Aaron Maniam (MPP 2013) delivered a talk at TED's virtual conference on 'New ways to understand life in a pandemic', examining the language we use to describe the COVID-19 pandemic and how this affects our response to it. Drawing on his background as both a poet and policymaker, he outlines the limitations of the metaphors we use to discuss the pandemic – whether as a "war", a "journey" or, as he suggests, an "ecology" – and calls for a nuanced approach that draws on multiple, interlinking metaphors to help us engender a sophisticated, inclusive approach in responding to the pandemic.
Aaron is currently pursuing a DPhil in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School.
Recent news
MPP and MSc alumnus Carlos Santiago Guzmán wins the inaugural Michael Cichon Graduate Award
Carlos Santiago Guzmán Gutiérrez, an alumnus of the Master of Public Policy and the MSc in Public Policy Research, has received the inaugural Michael Cichon Graduate Award for outstanding master’s thesis in Social Protection. The award recognises his MSc thesis, “Universal Social Protection Schemes in Forced Displacement Settings: Evidence from Colombia.”
