The Lowy Institute

Euan Graham, Sam Roggeveen and Michael Fullilove discuss the Australian Government's new Defence White Paper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 17 February, International Economy Program Director Leon Berkelmans hosted a conversation with one of the most high profile power couples in economics, Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson. The discussion covered Betsey’s time as a member of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, the current state of the US economy, the gender problem economics has, economics in pop culture, and Justin's work with the New York Times.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 11 February at the National Gallery of Victoria, Research Director Anthony Bubalo, International Security Program Director Dr Euan Graham, Polling Program Director Alex Oliver and Melanesia Research Fellow Jonathan Pryke discussed the big issues that are likely to dominate the international policy agenda in 2016.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How has the digital era affected diplomacy and how we measure soft power?On 15 February Alex Oliver, Director of the Lowy Institute’s Polling Program, hosted a panel consisting of Portland Communications' Jonathan McClory, British High Commissioner Menna Rawlings and Rob Tranter, First Assistant Secretary, Public Diplomacy and Communications Division for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leon Berkelmans talks with Visiting G20 Studies Centre Fellow and Brookings Senior Fellow David Dollar on the state of the yuan. China’s foreign reserves depleted less in January than December but still fell by $99.5 billion. David addresses concerns about the accuracy of the Chinese data, capital flight, and the possibility of a significant yuan devaluation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chinese economy is going through an uncertain transition, while at the same time Beijing has assumed the presidency of the G20. On 8 February the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation on China’s economy and China's future in the governance architecture with long-time China scholar and economist David Dollar and Lowy Institute International Economy Program Director Leon Berkelmans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Russia under President Vladimir Putin is reasserting its role in international politics everywhere from the Middle East to East Asia. On 5 February the Lowy Institute's Anthony Bubalo hosted a discussion on Moscow's global ambitions with our leading Russia expert, Dr Matthew Sussex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On 2 February, Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove chaired a panel of Institute experts who examined the key issues likely to dominate the international agenda in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of the Lowy Institute's Books of the Year 2015 series, we speak with Dan Gardner, co-author, with Philip Tetlock, of Superforecasting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Tuesday 8 December, the Lowy Institute held a panel discussion on the themes of Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove's ABC 2015 Boyer Lectures. Joining Dr Fullilove on the panel were novelist Anna Funder and broadcaster Tom Switzer. This wide-ranging and spirited discussion covered Australia's evolving place in the world, various aspects of our national culture, and heard both sides of the republic debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an address to the Lowy Institute, the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett AO CSC RAN, discussed the interconnected nature of naval power in the twenty first century, and how it provides greater military weight and agility to the Australian government in meeting the demands of national security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute, speaks with John Gooding about his reaction to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's address to the Lowy Institute on Labor's climate policy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the lead up to the 2015 Paris climate change negotiations, the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, gave a major policy address at the Lowy Institute for International Policy outlining the Opposition’s position on international action on climate change.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a flurry of activity, Australia has signed free trade agreements with many of its trade partners, and there could be more coming down the pipeline. Are these agreements transformative, are they job destroying, do they sign over too much sovereignty, or are they much ado about nothing? On 26 November, the Lowy Institute hosted a panel discussion chaired by Lowy Nonresident Fellow Stephen Grenville, with panellists Leon Berkelmans, Director of the International Economy Program, Jessica Irvine, from the Sydney Morning Herald, and Professor Luke Nottage from the University of Sydney Law School.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the post-World War II international order undergoes an uncertain transformation, how will India position itself in Asia and beyond as an emerging and aspiring power? On 11 November, former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran delivered the 2015 Owen Harries Lecture on India's role in this new global order. The annual Owen Harries Lecture honours the enormous contribution Mr Harries, a Nonresident Fellow of the Lowy Institute, has made to the international policy debate in Australia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Indian Foreign Secretary and 2015 Telstra Distinguished International Fellow Shyam Saran speaks with Sam Roggeveen about the challenges and opportunities facing India today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On November 4 the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Glenn Stevens, officially launched 'The G20 and the Future of International Economic Governance'.Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Mike Callaghan and G20 Research Fellow Tristram Sainsbury have brought together an impressive collection of expert contributors to assess the impact of the Australian 2014 summit in the context of the year’s broader geopolitical challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Tuesday 27 October, the Lowy Institute hosted a conversation with two of Australia’s leading Middle East experts, Dr Rodger Shanahan and Dr Sarah Phillips. Chaired by the Lowy Institute’s Research Director, Anthony Bubalo, the conversation explored the region’s ongoing instability, from Yemen and the horn or Africa to Iraq and Syria, and how regional states in particular are responding.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lowy Institute, together with the Asia Pacific Professionals Association Ltd, hosted a panel discussion exploring gender parity issues in Papua New Guinea, where women face many significant challenges. High-profile speakers from Papua New Guinea and Australia discussed how the private sector can increase the diversity of the work force and expand the opportunities available to women within the changing commercial and social environment of Papua New Guinea – the fastest growing economy in the world in 2015. International evidence shows that investing in women and girls produces higher economic growth and better living standards in developing countries. The panel speakers provided perspectives from their specific industry sector and identify the steps that have been taken to address gender parity issues, as well as what more could be done. The sectors represented include law, education, energy and resources, banking and commerce. The Lowy Institute’s Melanesia Program Director, Jenny Hayward-Jones, chaired

On 8 October the Lowy Institute hosted Greg Sheridan, Foreign Editor of The Australian. Drawing on his recently published memoir, When We Were Young and Foolish, Sheridan and Lowy Institute Research Director Anthony Bubalo explored the critical and unrecognised role that foreign policy has played in forming the hearts and minds of two generations of Australian political leaders, including Tony Abbott, Bob Carr, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Costello.Photo: Flickr/Kyle TaylorSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.