Seminars and confirmed Speakers to date
Africa: The growth challenge
- High commodity prices: boon and bane
- Will Africa be caught in a US-led slowdown?
- Is governance improving with growth?
- Infrastructure investment: cross-regional transport, power, and telecoms links
Jesmond Blumenfeld (Leader)
Associate Senior Lecturer, Brunel Business School,
Brunel University, London;
Independent Consultant on African politics and economics
Richard Dowden
Director, Royal African Society, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Dennis Dykes
Group Chief Economist, Nedbank; Member of the Old Mutual Group
Jason Mosley
Africa Editor, Oxford Analytica
Dr Ricardo Soares de Oliveira
University Lecturer in Comparative Politics (African Politics) at the Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University
China: Mounting contradictions?
- Is overheating inevitable?
- In search of ‘harmony’: a report card on curbing corruption, easing the urban-rural divide, and protecting the environment
- Caring for the young and the old – shouldering the welfare burden
- Beijing as a global player: what does it want and will it get it?
- Why is a ‘defensive’ People’s Liberation Army modernising in an ‘offensive’ way?
Dr Steve Tsang (Leader)
Louis Cha Fellow and University Reader in Politics, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
Professor Robert Ash
Professor of Economics, China and Taiwan;
Director, Taiwan Studies Programme, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
Professor Rana Mitter
Lecturer, History and Politics of Modern China, St Cross College, University of Oxford
Patrick Tilbury
Senior Editor, Asia-Pacific, Oxford Analytica
Europe: Can the EU deliver?
- Can the Lisbon Treaty rise from the dead?
- Liberalism or protectionism? Investor friendliness in the EU
- Is the EU a credible defence actor?
- Strong euro, weak economy: Europe's preparedness for a recession
- Have predictions of an old Europe (EU15)/new Europe split been fulfilled?
Dr Hartmut Meyer (Leader)
Supernumerary Fellow and Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, St. Peter's College, University of Oxford
Dr Dimitar Bechev (Thursday Speaker)
Research Fellow, European Studies Centre, St Antony's College, University of Oxford
Dr Jeremy Leaman
Senior Lecturer in German & European Studies in the Department of Politics,
International Relations and European Studies, Loughborough University
Robin McConnachie (Friday Speaker)
Senior Advisor, Oxford Analytica
Former Deputy Director, Centre for Central Banking Studies
Francis McGowan
Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Sussex
Linda Pialek
Western Europe Editor, Oxford Analytica
Dr Michael Taylor
Senior Editor, Eastern Europe, Oxford Analytica
Japan/Koreas: Coping with China
- Can Tokyo and Beijing stabilise their complex relationship?
- The opening of North Korea: When will it happen and who will benefit?
- Competitive pressures: With China climbing up the value-added production. South Korea and Japan will need to raise their game
- Resource hunger: Is there enough to go round in a growing region?
- Defence postures: Why Japan and South Korea must keep a wary eye on Beijing
Anthony Rowley (Leader)
Field Editor, Japan, Oxford Analytica
Aidan Foster-Carter
Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Sociology and Modern Korea, University of Leeds
Professor Chris Hughes
Professor, International and Japanese Politics, University of Warwick
Dr Ian Neary
Director, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford
Latin America: Life amid global downturn
- Which countries can successfully 'decouple' from global markets turmoil?
- Will the energy crunch in the Southern Cone dent strong growth?
- What can the region expect from the new US administration?
- Could regional tensions dampen the investment climate?
Dr Laurence Whitehead (Leader)
Senior Fellow, Politics, Nuffield College, University of Oxford
Roger Cartwright
Consultant, Bell Pottinger
Dr Mahrukh Doctor
Lecturer, Political Economy, University of Hull;
Visiting Professorial Lecturer, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Bologna Centre, John Hopkins University
Dr Jill Hedges
Senior Editor, Latin America, Oxford Analytica
Middle East: The world’s danger zone
- Can an escalation in violent confrontation in Lebanon and Palestine be avoided?
- Can security improvements in Iraq endure in the absence of economic development and political reconciliation?
- Does a new US administration present an opportunity for a deal with Iran?
- How will Gulf and North Africa oil producers use their continuing surpluses?
Dr Robin Ostle (Leader)
Senior Tutor and Fellow,
Modern Arabic, St John's College, University of Oxford
Dr Noel Brehony
Chairman, Menas Associates;
Chairman, Council for British Research in the Levant; Advisor, Middle East Affairs, Rolls-Royce Plc
Dr Philip Robins
Lecturer, Politics, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
Professor Paul Stevens
Professor Emeritus at Dundee & Senior Research Fellow (Energy) at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London
David Taylor
Deputy Editor & Middle East Editor, Oxford Analytica
North America: Changing of the Guard
- What lies ahead for environmental regulation and fiscal policy?
- Will the next president institute a rapid withdrawal from Iraq?
- How will policymakers respond to fiscal and economic challenges?
- Is there sufficient political consensus to effect meaningful healthcare/entitlement reform?
Dr Tom Wales (Leader)
Senior North America Editor, Oxford Analytica
Dr Nigel Bowles
University Lecturer in Politics, University of Oxford
Dr Trevor McCrisken
Associate Professor, US Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick; Associate Fellow, Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford
Dr Robert Wescott
President, Keybridge Research LLC
Russia/CIS: Life under two leaders
- Is diarchy working?
- The accelerated primary schedule, and its effect on campaign strategy
- Medvedev: the man and his policies
- Foreign investors: Welcome, up to a point…
- How long will the energy boom last?
- Militarisation or military modernisation?
- Russia, the West and China: rivals and allies?
Dr Alex Pravda (Leader)
Fellow, Russian and East European Centre, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
Professor Philip Hanson
Associate Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs
Sarah Hirschman
Senior Editor, Russia/CIS, Oxford Analytica
Chris Le Fevre
Director, Le Fevre Consulting Ltd;
Non Executive Director, Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation; Non Executive Director South Central Strategic Health Authority; Oxford Analytica contributor
South-East Asia: Economies under pressure
- Living with the global slowdown
- Meeting energy needs
- Elections ahead for Indonesia
- Thailand: has the fracture healed?
- Burma: transition to what?
- Vietnam: how fast can it grow?
Dr Peter Carey (Leader)
Laithwaite Fellow and Tutor, Modern History, Trinity College, University of Oxford
Philip Bowring
Columnist, International Herald Tribune;
Independent Consultant; Asian Economic and Political Affairs
Gavin Greenwood
Consultant, Allan & Associates
South Asia: India - achievable ambitions?
- Election outlook in India
- Dangerous combination: slowing economies, surging inflation, food shortages
- Energy security in an age of electricity shortage
- Coping with climate change
- Pakistan: After Musharraf
- Bangladesh: managed democracy
Dr David Washbrook (Leader)
Director, Indian Studies Centre, Reader in Modern South Asian History, Fellow of St Antony's College, University of Oxford
Professor Mushtaq Khan
Professor of Economics, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
Sir Tim Lankester
President, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
Internet Future: Life in a wire-less world
- Will internet access across a wide range of devices, many of them portable, create a 'cloud' of universal access?
- How will virtual worlds diversify and democratise, and how will their simulated design enable new kinds of behaviour? What will the implications be in terms of governance and regulation?
- How will online social networking evolve? Will a core set of open standards emerge, enabling users of different networks to connect?
- To what extent will augmented reality technology, and networking allow gaming to become a mainstream form of media, with educational, business and military, as well as recreational uses?
Dr Neil Pyper (Leader)
Senior Editor, International Politics, Oxford Analytica
Dr Ian Brown
Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University, and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at University College London
Jeffrey Cooper (Thursday Speaker)
Vice President, Technology; Technical Fellow and Chief Innovation Officer, Intelligence and Security Group, SAIC
Dr Andrew Currah
Career Development Fellow & University Lecturer, Centre for the Environment, University of Oxford;
Research Associate, Oxford Internet Institute
Dr David Shotton
Reader in Image Bioinformatics, University of Oxford
The Balance of Power: Goodbye hegemony?
- Is US decline inevitable or is it reversible?
- Life without a ‘boss’: welcome to the multi-polar world
- Can China ever be top dog?
- Who will form the new ‘concert of powers’?
- What are the implications for international institutions?
Professor Desmond King (Leader)
Andrew W. Mellon Professor American Government, University of Oxford
Professor Andrew Hurrell
Montague Burton Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford
Frank-Jürgen Richter
President, Horasis and former Director (in charge of Asian affairs), World Economic Forum
The Global Economy: When will it get better?
- From the G8 to the G20: Who will be the new major players in the changing global economic order?
- Of food, metals and oil: How much will inflation hurt?
- Decoupling – alive or dead?
- Is Doha dead?
Dr Terry O’Shaughnessy (Leader)
Tutorial Fellow in Economics, St Anne's College, University of Oxford
Dr Harvey Chen
President, First Light Academy of Global Economics
Dr Steven Fries (Thusday Speaker)
Chief Economist, Shell B. V.
Dr Gerard Lyons (Friday Speaker)
Chief Economist and Group Head of Global Research, Standard Chartered Bank
Dr Rory Macleod
Managing Director, Objective Analysis
Victor Oviedo (Friday Speaker)
Partner, SkyBridge Capital
Professor John Toye
Senior Research Associate, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford
Terrorism: From ‘war’ to containment
- The threat from north-west Pakistan: assessing al-Qaida central's global reach
- ‘Self-starter' terrorism in Europe: are intelligence agencies equal to the task?
- The coming terrorist diaspora from Iraq
- Radicalism and revulsion: can Bin Laden retain sympathy?
Sir Colin McColl (Leader)
Honorary Fellow, Queen's College, University of Oxford
Dr Alia Brahimi
Research Associate, Changing Character of War Programme, University of Oxford, and Research Fellow, St. Antony's College, Oxford
Dr Mark Galeotti
Director, Organised Russian and Eurasian Crime Research Unit, Head of History, University of Keele
Panel Discussions
Strategic Business Risks
- Ernst & Young and Oxford Analytica interviewed more than 100 analysts representing 20 disciplines and 13 industrial sectors about the top threats to global business in the years ahead
- What risks did they foresee? A worsening economic downturn? A regulatory backlash against the financial sector? Upheaval in Central Asia?
- This session offers a preview and discussion of the strategic threats identified in the forthcoming 2009 Strategic Business Risk Report
Bob Head
Group Strategy Director, Old Mutual
David Stulb
Global Leader, Markets, Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services, Ernst & Young
Travis Sullivan
Director, Geopolitical & Public Issues, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Jens Tholstrup
Director of Consulting, Oxford Analytica
Future Fuels: Power for Tomorrow
- At what price could demand for oil peak?
- Will high oil prices lead to more efficient use of energy?
- Can alternative sources supply sufficient energy to reduce fossil fuel consumption?
- What is the future for biofuels in a world of high food prices?
- Is nuclear energy a (or even the only) viable long term solution?
Dr Myles Allen
Joint Head, Climate Dynamics Group, Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics, Department of Physics, University of Oxford
Irvin Bupp
Former Managing Director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Inc.
Adam Dixon
Editor, International Economy, Oxford Analytica
Darran Messem
Vice President Fuel Development, Shell
The Business of Migration
- The links between global labour mobility and economic development are irrefutable. Yet so are the risks – for governments, employers and employees
- In many countries, few issues excite public opinion more than migration. Proponents need to make the case again and again, while opponents must be assured of a sympathetic hearing
- What can the private sector do, in partnership with government and civil society, to maximise the economic opportunities and minimise migrant exploitation?
- The IBLF is launching an international consultation process with companies from several sectors to draw up a framework for private sector engagement in the business of migration, to share good practice, and to learn from successes and shortcomings in the existing system of migration management
David Arkless
Senior Vice-President, Global Corporate Affairs, Manpower Inc.
Liz Barker
Consultant, Oxford Analytica
Graham Baxter
Director, Responsible Business Solutions, International Business Leaders Forum
The Science of Happiness
Friday only
- Surveys indicate that even as incomes in Europe and North America have risen, people in these countries have not on average, become any happier
- The goal of raising "gross national happiness" has now been seized upon by leading political figures in France and the UK, among other countries
- How can governments increase gross national happiness? And should they?
William Inboden
Senior Vice-President, The Legatum Institute
Professor Avner Offer
Chichele Professor of Economic History, University of Oxford, and Fellow of All Souls College
Sam Wilkin
Senior Consultant, Oxford Analytica
Can Private Equity Survive the Credit Crunch?
- After several years of strong growth and high returns Private Equity is facing a number of major challenges
- The credit crunch has made debt finance much scarcer and more expensive. Arguably much of Private Equity's success has been based on plentiful cheap debt
- Private Equity has faced mounting criticism for some of its practices including job-cutting and exploiting tax loopholes, and yet Private Equity continues to raise large amounts of capital from investors, continues to attract top talent and continues to innovate
- How will Private Equity cope with these challenges and what is the outlook for Private Equity?
Juan Garin
Deputy Director of Consulting, Head of Strategic and Future Analysis, Oxford Analytica
Michael Johnston
Executive Vice President, Capital Group Companies
Simon Walker
Chief Executive, The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA)
Andrew Williams
Chief Executive Officer, SVG Advisers Ltd
The Implications of Social Networking for Businesses
- The ubiquity of the internet has led to an explosive growth in the development of online communities: individuals drawn together by their mutual interest in a topic, or simply by their desire to communicate with one another. Facebook and MySpace are just two examples
- How can organisations leverage the power of community to enhance their business?
- What initial steps should a company take to develop a community-based strategy?
- What are the tough issues that companies must deal with and what are the costs of not getting it right?
Peter Davis
Executive Vice-President, Global Strategy, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Dr Jay Jakub
Director, Business Intelligence, Mars, Inc.
Jon Spector
Chief Executive Officer, The Conference Board, Inc.
Ageing: A mixed blessing?
Thursday only
Longevity is both a triumph of medicine and the fruit of a civilised society. Yet it also poses major financial problems for industrialised societies:
- What is the best way of supporting the growing millions above normal working age?
- How will economies cope with a shrinking labour force?
- What are the implications for immigration?
Michael Bruce
Executive Director, Oxford Analytica
Professor Sarah Harper
Director of the Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford
Kenneth Howse
Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute of Ageing, University of Oxford
The Global Public Square: Civil or Not?
Special Discussion Group, Thursday Afternoon
As the Information Age creates a real-time, open access, anyone can play, no gate-keepers’ world, how can a society have an informed public on world issues? How can understanding be achieved through civil dialogue and discussion?
Shelby Coffey
Senior Fellow, Freedom Forum and member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council on International Policy
Lee Huebner
Director, School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
Chris Westcott
Director, BBC Monitoring
