A Field Guide to Viral Public Policy

Welcome to Professor Tom Baker's Inaugural Lecture, A Field Guide to Viral Public Policy.

Join us in MLT2 Lecture Theatre 303-102, on March 18, 2026 at 5:30pm. Some refreshments will be provided after the lecture.

Abstract

Public policy ideas might not ‘go viral’ by the standards of social media, but if they become fashionable, they spread fast. Some ideas stand the test of time. Others are fads, quickly consumed by the next trend. In this lecture, Professor Tom Baker offers a field guide to viral public policy. Drawing from several research collaborations—focused on social services, urban governance, education, and more—he discusses how and why policy ideas spread, and reflects on researchers as public policy critics.

Biography

Tom was born, raised and educated in Newcastle, Australia. After stints in local and national government roles there, and a post-doctoral fellowship in Canada, he came to the University of Auckland for a lecturer post. Tom brings a geographer’s eye to the study of public policy, examining the local adaptation and consequences of globally circulating policy ideas. Along the way, he’s engaged with a diverse cast of people pushing for, and affected by, policy change around the world. In the process, he’s seen the inside of more than a few meeting rooms, and been given a tour of a municipal stationery cupboard.