Pillar Talk

In this latest and greatest episode, we enlist PPE’s very own Sam Weir to help us understand the value of a PPE economics major. As a shining example of an economic policy expert in the making, Sam chats to veteran Statecraft reporter Eloise about how his learning experience has allowed him to keep a foot in both the quantitative analysis and political decision-making camps. If you listen very car...

This week, Statecraft is joined by the indefatigable Dan Quill to talk about that mysterious second 'P'... philosophy! As animated as always, Dan explains just how philosophy fits into a PPE degree, before walking us through some of the major strands of the discipline. Discussion revolves about the role of philosophy, not just a standalone subject, but rather a set of crucial tools with wh...

In response to absolutely ravenous fan demand, Pillar Talk is back! We round out our programming for this semester in Lachie and Aunima’s welcome company, trying to explain a little about the social side of PPE. Our two interviewees join Kaya in an engaging group discussion, talking a little about how they were introduced to the PPE community (big shoutouts to netball), their favourite events, the...

In our second episode, the Publications team dives into the murky pool that is the PPE job market! With graduate job applications in full swing (and PPE Pathways coming up on the 19th of March!), it seems high time to have a chat to some employment experts and find out their perspectives on getting students into jobs. Our two guests for this week are Lucy Boyle, UQPPES Vice President of Vocations,...

It's a new year, and with it comes new UQPPE initiatives! This is the first episode of the PPE Survival Guide, a series of interviews organised by the UQPPE Publications Portfolio to help communicate different perspectives on the degree. The PPE cohort has always been brimming with warnings, stories, and advice: our hope is that this series helps broadcast these experiences throughout the degr...

In the final episode of season one of Pillar Talk, Will and Ollie chat with Dr Cameron Murray. Cameron is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney Henry Halloran Trust, specialising in the economics of property and urban development, environmental economics, rent-seeking, and corruption. This conversation covers a lot of these topic areas, beginning with Cameron’s work on corrup...

In this episode, I join Will at the table as we chat with Dr Adrian Moore. Adrian is an academic philosopher, with a keen interest in both continental and Eastern philosophy, especially existentialism, anarchism, and Buddhism. You can read his PhD thesis, which we discuss in the podcast, here . In this conversation, we cover these topic areas, and much more. It was a really interesting conversatio...

In this episode, Will and Ollie chat with UQ’s very own John Quiggin. John is a bit of a favourite among UQ PPE students. One of Australia’s most prolific academic economists, and an avid blogger, he is a common contributor to public debate, and isn’t scared to share his hot takes on topical issues. John takes the third year PPE course PPES3101 , where he draws on his experience as a former member...

What is the biggest threat to Australia’s security right now? How can we balance civil liberties with national security? What’s the relationship between liberalism and conservatism? And is it even worth studying PPE? In today’s episode, Will and Ollie chat with the Honourable George Brandis KC, former Senator for QLD, Attorney-General for Australia, and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and...

Last month, the UQ PPE Society hosted the Statecraft Keynote Lecture, featuring the Honourable George Brandis KC, former Senator for QLD, Attorney-General for Australia, and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.  This episode is a recording of that lecture, entitled "Reflections on Politics and Diplomacy". The lecture ends at around the 45 minute mark, after which we’ve included half an...

What is the principle of subsidiarity ? How does it challenge conventional approaches to governance? And how can it help us tackle some of the world's most wicked problems ? In this episode, Tom and Will chat with Dr Brendan Markey-Towler about the principle of subsidiarity and polycentric governance.  Dr Brendan Markey-Towler is a credit analyst with a background as an academic economist. His...

What's causing inflation? Is it 'always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon'? What's the rationale behind central bank independence? And what can policy-makers do to curb inflation? In this episode, Will & Ollie chat with Dr Begoña Domínguez from the UQ School of Economics about all things inflation. Dr Begoña Domínguez has a PhD in economics from the University of Barcelona,...

What does it mean to be a citizen? What is the proper role of experts in a democracy? How unique is the COVID-19 crisis? And why do our institutions always seem to forget how to manage crises? In the first proper episode of this season of Pillar Talk , your hosts Will & Ollie sit down with Dr Alastair Stark from UQ’s School of Political Science to address these questions and more, discussing d...

What's behind the name ' Pillar Talk '? Why are we making a podcast at all? How much could you win for reading all of Hobbes' Leviathan ? Is Ollie really a raging conservative, and Will a radical Marxist?  In this introductory episode, we answer all these questions and more, explaining why the UQ PPE Society is making a podcast, what you can expect from this new initiative, and wha...