Europe Institute Webinar, co-hosted by the Public Policy Institute
Thursday 23 July 2020, 19:00 NZST
ZOOM ADDRESS: https://auckland.zoom.us/j/91623288449
Speakers:
Prof. Laura Bear (LSE)
Assoc. Prof. Nick Long (LSE)
Assoc. Prof. Susanna Trnka (Auckland)
Assoc. Prof. Sharyn Davies (Monash)
Chaired by: Prof. Alan France (Auckland)
On March 23 2020, the UK government imposed a strict lockdown in an effort to curb the
spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). UK residents were ordered to ‘stay at home’.
The government’s Plan to Rebuild mooted the possibility of a ‘social bubbles’ scheme, citing
New Zealand’s use of expandable bubbles as both precedent and inspiration. Excited talk of
‘New Zealand-style’ social contact began to circulate in the British media. But how easily
could a solution developed in New Zealand translate to the epidemiological, cultural and
political environment of the UK? This webinar explores the political life of ‘the bubble’ within
New Zealand and the UK and examines the strengths and weaknesses of ‘bubbling’ as a
part of any government’s toolkit for responding to a pandemic.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: m.abbenhuis@auckland.ac.nz
