100 years of ppe: 1920-2020
2020 marked the hundredth anniversary of the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree being established in Oxford. Below, the first Chinese undergraduate to read PPE at Oxford, Queensman Henry Tam, reflects on his time as a student and where his degree led him.
If you also read PPE at Queen’s then we would be glad to receive your memories and reflections on reading the subject. We plan to share these anecdotes with the wider Old Member community, as well as keeping the collection in the College Archive for future generations.
From PPE to Public Policy
Henry Tam, (PPE, 1978)
You were the first Chinese undergraduate to read PPE at Oxford. What made you decide to apply to Oxford?
In the early 1970s, I was sent over from Hong Kong to go to a Catholic boarding school in Sussex, because my Chinese and very much non-Christian parents thought it would prepare me for a good university education. The school was run by Catholic brothers until 1976 when an outsider, Mr Hughes, was appointed headmaster. He, a Corpus graduate, was astonished to discover that the school had never even tried to get anyone into Oxford. He said that with my ‘O’ Level results, I must take the Oxford entrance examination. He was very persuasive.
Why did you choose Queen’s?
My headmaster obviously suggested Corpus Christi, but when I looked through the information from Oxford, I was impressed by what it said about Queen’s. I got an interview with both colleges. The one with Corpus was very formal, whereas with Queen’s, it was a relaxed chat over a cup of tea with Mr Cohen, who was intrigued I wrote two of my exam papers in dialogue form. Queen’s had two further aces up its sleeve – its magnificent Front Quad, and its offer of an Open Scholarship. It was an easy choice in the end.
And why PPE?
Many relatives back in Hong Kong asked me the same question. Why not law, medicine, or anything that would give one a real professional standing? They were also concerned that I might get tangled up in political disputes that would get me in trouble. But we would all be in trouble if none of us learnt to question the basis and use of power. PPE was the ideal course for me – bringing together critiques of how society should be governed, reviews of political institutions, and analyses of economic ideas that shape policy agendas.
What did you most enjoy about studying PPE and living in Oxford? Does anything stand out from your time at Queen’s?
Reading PPE at Oxford was like a roller-coaster ride through countless ideas about what should be done in the world – there was never a dull moment. The college-centric life at Oxford also meant that I was interacting with many non-PPEists at Queen’s, which led to all kinds of thought-provoking exploration of other subjects such as history, theology, and literary criticism. Furthermore, my time at Queen’s introduced me to others with contrasting cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, and to a very wide range of music, literature, art, and cinema that was integral to Oxford’s milieu. To borrow Isaiah Berlin’s much quoted labels, before going up to Queen’s to read PPE, I was a ‘hedgehog’ looking for one big idea to guide all my thinking; three years later, I became more of a ‘fox’ drawing on diverse experiences to come up with different solutions to adapt to changing circumstances.
How did your studies influence what you went on to do subsequently?
PPE can lead to many doors, but does not hand over the key to any particular one. I wasn’t sure at first what I would do with a PPE degree. I completed a PhD in philosophy, wrote various articles for magazines, but it was when I did some ad hoc publication work for the GLC (Greater London Council) that it struck me that public policy could be the ideal area for me to get into. Although the GLC at that point was just about to be abolished by the Margaret Thatcher, I managed to find a job elsewhere in local government.
Can you take us briefly through your career?
After working for a couple of London Boroughs, I went on to become Head of Economic Development at Braintree Council, and then Chief Officer for corporate and community policies in West Suffolk. In 2000 I joined the Government Office for the East of England as the Director in charge of crime reduction and regeneration. A few years later I was appointed Head of Civil Renewal, working for the Home Secretary, David Blunkett. Thereafter I worked for five different Secretaries of State in the UK on a range of policy challenges. In the meantime, I had continued to write about political theory and government practices, with books such as Communitarianism, Time to Save Democracy, and Whose Government is it. After I left the senior civil service, I went to the University of Cambridge as the Director of the Forum for Youth Participation & Democracy, developed political education for the WEA (Workers Educational Association), and taught at the Civil Service College.
What are you working on now?
Since 2019 I have concentrated on writing full-time. The book I’m currently working on is Tomorrow’s Communities: lessons for community-based transformation in the age of global crises. I write for OpenDemocracy, the Centre for Welfare Reform and others; and continue to develop the ‘Question the Powerful’ online learning resources to promote interest in politics and public policy.
You’re keen to promote the PPE course to Chinese youngsters – why is that?
Traditional Chinese culture emphasises intellectual conformity, submissiveness to the prevailing order, and the pursuit of material prosperity. Many Chinese youngsters grow up in families with this mindset. But it’s not sustainable to be concerned with one’s private fortune and stay silent about public policies and political issues for fear of rocking the boat. The boat could be sinking even as one turns a blind eye to its underlying problems.
With the rise of authoritarian and confrontational politics across the world, and China slipping ever closer into the position of being the new Cold War enemy of the West, we need more Chinese graduates who are informed and disposed towards engaging with political issues, and have connections with former university colleagues to draw on in nurturing global cooperation. Given the current tension with China over its stance over Hong Kong and the deteriorating Sino-American relations, PPE might well drop down the list of options for Chinese youngsters who prefer to go with a ‘safer’ subject. But one thing PPE has taught us is that without critical questioning of our beliefs, our government, and our economy, none of us will be safe.
