Doing good is tricky at the best of times. Even at an individual level, it’s difficult to get it right. When it comes to tackling the world’s biggest problems such as climate change, education, violence, gender inequality, immigration and living standards it’s even tougher.

Some countries are doing better than others at solving these problems within their own borders, and my guest today – Andrew Wear has put together a wonderful exploration of just how they are doing it in his book, Solved! Andrew is a senior Australian public servant with degrees in politics, law, economics and public policy, and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is also a Fellow at the Institute of Public Administration, and a director of Ardoch – a children’s education charity. His work appears in peer-reviewed journals, as well as The Mandarin, The Guardian and others.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewWear

Andrew is reading: Pale Rider, by Laura Spinney, The Great Influenza, by John M. Barry, and The Pandemic Century, by Mark Honigsbaum

Andrew is listening to: America, if you're listening, by Matt Bevan at ABC, and Humans of Purpose with Mike Davis.