Episodes

  • Figure It – Episode 21: Cyprus problem negotiations that are fit for the 21st century (12/1/2026)

    Figure It – Episode 21: Cyprus problem negotiations that are fit for the 21st century (12/1/2026)
    Jan 12 2026
    The Cyprus negotiations process puts far too much of the burden on two men in a room who have elections coming, and far too little on ordinary citizens. Sapienta Economics Director, Fiona Mullen, discusses how to do it differently. Links referred to in the original article at Sapienta Cyprus Snippets: flexible citizens, SeeD on preventive security, Guterres Framework, EU-funded C-UP project, ICLAIM, original concept launch in May 2024.
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    17 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 20: why a Cyprus bank windfall tax would be a bad idea (19/12/2025)

    Figure It – Episode 20: why a Cyprus bank windfall tax would be a bad idea (19/12/2025)
    Dec 19 2025
    In this episode Sapienta Economics Director, Fiona Mullen, discusses proposals for a bank windfall tax put forward by the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) in November and the many reasons why it is a bad idea. This podcast comes from an article that first appeared in Sapienta Cyprus Snippets at sapienta.substack.com.
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    14 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 19: Cypriots are more pro-solution than you think (6/5/2025)

    Figure It – Episode 19: Cypriots are more pro-solution than you think (6/5/2025)
    May 6 2025
    Cypriots are far more in favour of a federal solution of the Cyprus problem than we might think: yes, even when you get quite specific with the questions. In this episode Sapienta Economics Director, Fiona Mullen, talks to University of Cyprus Professor of Social Development and Psychology, Charis Psaltis, about the survey methodology and why attitudes towards a bizonal bicommunal federation are becoming more positive. You can find the conjoint survey paper mentioned in the podcast here. You can find Charis’ new Substack newsletter on surveys here. And you can find the full Infogram in the episode image here.
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    23 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 18: US tariffs might hurt Cyprus in unexpected ways (25/4/2025)

    Figure It – Episode 18: US tariffs might hurt Cyprus in unexpected ways (25/4/2025)
    Apr 25 2025
    In this episode of Figure It, economic historian Dr Alexander Apostolides of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance talks to Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen about how US tariffs could affect Cyprus in ways that policymakers might not be expecting. He also gives some advice on what policymakers could be doing to ensure resilience in these uncertain times.
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    26 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 17: Opening up Cyprob imaginations with an interspecies council (18/2/2025)

    Figure It – Episode 17: Opening up Cyprob imaginations with an interspecies council (18/2/2025)
    Feb 18 2025
    In this episode Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen talks to Prof Amanda Perry-Kessaris of Law at Kent Law School to discuss a workshop last November with the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Centre (CPDC). Funded by the Socio-Legal Studies Association the workshop ran a small test on two concepts: citizens’ assemblies and interspecies councils.
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    27 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 16: Scenarios for the future of Cyprus (4/11/2024)

    Figure It – Episode 16: Scenarios for the future of Cyprus (4/11/2024)
    Nov 4 2024
    In this episode Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen talks to process facilitator and peacebuilding practitioner Michelle Parlevliet of REOS Partners about the transforming effects of asking a broad cross-section of Cypriots with differing views to take the time to imagine four plausible but very different scenarios for the future of Cyprus. The Cyprus Futures project was the subject of a panel discussion led my Ms Parlevliet at the Cyprus Forum on 4 October.
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    30 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 15: from research to market with Cyprus Seeds (16/10/2024)

    Figure It – Episode 15: from research to market with Cyprus Seeds (16/10/2024)
    Oct 16 2024
    Cyprus is more innovative than you think. In this episode Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen talks to Cyprus Seeds Managing Director Maria Georgiadou, and Innovation Programme Manager Margarita Kyprianou about the wide sectoral range of innovators in universities, research institutions, and Centres of Excellence in the Republic of Cyprus who have been supported by Cyprus Seeds in bringing their research to market. Support includes small grants, mentoring, hands-on training, and networking opportunities to help academic teams commercialize their research by creating startups or licensing their technology. The most prominent success to date involves a gene therapy innovation that is awaiting much sought-after approval from the US […]
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    26 mins
  • Figure It – Episode 14: How big is the population of northern Cyprus? (6/9/2024)

    Figure It – Episode 14: How big is the population of northern Cyprus? (6/9/2024)
    Sep 6 2024
    In this 14th episode of Figure It, Sapienta Economics Director Fiona Mullen talks to Mete Hatay, Senior Research Consultant at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Cyprus Centre, about the delicate question of the number of people who live in northern Cyprus. There has been no census since 2011, when the population (de jure) was counted as 286,257. The population has definitely grown a lot since then. But is it now 380,000, 550,000, 1 million or even 6 million? In 30 minutes Mete gives good reasons for citing one of those figures, and also explains why it is such a contentious […]
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    28 mins