Much of today’s public conversation is shaped by crisis, including war, climate change, democratic backsliding, inequality, and institutional fragility. While these challenges are real and consequential, an exclusive focus on disruption and pessimism can obscure another equally important reality: across many sectors and regions, there is considerable evidence of progress in health, education, poverty reduction, technological innovation, and human well-being.
This Circle U. Open Conversation invites students and colleagues to examine a central question in development studies and public policy, namely what actually works, under what conditions, and why. Rather than offering simplistic success stories, this Open Conversation will bring together perspectives from political science, global health, and economics to explore the political, institutional, and historical factors that help explain why some interventions succeed while others do not.
The discussion will also consider how ideas of hope can be grounded in empirical evidence rather than wishful thinking. By engaging with examples from different parts of the world, including the Global South, we will reflect on how more balanced narratives can enrich both academic inquiry and public debate. The aim is not to deny crisis, but to better understand the possibilities for meaningful change.
Moderator
Prof. Dan Banik, Professor of Political Science, University of Oslo, Academic Director of Democracy Hub, Circle U.
Panelists
Prof. Jean-Philippe Empana, Université Paris Cité, Academic Director of the Global Health Hub, Circle U.
Dr. Sonja Avlijaš, Assistant Professor in Economic Policy and Development at University of Belgrade
Student (tbc)
Event ID: 01784-Q8H3Y