Category: the conversation

Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: How multinationals avoid tax

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Miroslav Palanský, Charles University

Tax havens have become a defining feature of the global financial system. Multinational companies can use various schemes to avoid paying taxes in countries where they make vast revenues. In new research, my colleague Petr Janský and I estimate that around US$420 billion in corporate profits is shifted out of 79 countries every year.

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: Stop calling pandemic a war

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Alexandre Christoyannopoulos, Loughborough University

In speeches, commentaries and conversations about the coronavirus pandemic, we keep hearing war-like metaphors being deployed. It happens explicitly (‘we are at war’, ‘blitz spirit’, ‘war cabinet’) and implicitly (‘threat’, ‘invisible enemy’, ‘frontline’, ‘duty’).

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: What is populism?

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Andy Knott, University of Brighton

We live in a moment in which the word “populism” is never far from the lips of politicians (although oh so rarely of the populist politicians themselves). We hear the word repeated over and over, but once we try to get a handle on what it actually means, confusion abounds. There are a few good reasons for this difficulty of understanding but, at the same time, the burgeoning academic community writing on populism has increasingly forged a consensus around at least the core features of the concept.

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: The dark side of plant-based food

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Martin Cohen, University of Hertfordshire and Frédéric Leroy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

If you were to believe newspapers and dietary advice leaflets, you’d probably think that doctors and nutritionists are the people guiding us through the thicket of what to believe when it comes to food. But food trends are far more political – and economically motivated – than it seems.

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: History of the two-day weekend

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Brad Beaven, University of Portsmouth

The idea of reducing the working week from an average of five days to four is gaining traction around the world. Businesses and politicians have been considering a switch to fewer, but more productive hours spent working. But the idea has also been derided.

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: Pandemics and conspiracy theories

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Nicolas Guilhot, City College of New York

A bioengineered virus, a genetic mutation induced by 5G technology, a big pharma conspiracy, a plot single-handedly masterminded by Bill Gates or Georges Soros. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, conspiracy theories have spread like the virus itself.

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Lettura e ascolta intermediate in inglese: Coronavirus and the self-employment problem

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Mark Harvey, University of Essex

Millions of Britain’s self-employed workers can now apply for financial aid to help them through the coronavirus crisis. The government has announced support of 80% of their average monthly earnings up to a cap of £7,500. It comes as a relief for many – there are 5.2 million registered self-employed people in the UK. But a large number will not be able to benefit.

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Lettura e ascolto intermediate in inglese: Is racism and bigotry in our DNA?

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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence

by
Tom Oliver, University of Reading

Is bigotry in our DNA, a remnant of our fear of “the other” way back when that was necessary? If so, why do some battle with their instincts while others embrace them?
– Peter, 71, Darlington

I, Pencil, simple though I appear to be, merit your wonder and awe … if you can become aware of the miraculousness which I symbolise, you can help save the freedom mankind is so unhappily losing. I have a profound lesson to teach. And I can teach this lesson better than can an automobile or an airplane or a mechanical dishwasher because — well, because I am seemingly so simple.

Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this Earth knows how to make me.

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