Just Access

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Joel Bakan, professor of law at the University of British Columbia, award-winning author, and filmmaker, about how corporate power continues to evolve — and threaten — democracy. Building on The Corporation and its sequel The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations Are Bad for Democracy, Joel unpacks how the rise of so-called “good” corporations has deepened corporate influence over governments, society, and even our understanding of justice.He explains how corporations’ new image as socially responsible actors has made it harder to regulate them, and how this shift has contributed to growing inequality, weakened democratic institutions, and the rise of illiberal movements worldwide. Joel also discusses how technology and global crises such as COVID-19 have accelerated these trends — and why reclaiming democracy through activism, litigation, and public institutions is more urgent than ever.Why are corporations increasingly seen as the solution to the world’s problems — even as they profit from them? How has this rebranding enabled a quiet erosion of democratic governance? And what can citizens and movements do to push back? Join us for the second part of this powerful conversation with one of today’s most incisive critics of corporate power.🧠 Topics Covered:⚖️ How corporations’ “good” image undermines democratic regulation🏛️ The link between neoliberalism, inequality, and the rise of illiberalism🌍 How the pandemic magnified existing corporate and political dynamics💻 The role of technology and AI in expanding corporate influence🔥 How citizens and movements can reclaim democratic institutions🧾 Strategic litigation as a tool for climate and social justice👤 About the Guest:Joel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia and an internationally recognized author and filmmaker. His work critically examines the legal and social structures that empower corporations at the expense of democracy, equality, and the environment. His acclaimed books and films, The Corporation and The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations Are Bad for Democracy, have shaped global debates on corporate accountability and the future of democratic governance.🖱️ Resources & Links:🎬 The Corporation – Documentary Film📖 The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations Are Bad for Democracy – Book & Film⚖️ Mathur v. Ontario – Landmark Canadian climate litigation: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5159223🌐 Joel Bakan’s official website: https://joelbakan.com💡 Donate to support Just Access: https://just-access.de/donate

In this episode, we speak with Joel Bakan, professor of law at the University of British Columbia, award-winning author, and filmmaker, about how corporate power continues to shape — and often undermine — democracy. Drawing on his bestselling book The Corporation and its sequel The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations Are Bad for Democracy, Joel reflects on two decades of investigating how corporations influence our societies, politics, and the environment. He shares the story behind the original book and documentary, explains why he felt compelled to return with an “unfortunately necessary sequel,” and explores the contradiction between corporations’ “caring” image and their growing power.Why are corporations now branding themselves as socially responsible actors? How has this narrative changed since the early 2000s? And what does it mean for democracy, inequality, and justice? Join us as we unpack these urgent questions with one of the leading critical voices on corporate accountability.🧠 Topics Covered:🏢 How Joel’s interest in corporate law and human rights converged🎬 The story behind The Corporation and its global impact📈 Why corporate power has expanded despite decades of critique💰 How “good” corporate branding obscures deeper structural harm🧩 The dangers of looking to corporations — instead of democracy — for solutions🔄 Why a sequel was “unfortunately necessary” in the post-Trump, post-COVID era👤 About the Guest:Joel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia and an internationally recognized author and filmmaker. His work critically examines the legal and social frameworks that empower corporations at the expense of democracy, equality, and the environment. His books and films, including The Corporation and The New Corporation, have been widely acclaimed for their depth, clarity, and global influence.🖱️ Resources & Links:The Corporation – Documentary FilmThe New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations Are Bad for Democracy – Book & FilmJoel Bakan’s official website: https://joelbakan.comDonate to support Just Access: https://just-access.de/donate

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Kathrin Zangerl, a pediatrician and global health researcher at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, about why children must be at the center of climate change adaptation.Drawing on her clinical experience in Germany and Nepal, as well as her recent Lancet Child & Adolescent Health article analyzing 160 national adaptation plans, Kathrin explains why children are disproportionately impacted by climate change yet remain largely absent from climate policy. She reflects on the political and justice dimensions of this gap, highlights what meaningful child participation could look like, and shares ideas for how practitioners and the public can demand more child-centered approaches.Why are children more vulnerable to climate change? What happens when they are excluded from national adaptation strategies? And how can their rights and voices be embedded in climate governance? Join us as we explore these questions and more.🧠 Topics Covered:🌡️ Why children face unique health risks from climate change📜 Findings from a global study of 160 adaptation policies🚸 The justice gap: children as the least responsible, yet most affected🏫 What meaningful child participation in governance looks like🌍 How practitioners, policymakers, and the public can push for child-centered adaptation✊ Youth agency, activism, and hope for intergenerational climate justice🧑‍🏫 About the Guest:Dr. Kathrin Zangerl is a pediatrician and global health researcher at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health. Her work focuses on planetary child health at the intersection of pediatrics, public health, and environmental sciences. She investigates how ecological disruptions affect children’s health and development, and how policies can better safeguard children’s rights in the context of climate change.🖱️ Resources & Links:Zangerl, K. et al. (2023). Child Health Prioritization in National Adaptation Policies on Climate Change (The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health) Open Access ArticleUNICEF: Children and Climate ChangeUN Committee on the Rights of the Child: General Comment on Children’s Rights and the EnvironmentDonate to support Just Access: https://just-access.de/donate

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Martin Perron, a lawyer and developer at the Government of Canada, about how Rules as Code can transform the way we understand and use law.Martin explains how encoding legislation can help identify gaps, run simulations, and even power trustworthy government chatbots. He reflects on the promise of democratizing access to legal knowledge, shares concrete examples of how businesses and citizens could benefit, and offers practical ways for listeners to get involved in this emerging field.What difference does it make to encode laws instead of just writing them? How can this improve access to justice? And how can people from different backgrounds—law, tech, or beyond—contribute to the movement? Join us as we unpack these questions and more.🧠 Topics Covered:⚖️ Using Rules as Code as a drafting and evaluation tool in Canada💻 The Access to Information Act modernization project🔍 How encoding rules can cut costs and speed up access to justice🏛️ Global developments: Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond🌍 Democratizing legal knowledge for citizens and businesses🎓 How students, technologists, and legal experts can contribute🧑‍🏫 About the Guest:Martin Perron is a lawyer and developer with the Government of Canada, where he works on Rules as Code and legal automation initiatives. His projects focus on building trustworthy applications that improve access to justice, streamline legal processes, and explore the intersection of law, technology, and AI.🖱️ Resources & Links:Rules as Code Guild: https://rulesascode.orgOpenFisca Community: https://openfisca.orgGeorgetown University’s Rules as Code team: https://www.georgetown.eduDonate to support Just Access: https://just-access.de/donate

In this episode, we speak with Martin Perron, a lawyer and developer at the Government of Canada, about his unconventional path from law school to leading-edge work on Rules as Code.They explore how coding and law can be combined to make legislation clearer, more accessible, and more trustworthy. Martin also reflects on the potential of neuro-symbolic AI in legal applications and offers candid advice for students and young professionals navigating diverse interests.What does Rules as Code actually mean in practice? How can encoding legislation improve public understanding of complex legal obligations? And what can Martin’s story teach us about building unique expertise across disciplines? Join us as we unpack these questions and more.🧠 Topics Covered:⚖️ Martin’s journey from law student to lawyer-developer💻 What Rules as Code is and why it matters🧠 Neuro-symbolic AI and legal reasoning🔍 How coding can make laws clearer and easier to navigate🎓 Practical advice for students exploring multiple career paths🧑‍🏫 About the Guest:Martin Perron is a lawyer and developer with the Government of Canada, where he leads work on Rules as Code and hybrid neuro-symbolic AI initiatives. His projects focus on building trustworthy legal automation, simulation, and verification applications to improve access to justice.🖱️ Resources & Links:💡 Learn more about Just Access: https://just-access.de💸 Support our work: https://just-access.de/donate📧 Contact us: podcast@just-access.de💬 Get in Touch:📱 Follow, rate & share the podcast to help us grow our community of human rights defenders!

In this second part of our compelling discussion on peace and ceasefires, Dr. Miranda Melcher continues the conversation with Dr. Marika Sosnowski and Dr. Sanja Badanjak to explore the evolving landscape of ceasefires and peace agreements.They reflect on key trends from the 2024 data in the PA-X Peace Agreements Database, including the growing shift from comprehensive peace agreements to more fragmented, piecemeal negotiations. Together, they unpack what this means for global peacebuilding, humanitarian outcomes, and public expectations.Is a limited ceasefire better than no agreement at all? What should we look for in a peace deal to assess its effectiveness? What role do third parties and implementation mechanisms really play? Join us as we delve into these questions and more.🧠 Topics Covered:📊 New insights from the 2024 PA-X data release⚖️ Piecemeal vs. comprehensive peace agreements🤝 The role of ceasefires in humanitarian access🧩 Challenges of formal vs. informal peace talks🛑 What to watch for when peace deals are announced in the media🛠️ Practical design elements of ceasefires: timelines, power dynamics, third parties🧾 Surprising terms found in ceasefire agreements🧭 The future of peace mediation and data-driven analysis🧑‍🏫 About the Guests:Dr. Marika Sosnowski is a research fellow and legal scholar specializing in ceasefires, governance, and civil documentation in conflict zones.Dr. Sanja Badanjak is a political scientist and data director of the PA-X Peace Agreements Database at PeaceRep, University of Edinburgh.🖱️ Resources & Links:🔗 Explore the PA-X Database: https://www.peaceagreements.org🧪 Learn more about PeaceRep: https://peacerep.org💡 Read more about Just Access: https://just-access.de💬 Get in Touch:📧 Email us: podcast@just-access.de💸 Support our work: just-access.de/donate📱 Follow us and share the episode!

In this episode of the Just Access podcast, host Dr. Miranda Melcher dives into the complex world of ceasefires with two leading experts:🧠 Dr. Marika Sosnowski, legal scholar and author of Redefining Ceasefires: Wartime Order and Statebuilding in Syria, and📊 Dr. Sanja Badanjak, Data Director at PeaceRep and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh Law School.Together, they explore:How and why ceasefires matter in war-torn societiesThe importance of wording in ceasefire agreementsPower imbalances and what Dr. Sosnowski calls “strangle contracts”How the PA-X Peace Agreements Database supports both academic research and real-world peace negotiationsThe ethical and practical challenges of deciding which documents “count” as peace agreementsYou’ll hear fascinating personal stories, including how field experiences and unexpected career moves led both guests into peace and conflict research, and why access to original texts and data is vital for shaping better peacebuilding strategies.🔗 Mentioned in the episode:PA-X Peace Agreements Database: https://www.peaceagreements.org/Redefining Ceasefires by Dr. Marika SosnowskiPeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform🎧 Stay tuned for Part 2, where we continue the conversation on current ceasefire trends, peace process dynamics, and what’s next in peace research.💬 We want to hear from you!Send your feedback, topic suggestions, or guest ideas to: podcast@just-access.de💡 Support our work:Just Access is a nonprofit organisation committed to access to justice and human rights. If you value our work, please consider donating: just-access.de/donate🔔 Subscribe & ShareIf you enjoy the podcast, follow us, rate us, and share with a friend. Every review helps spread the word and keep the conversation going. Because everyone can be a human rights defender.

In this second half of our conversation, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Professor Dr. Chidi Oguamanam about the critical intersections of intellectual property, indigenous knowledge systems, and access to justice. Building on Part 1, this episode dives deep into the concept of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), its origins in the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the real-world implications of the Nagoya Protocol—or the lack thereof, particularly in Canada.Professor Oguamanam shares compelling examples from South Africa and Canada, such as the Rooibos tea economy and partnerships with the Cree Nation, to illustrate how equitable research practices and recognition of indigenous rights can foster justice. We also discuss the evolving challenges of digital sequence information and synthetic biology, highlighting gaps in current legal frameworks and the urgent need for policy innovation.💡 Whether you’re a law student, policy advocate, or simply curious about global justice, this episode offers powerful insights into how indigenous knowledge governance is shaping the future of legal and environmental discourse.🔍 Topics Covered:What is Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)?The Nagoya Protocol and Canada’s positionIndigenous stewardship of biodiversityCase studies: Rooibos tea (South Africa), Cree Nation (Canada)Bioethics, biopiracy, and digital sequence informationImplementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)Interdisciplinary approaches to justice and climate resilience🎧 Listen if you’re interested in:🌱 Biodiversity conservation📜 Indigenous rights🔬 Ethical research practices🌍 International law & policy🧬 Climate and health justice📬 Contact Us:Have questions, thoughts, or guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@just-access.de💖 Support Our Work:Just Access is a charity. If you believe in human rights and access to justice for all, please consider donating: just-access.de/donate📢 Spread the Word:If you enjoy the Just Access podcast, leave us a review, share with friends, and follow us on social media. Every bit helps us grow!🌐 Visit: just-access.de

In this powerful first part of our conversation, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Professor Dr. Chidi Oguamanam—legal scholar, researcher, and global voice on sustainable bio-innovation, indigenous knowledge systems, and knowledge governance. Professor Oguamanam explores how intellectual property law is fundamentally an access to justice issue, drawing on his lived experience in rural Africa, his legal career, and academic work across law, science, and ethics.Together, they unpack the conceptual divide between Western and indigenous models of knowledge production, the role of intellectual property in reinforcing inequality, and why recognizing traditional knowledge is essential for a fairer global system. The episode also highlights the significance of the 2024 WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, and Associated Traditional Knowledge—a landmark step toward greater inclusion and accountability.🧠 Key Topics Covered:The interconnection between rural agriculture, biodiversity, and lawKnowledge governance as a human rights issueThe limitations of traditional IP frameworks in recognizing indigenous knowledgeThe symbolic and practical impact of the 2024 WIPO treatyConceptual divides between commercial and communal approaches to knowledgeJustice and inclusion in global innovation systems🔗 Resources:Learn more about Just AccessRead about the WIPO Treaty on Genetic Resources and Traditional KnowledgeContact us at: podcast@just-access.de💡 Support Our Work:If you believe in accessible justice and the power of human rights education, consider supporting Just Access.👉 Donate here🎧 Stay tuned for Part 2, where we dive deeper into community benefit sharing, indigenous legal traditions, and global governance reform.