In this episode of the Oxford Policy Pod, Master of Public Policy students Felix Wu and Meredith Lehman sit down with Pepper Culpepper — Vice Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government — to discuss his new book, Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How it Could Save Democracy.

In Billionaire Backlash, Culpepper and his co-author Taeku Lee argue that scandals centered on corporate malfeasance are a unique political force which leaders can leverage to compel lasting policy change. This discussion charts a path for how their theory applies to the present moment, at a time when populism is on the rise in democracies across the world.

Recorded at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

In this episode of the Oxford Policy Pod, Master of Public Policy students Marc Naro and Cristian Iftodii sit down with Margrethe Vestager, former Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and one of Europe’s leading voices on competition and digital policy.

The conversation explores some of the defining challenges of our time — from artificial intelligence and climate change to economic security and the future of the international order. Drawing on her years at the heart of European decision-making, Margrethe Vestager shares her vision for how Europe can navigate technological transformation while defending democratic values and global cooperation.

Recorded at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

In a time when international law is increasingly being tested, challenged, and at times openly undermined, we speak with Professor Philippa Webb KC about the pressures facing the international legal order and the future of global governance. Drawing on her work across academia, legal practice, and international institutions, she reflects on whether the current moment represents a genuine crisis for international law, or part of a longer pattern of contestation and adaptation within the international system.

The conversation explores the role of international courts in an era of selective state compliance, the tension between geopolitical realism and multilateral cooperation, and how institutions can remain effective and legitimate amid growing international instability. We also discuss technology’s impact on justice, the resilience of international institutions under strain, and her idea of “incremental creativity” — the belief that meaningful reform can still emerge from within existing legal frameworks, even during periods of profound uncertainty.