Welcome to the 7th edition of the Monash Debating Review. This year presents a number of firsts for this publication. This is the first issue to feature an international editorial board, spanning from Australia and New Zealand to Korea (with Scottish lifeblood) and Canada. Through the wonders of the Internet, and despite drastically different timezones, the editorial staff managed to collaborate to produce this edition.
This is also the first issue to feature empirical papers using data from debating tournaments. Paul-Erik Veel demonstrates the power of econometrics, analysing the impacts of a number of variables on debating achievement, while Steven Kryger uses statistics to post a provocative thesis concerning gender in debating. While each paper employs data samples from single tournaments, we hope that they encourage the international debating community to explore the explanatory power, and limits, of statistical inquiry.
On the more substantive side, Eusebius McKaiser explores whether there is a bias towards liberalism in debating, while Seamus Coleman tackles how debaters should address public international law, particularly in the context of military intervention.
Finally, Ivan Ah Sam and Naomi Oreb provide sage guidance for newcomers, while Andy Hume provides a veteran‘s perspective on the evolution of parliamentary debate.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy this edition of the MDR. More importantly, we hope it assists in fostering further debate and discussion among our international community.
Michael Kotrly Nick Bibby Pralabh Gupta Max Harris