Why International Public Policy is the most important degree for 2020

2020 has already shaped up to be a year of significant changes and challenges in the international political sphere. With major developments in the climate crisis, Brexit and the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the US, 2020 is already looking to test our capacity for addressing and resolving the challenges ahead.

An International Public Policy MSc will help you understand and analyse global political decision-making - here are some of the key issues international policy-makers will be grappling with in 2020:

1. Climate change

The past decade has been the warmest in our recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization. From Australia to California, the Amazon and Siberia, devastating fires have gripped many parts of the world. Add to this hurricanes, unprecedented extreme weather events and rising sea levels, and it becomes clear the global threat of climate change has reached crisis point. Despite the situation, however, carbon emissions were at their highest level in 2019.

Climate change was the dominant issue across several elections in Europe in 2019, with the European Commission’s new leadership and the European Central Bank both pledging to prioritise climate action as part of the European agenda.

In November 2019, at a US Federal Reserve conference on climate change, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco President and CEO Mary Daly said: “Early research suggests that increased warming has already started to reduce average output growth in the United States.”

The issue has also prompted a mounting global youth movement of activists pushing for climate change. Around the world, 70 countries have so far indicated they will step up their efforts to tackle climate change with climate plans in 2020. The US government, however, appears to be moving in the opposite direction, with President Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change. This has further complicated the international community’s response to the crisis.

2. US election

The 2020 US election might not be until the 3rd November, but the presidential race is already well underway.

With the outcome of the election set to have a global impact, the election has been making regular headlines around the world.

Presidential hopefuls are currently battling it out for their party’s nomination in caucuses and primaries (primary elections) across the US. As Democrats look to unseat current President Donald Trump, their primaries in particular are being closely watched.

President Trump’s impeachment charges and subsequent acquittal aren’t likely to change voter sentiment, with Trump almost certain to be the Republican nominee in the upcoming election.

Whoever wins the US presidential race is likely to have to contend with a divided Congress, which in turn could create increased instability in the US.

3. Post-Brexit

Despite the UK’s exit from the EU finally coming to fruition on 31 January, there’s still a great deal of uncertainty post-Brexit.

The UK is currently in an 11-month transition period, where the UK effectively remains in the EU’s single market and customs union and continues to abide by EU rules.

The UK government’s first priority during this transition period is to negotiate a trade deal with the EU. But while the UK is looking for as much access as possible for its goods and services to enter the EU, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government remain adamant the UK must leave the EU’s customs union and single market, and end the European Court of Justice’s overall jurisdiction.

If no trade deal has been agreed on with the EU by the end of the transition period, the UK faces the possibility of tariffs on exports to the EU. In addition to negotiating a trade deal with the EU, the UK will also need to renegotiate its economic relationships with the rest of the world, further complicating the post-Brexit issue. This could mean the continuation over several years of an already long-drawn-out process post-Brexit.

If you want to delve deeper into global political issues and boost your knowledge and expertise in international public policy, Queen Mary Online's part-time International Public Policy MSc will provide you with an in-depth analysis of the concepts, stakeholders and processes involved in international public policy: