With a few exceptions, economists place a lot of weight on the combination of self-interest and incentives to drive behaviour. If there is a lesson to be drawn from 2021 it must surely be that this doesn’t come close to fully describing how people behave, or what it is reasonable to ask of our fellow-citizens.
The second year of Covid tumult has seen countless acts of sacrifice and kindness. Self interest may account for some success in driving vaccination rates over 90%, but surely not all. We are all in this together and many people have found many ways to rise to the moment.We have seen this community spirit up close at The Conversation. We are a not-for-profit organisation that exists to serve the public with reliable information from experts. To our dedicated team nothing is more important, but we know life is full of competing demands.
In 2021 it has been humbling to work with health experts who continue to give up their nights and weekends to write The Conversation while spending their days doing vital work. The same applies to all the hard-working academics who give freely of their time.
We have also been encouraged by the support of our curious and passionate readers and the thousands of people who have made generous donations. Everyone who supports our efforts to make quality information freely available is contributing – selflessly – to bring about a better informed society.
Our continued growth is made possible by generous contributions from our university partners in Australia and New Zealand and a handful of visionary philanthropists. We also appreciate the work of our international colleagues and the generous contributions of time and expertise from our Chair and the eminent members of our Board and Editorial Board.
It is a privilege to work for a project that galvanises so much support from people who are willing to put others first. Thank you for reading and supporting us in 2021. Have a great break and rest assured we will work tirelessly to repay the faith you have placed in us in 2022.
Misha Ketchell, Editor and Executive Director
MORE:
The Conversation (THCO)
Website: https://theconversation.com/au