Thomas Hale

Professor of Global Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Thomas Hale is Professor in Public Policy (Global Public Policy) and the Director of the Master of Public Policy.

Professor Hale’s research explores how we can manage transnational problems effectively and fairly. He seeks to explain how political institutions evolve – or not – to face the challenges raised by globalization and interdependence, with a particular emphasis on environmental, economic and health issues. He holds a PhD in Politics from Princeton University, a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics, and an AB in public policy from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. 

A US national, Professor Hale has studied and worked in Argentina, China and Europe. His books include Long Problems: Climate Change and the Challenge of Governing Across Time (Princeton 2024), Beyond Gridlock (Polity 2017), Between Interests and Law: The Politics of Transnational Commercial Disputes (Cambridge 2015), Transnational Climate Change Governance (Cambridge 2014), and Gridlock: Why Global Cooperation Is Failing when We Need It Most (Polity 2013). Professor Hale co-leads the Net Zero Tracker and the Climate Policy Hub.

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TCSD 2025 combines a number of live-cast public panels with a series of closed thematic brainstorming sessions and lunchtime dives, designed to deepen dialogue and generate ideas for practical outcomes, collaborations, and pathways forward.