Features

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has a key role in shaping the global response to the pandemic. And it’s not good news for health equality. Nick Dowson investigates why.

Swagata Yadavar traces the ups and downs in the history of vaccination.

Richard Swift warns against vaccine fantasy and kneejerk technophilia.

Covid-19 vaccines explained by Thomas Abraham.

Who gets it? What's needed? What's on order? Who profits? Who lives?

Links and information for taking action on vaccine inequality.

Husna Ara probes co-editor Amy Hall on why now, and what next…

Access to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines should not be reserved for the rich. But that is what’s happening on a global scale today. Heidi Chow calls for technology to be shared and patents to be suspended in order to unlock vaccine production for all.

In the absence of enough trained doctors, reliance on other, less-qualified, health workers is growing in the Global South. Physician Neil Singh’s exploration begins with a surprising personal encounter.

Rebel chefs are on a mission to decolonize diets across sub-Saharan Africa. Kareem Arthur goes in search of new ingredients.

The topic is vast, the aspects covered in this issue limited, but there are many ways to take action on democracy.

Rich Wilson and Claire Mellier explain how citizens’ assemblies have the potential to restart the beating heart of democracy.

We must be able to see the secret, algorithmic methods of Google, Facebook and other digital titans if we are to tackle disinformation and toxic polarization, says propaganda expert Peter Pomerantsev.

Funds from hidden sources are warping democracy with increasing and devastating effect. Peter Geoghegan follows the money.

Our privacy and freedom of thought is routinely and pervasively breached by the masters of surveillance capitalism. What is this doing to us as humans and to our democratic choices in life? Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips talks to Vanessa Baird.

India is not short of divisive and harmful conspiracy theories. Now one, called ‘love jihad’, has been given legal teeth. Laxmi Murthy reports.

We make our political judgements based on the information we get – and the internet is brimming with it. That can be part of the problem...

More fragile than we thought, liberal democracy seems to be under attack from many sides. Are these death throes – or growing pains? Vanessa Baird explores.

Danny Dorling and Annika Koljonen explain how Finland has come to be so equal, peaceful and happy – and sketch out the lessons we might learn from its example.

The families of the disappeared are not giving up their search until they have answers. Jan-Peter Westad reports.