is accelerating in 2026, with record sales and a growing range of affordable models helping automakers meet stricter European Union emissions targets, according to a new study. Electric...

RBI Rate Hike Bets Surge as Inflation Rises

Investors are increasingly betting that the Reserve Bank of India will raise interest rates this week as inflation accelerates, economic growth remains strong and major global central banks adopt more hawkish policies. A...

Politics

Ukraine to Intensify Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscows expanding air campaign against Ukrainian cities, while stressing that Ukraine will not deliberately...

Takaichi Pledges to Control Japan Bond Issuance

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged Monday to control government bond issuance and respond quickly to market volatility as rising yields intensify concerns over Japans public finances. In a policy speech to...

Australia Probes Flydubai Co-Pilot’s Links After FZ1073 Hijack Attempt

Australian counterterrorism authorities are investigating the local connections of the flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to seize control of flight FZ1073. The Victorian Joint Counter...

OPEC+ Keeps November Oil Output Targets Steady

OPEC+ has agreed to maintain its existing oil production targets for November, keeping supply policy unchanged as Middle East disruptions continue to limit actual output from several major producers. Seven core OPEC+...

Yemen Launches Major Offensive to Retake Houthi-Held Areas

Yemens Saudi-backed government announced Sunday a major military campaign aimed at recapturing territory controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, escalating a conflict increasingly linked to the wider Middle East war....

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

Huawei, Qualcomm Sign Multi-Year AI and 5G Patent Deal

Chinas Huawei Technologies has reached a broad multi-year patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm covering key technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G, computing and networking, strengthening the companies...

Zcash NU7 Testnet Cuts Block Time to 25 Seconds

Zcash has activated its NU7 network upgrade on the public testnet, reducing the targeted time between transaction blocks from 75 seconds to 25 seconds as developers prepare for a potential November mainnet launch. NU7 went...

Firmus Grid IPO Draws Strong Demand, Nvidia and Blackstone Could Raise Stakes

Australian data centre operator Firmus Grid plans to reserve roughly half of the shares in its initial public offering for existing investors, potentially giving Nvidia and Blackstone an opportunity to increase their...

UK Warned Over Growing Reliance on US Cloud Providers

Britains increasing dependence on U.S. cloud computing companies for critical government services could create a major strategic and economic vulnerability, lawmakers have warned, raising concerns about data sovereignty...

AI Agents Could Disrupt Financial Services, Bernstein Says

Consumer AI agents could reshape financial services by reducing customer inertia and making it easier to switch between financial products, although trust, data access and regulatory hurdles may slow adoption, according to...
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