Episode notes
What happens when communities are forced to govern themselves? Across conflict-affected contexts, communities are often doing far more than surviving the breakdown or failure of formal institutions. They are organising, delivering services, making decisions, representing their communities and creating new forms of governance - sometimes long before peace agreements are signed or states are rebuilt. In this episode of Think Change, we explore what makes these systems legitimate, how movements ...
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ODI | Think Change
From global think tank ODI, in Think Change we discuss some of the world’s most pressing global issues with a variety of experts and commentators. Find out more at odi.org
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1 Oct 2026 · 30 min
Think Change episode 107: how do you tax the super rich? The practical challenges of a wealth tax
As governments globally face growing pressure to raise revenue, amid concerns about inequality and who will have to contribute more, taxing the wealthiest is back at the centre of the debate both in national tax reforms and in international negotiations. In this episode, we bring together proposals for a coordinated global minimum tax on billionaires and data and evidence on how much tax they pay. We'll hear perspectives from African tax administrations on how they are strengthening existing ...
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17 Sep 2026 · 39 min
UNGA 81: what would a fairer humanitarian system led by displaced people look like?
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st Session of the High level UN General Assembly, questions about power, leadership and the future of international cooperation are high on the agenda. But what does meaningful leadership look like for people living through displacement? People with lived experience of displacement are often the furthest from the decisions that shape their lives, despite being best placed to understand what their communities need. While international institutions ...
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20 Aug 2026 · 35 min
Learning from liberation – insights for a better humanitarianism?
Humanitarian crises are often understood through the lens of immediate need: more aid, more access and more funding. But ODI Global’s new report Oppression, Liberation and Humanitarianism in Palestine, Myanmar and Sudan argues that we must also understand the systems of power that produce and sustain suffering. In this episode of Think Change, guests Dustin Barter, Hala Al Karib and Athena Rayburn explore what humanitarian action can learn from movements of solidarity and resistance and what ...
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6 Aug 2026 · 34 min
AI in a burning world: who pays the climate cost?
This episode of Think Change explores the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence – from rising energy demand and emissions to the vast quantities of water needed to power and cool the data centres behind today’s AI revolution. As Europe experiences another summer of record-breaking heat, devastating wildfires and growing water stress, the race to develop and deploy AI raises urgent questions about how we balance technological progress with climate goals. Can the environmen...
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23 Jul 2026 · 43 min
Manchesterism goes global – can Andy Burnham change Britain's place in the world?
Following Andy Burnham’s appointment as Britain's Prime Minister, there is renewed interest in what some have described as ‘Manchesterism’ – a political philosophy rooted in place, economic renewal and the belief that national prosperity begins with strong local communities. But if this approach were to shape government thinking, what could it mean beyond Britain’s borders? This episode explores whether a place-based politics could shift Britain’s foreign policy. Would international eng...
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9 Jul 2026 · 32 min
Why isn't evidence enough to win the political argument?
Across the world, a familiar story is being retold with striking success: that stagnant wages, housing crises and crumbling public services are the fault of migrants and outsiders - not the billionaires and global systems quietly getting richer. It's a story reshaping elections, hardening divisions, and in some places, fuelling violence. In this episode of Think Change, Sara Pantuliano is joined by Dimi Reider (Othering and Belonging Institute / Shared Futures Institute), Tania Cheung, Libby ...
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25 Jun 2026 · 30 min
What happened to truth since episode one?
Our first episode of Think Change, recorded in March 2022 just after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, explored how disinformation was shaping narratives around a fast-moving conflict. We asked who was producing it, how it spread through digital platforms, and how it influenced public understanding of war in real time. Three years on, to mark our 100th episode, we return to these same questions – which have become pivotal to understanding not only conflicts around the world but also interna...
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