LSE: Public lectures and events

Automation, management, and the future of work Dec 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Erik Hurst, Professor Chrisanthi Avgerou, Professor Noam Yuchtman | As we move deeper into the 21st century, rapid advancements in automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence continue to reshape industries, raising concerns about the potential impact on workers. Will these innovations lead to widespread job losses? Or, as history suggests, will the labour market adapt? In this insightful lecture, Erik Hurst will explore how recent developments in automation are influencing the labour market. Drawing parallels from the early 20th-century agricultural revolution, where the adoption of tractors and automated farming equipment drastically reduced agricultural employment but did not destabilize overall employment rates, Professor Hurst will examine how current automation trends may produce different effects.

The state of democracy after a year of elections Dec 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Victor Agboga, Professor Mukulika Banerjee, Professor Sara Hobolt, Professor Peter Trubowitz | This year billions of people around the world have been to the polls. What have been the surprises and takeaways from these election results? Our panel of LSE researchers explore some of the issues that have come to the fore in this bumper year for international politics, along with the key outcomes and implications for the world in 2025.

Human rights through the eyes of my native land: South Africa in the world Dec 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Tembeka Ngcukaitobi | The lecture will explore South Africa's complex relationship with the idea of human rights. Drawing from the struggle to end apartheid, the lecture will explore the connections between the struggle for human rights and the idea of self-determination. While both ideas are local, the lecture will show that they are also global. South Africa remains a feature of the global world order, trying, as one of its most talented sons, Steve Bantu Biko once said "to give the world a more human face".

AI, society, and our world order Dec 09, 2024

Contributor(s): Reid Hoffman | Artificial Intelligence is not only a generational technology, but also a general purpose technology—one that has outsized potential to transform societies and economies globally. How should we use AI to not only better understand the world, but organise, develop, and elevate it?

Getting lost in a field: a personal history in behavioural public policy Dec 09, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Adam Oliver | In his inaugural lecture, Adam Oliver will describe how he became involved in, and has helped contribute towards the development of, the still relatively new field of behavioural public policy (BPP). He will briefly detail how the intellectual architecture of the field – i.e. its journal, Annual International Conference and Association – came into existence, and allude to his hopes for how BPP might develop in the future. Namely, that more liberal, autonomy-respecting frameworks emerge to at least co-exist on equal terms with the paternalistic frameworks that have dominated the field to date.

Technocolonialism: when technology for good is harmful Dec 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Mirca Madianou | In this talk based on her new book, Mirca Madianou will argue that digital innovations such as biometrics and chatbots engender new forms of violence and entrench power asymmetries between the global south and north. Drawing on ten years of research on the uses of digital technologies in humanitarian operations, Madianou will unearth the colonial power relations which shape ‘technology for good’ initiatives. The notion of technocolonialism captures how the convergence of digital infrastructures with humanitarian bureaucracy, state power and market forces reinvigorates and reshapes colonial legacies. Technocolonialism shifts the attention to the constitutive role that digital infrastructures, data and AI play in accentuating inequities between aid providers and people in need.

Feeding the machine: the hidden human labour powering AI Dec 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Callum Cant, Dr James Muldoon, Professor Kirsten Sehnbruch | Conversations around AI tend to focus on the future dangers, but what about the damage AI is inflicting on people right now? AI promises to transform everything, from work to transport to war, and to solve our problems with total ease. But hidden beneath this smooth surface lies the grim reality of a precarious global workforce of millions that labour under often appalling conditions to make AI possible. Feeding the Machine presents an urgent investigation of the intricate network of organisations that maintain this exploitative system, revealing the untold truth of AI. Authors Callum Cant and James Muldoon will be joined by Kirsten Sehnbruch to discuss the impact of AI on global inequalities, and what we need to do, individually and collectively, to fight for a more just digital future.

The Edge of Sentience: risk and precaution in humans, other animals, and AI Dec 03, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Jonathan Birch | Can octopuses feel pain and pleasure? What about crabs, shrimps, insects or spiders? How do we tell whether a person unresponsive after severe brain injury might be suffering? When does a fetus in the womb start to have conscious experiences? Could there even be rudimentary feelings in miniature models of the human brain, grown from human stem cells? And what about AI? These are questions about the "edge of sentience", and they are subject to enormous, disorienting uncertainty. The stakes are immense, and neglecting the risks can have terrible costs. We need to err on the side of caution in these cases, yet it’s often far from clear what ‘erring on the side of caution’ should mean in practice. When are we going too far? When are we not doing enough? Birch's new book, The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI, constructs a precautionary framework designed to help us reach ethically sound, evidence-based decisions despite our uncertainty. This talk will introduce some of the main themes of the book.

The Open Society as an Enemy: Populism, Popper and pessimism post-1989 Dec 02, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor J. McKenzie Alexander, Dr Ilka Gleibs, Professor Alan Manning | Across the world, populist agendas on both the left and right threaten to undermine fundamental principles that underpin liberal democracies, so that what were previously seen as virtues of the ‘Open Society’ are now, by many people, seen as vices, dangers, or threats. As global citizens, we are implicated by a range of contemporary social questions informed by the Open Society; from the free movement of people to the erosion of privacy, no-platforming and the increased political and social polarisation fuelled by social media. Expanding on Karl Popper’s thinking nearly 80 years since the original publication of his spirited philosophical defence of the Open Society, J. McKenzie Alexander’s new book, The Open Society As An Enemy, argues that a new defence is urgently needed now, in the decades since the end of the Cold War. The Open Society as an Enemy interrogates four interconnected aspects of the Open Society: cosmopolitanism, transparency, the free exchange of ideas, and communitarianism. In re-examining their consequences, Alexander calls for resistance to the forces of reaction, alongside his claim for the concept of the Open Society to be rehabilitated and advanced.

Cobalt rush: raw materials and the transition to net zero Nov 28, 2024

Contributor(s): Quentin Noirfalisse, Dr Richard Perkins, Anneke Van Woudenberg | The decarbonisation of the transportation sector is a vital component in achieving the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. Consequently, governments around the world are pushing forward the transition away from combustion engine to electric vehicles. However, the production of electric vehicles necessitates the use of raw materials, such as cobalt. The movie sheds light into the human and environmental consequences of mining cobalt. Further, the mineral deposits on land are highly concentrated in just a few countries, making their global availability dependent on trade relationships and vulnerable to supply disruptions that may result from export restrictions, political instability or natural disasters. Such supply challenges have the potential to delay the transition to net zero, but also hold implications for the financial system and its stability.

Is the internet good for children? Nov 27, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Sonia Livingstone | Public anxiety about children’s digital lives and wellbeing is reaching a fever pitch, marking a notable turnaround from the decades-long efforts to ensure children are fully digitally included, literate and empowered. While arguments rage over what’s wrong with ‘screen time,’ ‘online harms,’ and data-driven forms of exploitation, this lecture will examine how a children’s rights lens can help steer an evidence-based path towards better digital futures for children.

The rise of Africa's suburban middle classes Nov 26, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Deborah James, Professor Claire Mercer, Professor Susan Parnell, Professor Ola Uduku | African cities are under construction. Beyond the urban redevelopment schemes and large-scale infrastructure projects reconfiguring central city skylines, urban residents are putting their resources into finding land and building homes on city edges. Claire Mercer’s research shows how the ‘suburban frontier’ has become the place where Africa’s middle classes are shaped.

New World, New Rules - What Works for Global Governance Nov 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr George Papaconstantinou, Professor Jean Pisani-Ferry, Professor Andrés Velasco | This event marks the launch of New World, New Rules by George Papaconstantinou and Jean Pisani-Ferry, in which two of European policymakers and analysts outline a new agenda for global governance. In the book, they examine governance practices across several key policy areas – climate, health, trade and competition, banking and finance, taxation, migration and the digital economy – and consider what works and what doesn't, and why. The global governance solutions they put forward are ambitious but pragmatic. They require complexity, flexibility and compromise. Attributes that global governments are demonstrably short of, but today's global crises urgently demand.

Elements of a theory of the responsible firm Nov 21, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Patrick Bolton | Patrick Bolton will be talking on the topic of Elements of a Theory of the Responsible Firm. The lecture will begin with a short review of economic theories of the firm, pointing out that although all the economic theories see the firm as an institutional response to improve on market and contractual inefficiencies, they ignore the problem of the economic responsibility of firms in a world of market inefficiencies, externalities, and government failures. Professor Bolton will then turn to a discussion of the meaning of economic responsibility, its relevance, and practical implications for firms, by drawing on some key readings from management, law, and philosophy.

Data visualisation: alive visual words Nov 20, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Federica Fragapane, Dr Marta Foresti, Dr Francesca Panero | The talk will explore the design process and motivations behind data visualization projects, characterized by different usage contexts, responding to various needs, and with differing levels of experimentation. It will focus on the visual languages used to shape information and stories and delve into how visual words in data visualizations can be alive and sometimes political.

Fragments of home: refugee housing, humanitarian design and the politics of shelter Nov 19, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Tom Scott-Smith, Nick Henderson, Dr Myfanwy James | Abandoned airports. Shipping containers. Squatted hotels. These are just three of the many unusual places that have housed refugees in the past decade. The story of international migration is often told through personal odysseys and dangerous journeys, but when people arrive at their destinations a more mundane task begins: refugees need a place to stay. Governments and charities have adopted a range of strategies in response to this need. Some have sequestered refugees in massive camps of glinting metal. Others have hosted them in renovated office blocks and disused warehouses. They often end up in prefabricated shelters flown in from abroad.

Daniel Kahneman: a legacy Nov 18, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Dolan, Dr Gillian Tett | Nobel prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman was the founder of modern behavioural science and behavioural economics. His close friends and colleagues Gillian Tett, Paul Dolan and Richard Layard will come together to discuss his research and the scale of his influence on society.

Reversed realities revisited: 30 years of thinking in gender and development Nov 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Andrea Cornwall, Professor Naomi Hossain, Professor Naila Kabeer, Dr Erin Lentz | 30 years ago, Naila Kabeer published Reversed Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development Thought, which became a landmark study in the scholarship on gender and development. It is widely regarded as a (if not the) key text in the field of Feminist Development Studies. It provided path-breaking perspectives on the politics of development knowledge production, specifically about how excluding feminist knowledge shaped development practice and unequal outcomes. Several leading thinkers will join us in the fields of feminist economics and development studies to reflect on the legacies of this groundbreaking text and what has changed 30 years on.

Liberal Constitutionalism, Media Ownership & the Public-Private Divide Nov 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Tarun Khaitan, Professor Lea Ypi | Liberal constitutional theory rests on a fundamental division between duty-bearing public institutions and the rights-wielding private persons. This inaugural lecture will explore the implications of this division on the constitutional regulation of news and social media corporations. It will argue that constitutional theory needs to acknowledge the essentially public purpose of news media corporations. even when privately owned. It will further argue that the liberal free speech framework (even in its ‘positive’, pluralism-seeking, conception) cannot justify regulation of echo chambers and polarising content on social media. Democratic constitutions, therefore, need to explicitly recognise truth (or ‘verity’) as an independent fundamental constitutional value. The key implications for constitutional regulation that would follow from this recognition will be explored.

F.A. Hayek's Nobel at 50: then and now Nov 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Bruce J. Caldwell | 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize won by liberal political economist F.A. Hayek. This lecture will review some of Hayek’s key ideas and especially his contributions to the methodology of the social sciences. It will feature Bruce Caldwell, a leading historian of economic thought, author of a recently released book Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950.

The US presidential election and the left Nov 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Kate Aronoff, Stephen Castle, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Richard Seymour | What does the outcome of the US presidential election mean for democrats and progressives? What is its significance both in the United States and around the world?

Who owns outer space? Nov 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Helen Sharman, Dr Jill Stuart, Dr Dimitrios Stroikos | What kind of possibilities does this new space age bring—and what dangers should we be worried about? Can any nation seize possession of the moon? Could it be mined? Is there junk in space? And whatever happened to that flag that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted on the moon fifty five years ago? To find out more, Maayan Arad speaks to Dr Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut in space who flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-12 in 1991. He also talks to Dr Jill Stuart, an expert in the politics, ethics and law of outer space exploration and exploitation and Visiting Fellow in LSE’s Department of Government, and Dr Dimitrios Stroikos, LSE Fellow in the Department of International Relations and Head of the Space Policy Programme at LSE IDEAS. Contributors Dr Helen Sharman, first British astronaut Dr Jill Stuart, Visiting Fellow at LSE’s Department of Government Dr Dimitrios Stroikos, LSE Fellow in the Department of International Relations at LSE and Head of the Space Policy Programme at LSE IDEAS.

Homelessness in London: why youth homelessness needs its own solution Nov 07, 2024

Contributor(s): Ellie Benton, Meghan Roach, Alicia Walker | An estimated 20,000 young people in London were experiencing homelessness, or were at risk of homelessness, in 2022/23. This represents a 10% increase compared to 2021/22, with a similar trend seen nationally. Crucially, estimates suggest that 48% of all young people experiencing homelessness do not contact their local authority, or face barriers in doing so. The event will explore why youth homelessness in London has increased; the special needs of young people experiencing homelessness; the challenges for London’s local authorities and voluntary organisations in addressing these issues; and proposals for helping solve the problem of youth homelessness.

The 2024 US election: turning point for America? Nov 06, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Mukulika Banerjee, Keith Magee, Joseph C Sternberg | Will the 2024 election mark a turning point in American democracy and in the country’s role in the world? Leading experts discuss the 2024 US election and its domestic and international implications.

AI in public policy: opportunities and challenges Nov 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Helen Margetts, Professor Andrew Murray, Dr Dorottya Sallai, Chloe Smith | In a world increasingly shaped by digital transformation, AI and data science present new opportunities to change policymaking in nearly all areas of policy. Yet the capabilities of these emerging technologies are still unfolding and need to be better understood, both in terms of their benefits and their limitations. This event marks the publication of the most recent issue of the LSE Public Policy Review, which brings together contributions from a range of disciplines - from philosophy to statistics, government and law - to reflect together on future directions, applications, and consequences of the use of AI in public policies. Join our panellists as they discuss how emerging technologies can transform evidence-based policy development through their analytical capabilities, predictive powers, and real-time monitoring, while also bringing questions around regulation, transparency, accountability and ethics to the fore.

A war like no other: challenge and change in reporting Gaza Nov 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Jim Muir | This event will be the inaugural memorial lecture for the late Ian Black, former visiting fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre and Middle East editor for The Guardian. In this first lecture, Jim Muir, Ian’s colleague at the LSE Middle East Centre and fellow seasoned journalist of the Middle East, will explore how reporting on the Middle East has been challenged and had to adapt in the extraordinary conditions prevailing since October 7, 2023.

The world in crisis Nov 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Miguel de Beistegui, Dr Demetra Kasimis, Professor Jonathan White | Crises abound: our economies, democracies, social relations, cultural identities, and the very planet that we live on are subjected to repeated and increasingly severe shocks. Have we entered an age of chronic crisis? From diverse disciplinary perspectives, the event will explore conceptual and theoretical approaches that might help us better to understand, engage with, and respond to our time as a time ‘out of joint’.

A safer future for cycling in London Oct 31, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Rachel Aldred, Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet, Dr Will Norman, Julie Plichon | Cycling and other forms of active travel have significant benefits for wellbeing, local economies, air pollution and the environment. Indeed, a substantial increase in active travel is needed to achieve London’s 2030 target for net zero carbon emissions. Yet, while London’s roads are increasingly popular and safe, more must be done to make them safer. London universities have repeatedly experienced the human cost of unsafe streets, with LSE losing three members of its community in less than a year. In response, staff and students initiated a cross-university letter to the London Mayoral candidates. The letter asked candidates to commit to putting a stop to cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by motor vehicles in London by 2028, and to bring forward the deadline for London’s ‘Vision Zero’, its strategy to eradicate deaths from London’s roads, from 2041 to 2032.

Industrialisation and national identity in modern Africa Oct 30, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Elliott Green | The late LSE Professor Ernest Gellner famously proposed that industrialization generated modern national identities. Yet there has been very little empirical attention to examining the validity of Gellner’s theory using cross-national data, especially within the developing world. In this inaugural lecture Elliott Green will examine the effects of industrialization on national identification in contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa and show that industrialization and economic development more broadly have a surprisingly strong positive impact on the development of nationalism in the African context. The lecture will conclude with wider thoughts on how and why industrialization continues to transform national identities in the contemporary world.

The most unequal region in the world: combatting inequality in Latin America Oct 29, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Valentina Contreras, Professor Julián Messina, Dr Sebastián Nieto Parra, Professor Andrés Velasco | Latin America is exceptionally unequal, with data widely suggesting it is one of the world’s two most unequal regions. Inequality has persisted at exceptionally high levels despite clear social pressures for its reduction and the widely shared conviction that excessive inequality is detrimental to economic progress. The Latin America and Caribbean Review (LACIR), committed to addressing these challenges, convenes high-level scholars to provide a coherent and comprehensive overview of the inequality problem in Latin America. Through a meticulous blend of in-depth critical reviews of the literature, pioneering research, and novel analyses, LACIR endeavours to deepen our understanding of this complex issue. This public event will present the scale of the problem of inequality in Latin America and point to some of the possible ways out of this ‘inequality trap’. Bringing together scholars and policymakers, the event will explore solutions and strategies to combat inequality in the region.

Taylor Swift and philosophy Oct 28, 2024

Contributor(s): Eline Kuipers, Dr King-Ho Leung, Dr Georgie Mills, Dr Catherine M Robb | Taylor Swift's music connects with philosophy in many places: What is love? What is the value of negative emotions like anger, heartbreak and grief? Is there a moral obligation to speak out against injustice? What does it take to count as a "philosopher"? A new edited book, Taylor Swift and Philosophy, offers a fun and accessible discussion of the ideas and questions that arise from Taylor Swift's life and work. Combining top-tier philosophical research and a passion for Taylor's music, a team of scholars investigate the wisdom that can come from Taylor's songs, bringing new perspectives to important contemporary issues. This panel event will launch the book with a discussion of its main themes.

The case for a four-day week Oct 23, 2024

Contributor(s): Fran Heathcote, Joe Ryle, Professor Kirsten Sehnbruch | n the UK, we work some of the longest hours in Europe while having one of the least productive economies. We invented the weekend a century ago and are long overdue an update to working hours. Rising numbers of employers worldwide are switching to a four-day week, making workers happier and organisations stronger. A four-day week with no loss of pay gives workers the time to live happier and more fulfilled lives, allowing for the parts of life that are often neglected, such as rest, parenting and leisure. It has significant benefits for businesses, as real-world examples show that employers who move to a four-day week improve productivity and cut costs. Research also shows that introducing a 4 day week could reduce the UK's carbon footprint by 127 million tonnes per year. This event will discuss how businesses, charities, and councils can reap the benefits of introducing smarter working. Our panel will present the academic evidence for the benefits of introducing a four-day week, and discuss practical ways to make the change.

Wicked problems: how to engineer a better world Oct 22, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Guru Madhavan | Our world is filled with pernicious problems. How, for example, did novice pilots learn to fly without taking to the air and risking their lives? How should cities process mountains of waste without polluting the environment? Challenges that tangle personal, public, and planetary aspects―often occurring in health care, infrastructure, business, and policy―are known as wicked problems, and they are not going away anytime soon.

Dead men's propaganda: ideology and utopia in comparative communication studies Oct 21, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Bingchun Meng, Professor Jeff Pooley, Professor Terhi Rantanen, Dr Marsha Siefert, Dr Wendy Willems | Who were the key pioneers in the formation of comparative communications between the 1920s – 1950s, and how do their legacies of scholarship and practice inform the contemporary global landscapes of news reporting on war and the dissemination of propaganda? Exploring Terhi Rantanen’s new book, Dead Men’s Propaganda: Ideology and Utopia in Comparative Communications Studies, this panel will examine how comparative communications research, from its very beginning, can be understood as governed by the Mannheimian concepts of ideology and utopia and the power play between them. The close relationship between these two concepts resulted in a bias in knowledge production in comparative communications research, contributed to dominant narratives of generational conflicts, and to the demarcation of Insiders and Outsiders. By focusing on a generation at the forefront of comparative communications at this pivotal time, this book uses detailed archival research and case studies to challenge dominant orthodoxies in the intellectual histories of communication studies.

What AI is doing to America's democracy Oct 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Lawrence Lessig | In this lecture, Lawrence Lessig will discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the 2024 American election, and the implications that this will have for democracy in the future.

"What is needed is hard thinking": five challenges for the social sciences Oct 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Larry Kramer | Join us for the inaugural lecture of LSE President and Vice Chancellor of LSE Larry Kramer in which he will talk about his vision for LSE, the role of the social sciences in a changing world and our place in the 21st Century. Larry Kramer has been President and Vice Chancellor of LSE since April 2024. A constitutional scholar, university administrator, and philanthropic leader, he was previously the President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Dean of Stanford Law School. Conor Gearty is Professor of Human Rights Law in the LSE Law School. He was Director of LSE’s Centre for the Study of Human Rights (2002-2009) and has been Professor of human rights law at the Law School since 2002. In 2012 he became Director of LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs. He has published widely on terrorism, civil liberties and human rights. Conor is also a barrister and was a founder member of Matrix chambers from where he continues to practise.

Policy epidemiology for emerging infectious diseases Oct 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Rebecca Katz | This public event will describe the state of global health security, global governance of disease and the policy epidemiology framework used in the Analysis and Mapping of Policies for Emerging Infectious Diseases project. We will describe the importance of evidence-based decision making for responding to epidemic and pandemic threats and how to translate researcher findings for decision makers.

AI and the future of behavioural science Oct 08, 2024

Contributor(s): Alexandra Chesterfield, Elisabeth Costa, Professor Oliver Hauser, Dr Dario Krpan, Professor Susan Michie, Professor Robert West | Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming various aspects of behavioural science. For example, AI-driven models are being used to predict human behaviour and decision-making, and to design personalized behavioural interventions. AI can also be used to generate artificial research participants on whom behavioural interventions can be tested instead of on humans. AI is creating many new opportunities and challenges in behavioural science, disrupting the discipline to the degree that researchers, practitioners, and any behavioural science enthusiasts are trying to keep up with the new developments and understand how to best navigate the rapidly changing landscape. In this public event, speakers who are associated with pioneering work on AI in relation to behavioural science, as part of their own research or organisational initiatives, will discuss their views on how AI will change and is already changing behavioural science. This will involve touching upon topics such as the implications of AI for behavioural scientists in academia, public, and private sectors, new skills that will be required by behavioural scientists of the future, and impact on behavioural science education.

Labour's first 100 days: a new era of progressive politics in the UK? Oct 07, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Sir John Curtice, Professor Anand Menon, Professor Paula Surridge | Has Labour’s election marked a real turning point?This is a thought-provoking event as we provide an early assessment of the new Labour government’s actions and goals.

Voter education: the challenge of the century Oct 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Eric Maskin, Professor Amartya Sen, Dr Suzanne Bloks, Professor Richard Bradley, Rudolf Fara | As authoritarianism and political violence threaten democracies throughout the world at levels not seen since the 1930s, attacks on free and fair elections are rife. Democracy is about choice, and achieving a legitimate democratic system of government relies on making representative social choices. Join us to find out about VoteDemocracy, which is a new global education initiative featuring a comprehensive course on the central role of voting in democracy. In support of the new project, Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Eric Maskin address core democratic principles. Professor Sen revisits the foundational ‘rule by the people’ with his talk, Democracy—Why, and Why Not? Professor Maskin offers an electoral prescription in response to his topic, How Should Members of Parliament (and Congress) be Elected?

Born to rule: the making and remaking of the British elite Oct 03, 2024

Contributor(s): Hashi Mohamed, Dr. Aaron Reeves, Professor Lauren Rivera, Dr Faiza Shaheen | In Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman’s new book, which they launch at this event, they provide a uniquely data-rich analysis of the British elite from the Victorian era to today: who gets in, how they get there, what they like and look like, where they go to school, and what politics they perpetuate.Think of the British elite and familiar caricatures spring to mind. But are today’s power brokers a conservative chumocracy, born to privilege and anointed at Eton and Oxford? Or is a new progressive elite emerging with different values and political instincts? Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman combed through a trove of data in search of an answer, scrutinizing the profiles, interests, and careers of over 125,000 members of the British elite from the late 1890s to today. At the heart of this meticulously researched study is the historical database of Who’s Who, but the authors also mined genealogical records, examined probate data, and interviewed over 200 leading figures from a wide range of backgrounds and professions to uncover who runs Britain, how they think, and what they want.

Religion, nationalism, conflict and community: in conversation with Rory Stewart Oct 02, 2024

Contributor(s): Rory Stewart, Professor James Walters | While religion continues to be perceived as of diminishing significance by many in Western Europe, religious nationalisms are on the rise around the world and the religious dimensions of many conflicts are becoming more pronounced. While the early twenty-first century focused on political Islam, we now see new political formations across all the world’s faith traditions, as well as new faith-based initiatives to engage more constructively with global issues such as conflict and climate change. Rory Stewart – academic, podcaster and former politician – will share his perspectives on why this happening and what can be done about it, in this conversation with James Walters, founding director of LSE Faith Centre, chaired by LSE's Mukulika Banerjee.

Children of a modest star Oct 01, 2024

Contributor(s): Nils Gilman, Dr Ganga Shreedhar, Professor Karen E Smith | Deadly viruses, climate-changing carbon molecules, and harmful pollutants across the globe are unimpeded by national borders. While the consequences of these flows range across scales, from the planetary to the local, the authority and resources to manage them are concentrated mainly at one level: the nation-state. This profound mismatch between the scale of planetary challenges and the institutions tasked with governing them is leading to cascading systemic failures. Join us for this event featuring Nils Gilman, co-author of a new book, Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises. Drawing on intellectual history, political philosophy, and the holistic findings of Earth system science, Children of a Modest Star argues that it is essential to reimagine our governing institutions - we can only thrive if the multi-species ecosystems we inhabit are also flourishing. Using this book as the basis for discussion, our panellists will examine dominant ways of thinking about humanity's relationship to the planet, and explore a new architecture for global governance, to enable the habitability of the Earth for humans and non-humans alike.

Shaping the future: AI in the workplace Sep 30, 2024

Contributor(s): Matt Blakemore, Richard Nesbitt, Carolyn Scott, Reshma Shaikh, Noa Srebrnik | This event will navigate the complexities of AI implementation in the workplace and examine how these technologies are being developed to benefit society while challenging traditional work experiences. The event will feature conversations on the latest advancements, challenges, and ethical considerations in AI development, emphasising reducing bias and supporting diverse communities. Participants can interact with panellists during a Q&A session, fostering a deeper understanding of how AI can drive positive change.

Sewage in our waters Sep 26, 2024

Contributor(s): Ed Conway, Dr Kamala Dawar, David Henderson, James Wallace | We have a growing waste problem, which has been around for some time and is only getting worse. Dumping of sewage is threatening the health of our rivers. Plastics have penetrated deep into the world’s oceans. Leakages from landfills, farming and industry are contaminating our soil and groundwater. Waste pollution harms public health, biodiversity and the environment. To address it, we need new laws and huge investments. There has been much recent controversy in the UK around Sewage in Our Waters. New laws would have to specify who has the responsibility of undertaking the transition and the investments – water companies, producers, consumers or governments? Preventing transboundary waste flows would require international action to plug loopholes in domestic laws and international conventions.

Trade and climate change: managing policies on the road to net zero Sep 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Luis Garicano, Professor Maisa Rojas Corradi, Professor Catherine Wolfram | Trade and climate change policies have become increasingly interwoven. Subsidies for green industries often provoke tariffs, such as US actions over Chinese solar panels and electric vehicles. The European Union’s Emission Trading System (ETS) has set an increasingly high price on carbon emissions. But if high emission industries like steel, simply relocate and European consumers then buy the imported steel, this “carbon leakage” undermines the original policy. To tackle this problem, the European Union has introduced the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which seeks to tax such imports to prevent carbon leakage – and to encourage other countries to also introduce carbon taxes. The UK is planning the same. But many countries are unhappy, claiming this is simply disguised protectionism.

Innovative market solutions to confront climate change Sep 24, 2024

Contributor(s): Claudio Frischtak, Basak Odemis, Professor Rohini Pande, Ali Sarfraz | Large investments are needed to confront climate change. Current levels are far below what is required. Bridging this investment gap rests on harnessing both public and private climate finance. Yet, accessing and effectively using these funds presents substantial challenges, especially in developing countries. Innovative market solutions could help. Markets can be useful because climate change is a global commons problem and different countries have different abilities to reduce emissions. What is missing is a link between those who wish to and can pay for reducing emissions and those who have opportunities to do so. These challenges are amplified in low and middle income countries which grapple with limited institutional capacity and complex international finance frameworks. Strict eligibility requirements and cumbersome application processes further complicate access to vital financial resources, exacerbating disparities between promised and actual funds disbursed, leaving many communities without necessary support for climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

What’s it like to win a Nobel Prize? Sep 21, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Esther Duflo, Elizabeth Lewis Channon, Khari Motayne, Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides | While there are always rumours about who might win a Nobel Prize every year, there is no short list for the globally revered academic awards. This means that winning one always comes as a complete surprise. In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious prize and how it changes your life. The Nobel Prizes were established in 1900 at the behest of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish Chemist, Inventor and Industrialist, known in particular for his invention of dynamite. In his will he stated that his fortune was to be used to reward those who have made the most significant contributions to humanity. The prizes would recognise achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. The prize for economics would come much later in 1968. The prizes are awarded in October every year. Sue Windebank and Charlotte Kelloway talk to two Nobel Laureates, Professor Esther Duflo and Sir Christopher Pissarides, as well as to the family of the first black person to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, Sir Arthur Lewis. Contributors Professor Esther Duflo Elizabeth Lewis Channon Khari Motayne Sir Christopher Pissarides Research Professor Esther Duflo published papers Sir Christopher Pissarides published papers Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour , Manchester School, by Sir W. Arthur Lewis The theory of economic growth, University Books, by Sir W. Arthur Lewis

Designing and evaluating digital interventions for social impact Sep 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Susan Athey | Digital interventions are well-suited for social impact applications because they are relatively inexpensive to develop and update, they can be targeted to meet the needs of individuals, and they are highly scalable. This talk will review several recent implementations of digital technology to social impact applications, including childhood literacy, programs to enable career transitions and demonstrate skills, and digital assistants that help workers and service providers be more effective. In each case, a new digital product was developed and evaluated in the field. The evidence shows that the interventions work better for some types of individuals than others, illustrating the importance of targeting interventions where they are most effective.

How can we solve the gender pay gap? Aug 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Nina Rousille, Camille Landais, Jane Garvey | This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap. On average across the globe, for every pound earned by a man, a woman earns around 80 pence, according to a 2023 report from the United Nations. But despite huge advances in access to education, the labour market, and the introduction of the UK Equality Act of 2010, which guarantees equal pay for men and women doing equal work, those figures have pretty much remained the same for the past two decades. Still, the gender pay gap - the difference between the average earnings of men and women - endures. So, how can we solve it? Anna Bevan talks to broadcaster Jane Garvey about the impact of gender pay gap reporting and what happened to her after the BBC was forced to publish its gender pay gap report. She also speaks to Nina Rousille, the Executive Director of LSE’s Hub for Equal Representation and Assistant Professor of Economics at MIT, about the role of the Ask Gap and pay transparency, and Camille Landais, Professor of Economics at LSE about the Child Penalty. Research The Role of the Ask Gap in Gender Pay Inequality by Nina Rousille The Child Penalty by Camille Landais, Henrik Kleven and Gabriel Leite-Mariante, also displayed here Who has the power to address the child penalty globally? LSE Festival online exhibition

AI, Fake News and the Media Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Nick Anstead, Professor Helen Margetts, Professor Julie Posetti | They explore the difference between this election in 2024 and previous ones with regard using AI and what the next Government should do (if anything) to protect the democratic process.

Climate Change Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Dimitri Zenghelis, Dr Philipp Rode, Professor Elizabeth Robinson | They will also examine the role climate change has played in the election and if the plans made by the main political parties deliver sufficiently to what the next Government could and should do.

Domestic policy Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Wendy Thomson, Professor Andrew Street, Professor Nicholas Barr | They review the stances of each party and how they’ve shaped their campaigns to what the next Government needs to do to address them.

Foreign policy Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Iain Begg, Professor Michael Cox, Professor Stephanie Rickard, Professor Peter Trubowitz | They explore rising global tensions and defence spending to the outcome of the next US election, and the future of our relationship with the EU and potential outcomes of the French elections.

Introduction to British Politics Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Laura Serra, Elinor Goodman, Professor Tim Bale | Our experts provide insight and analysis on the night.

The British Economy Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Sir Tim Besley, Professor Richard Davies, Eshe Nelson | They explore the pressure on public finances (from the likelihood of future tax rises or spending cuts) to each stance the parties have taken and whether they've accounted the coming fiscal challenges, to what the next Government could and should do next.

The future of liberal democracy Jul 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Andrés Velasco, Dr Mukulika Banerjee, Professor Chris Anderson | In addition to the UK election, our experts weigh in on the future of liberal democracies.

What went wrong with capitalism Jul 03, 2024

Contributor(s): Ruchir Sharma | Sharma says progressive youth are partly right and that capitalism has morphed into “socialism for the very rich.” The broader issue, however, is socialised risk for the poor, the middle class and the rich; government is trying to guarantee that no one ever suffers economic pain by borrowing heavily to prevent recessions, extend recoveries, and generate endless growth. The result is rapidly rising debt and declining competition.

Global trends in climate litigation Jun 27, 2024

Contributor(s): Zaneta Sedilikova, Cynthia Hanawalt, Professor Harro van Asselt, Dr Joana Setzer, Catherine Higham | Activist groups and civil society organisations continue to play a pivotal role in leveraging climate litigation to shape climate governance. Central to many of these cases is the use of human rights arguments to hold governments and corporations accountable for inadequate action on climate issues. The report's authors share their insights and discuss with experts on the latest trends in climate change litigation.

AI guardians: who holds power over our data Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Sadiqah Musa, Professor Neil Lawrence, Dr Chandrima Ganguly | Who is in charge of the algorithms and models that shape our future?

Can the law prevent violence against women in conflict? Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Iliana Sarafian, Rita Kahsay, Fatou Bensouda | Global legal frameworks to protect women in conflict have been agreed by all members of the UN Security Council. Yet evidence from around the world shows that violence against women, because they are women, remains very much a part of twenty first century warfare.

Defending democracy: building solidarity with persecuted writers, journalists, and artists Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Salman Usmani, Professor Alpa Shah, Ross Holder | Amidst the surge of global authoritarianism, how do we protect the freedom of speech and the freedom of dissent that is crucial for democracy? What is the role of global financial institutions and regimes in the crackdown on dissent in faraway places? What role do international human rights organisations, cultural spaces and educational institutions have in protecting the spaces of democracy globally?

Invertebrate minds: from spiders to octopuses Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Daria Zakharova, Professor Elli Leadbeater, Professor Jonathan Birch, Sam Beckbessinger | Human beings are part of a vast sentient world full of conscious creatures, and even those of us far away from centres of political power have immense influence over huge numbers of animal lives - influence which we can choose to exercise for good or ill.

Is diversity and inclusion bad for business? Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Grace Lordan | Recently there has been a surge in popular voices in social media stating that DEI is bad for business. There has also been a significant reduction in investment in diversity and inclusion by some of the world’s largest firms.

Power and storytelling Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Naila Kabeer, Phillip Hensher, Monica Ali | How can an author bring out the stories and voices buried in their research to deliver the impact they are hoping for? And how should writers communicate experiences of power and oppression that are not their own? Whether embarking on a creative novel or an academic monograph, an author is faced with choices about the ways in which they tell their stories.

Power, politics, and belonging: the lasting impacts of colonialism Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Maël Lavenaire, Leah Eryenyu, Professor Neil Cummins | Politics of power and wealth have had a huge impact on the structuring of inequalities across the globe. As the racial and ethnic inequalities that we see today stem from centuries of discrimination and marginalisation, in order to tackle them, we will need to understand how they have been embedded in the very structures of our societies.

The power of trust Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Ros Taylor, Dr Laura Gilbert, Rafael Behr | Trust (in media, institutions, politics and democracy) is widely reported to be in decline, but how important is it for a functioning society and why? What’s the relationship between trust and power?

What is driving the green backlash in European urban politics? Jun 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Shirley Rodrigues, Jean-Louis Missika, Ciaran Cuffe, Dr Liam Beiser-McGrath | Cities are widely considered to be progressive bastions against the tide of populism and growth of right-wing movements across Europe. But recent election results show that cities are not immune to the divisive discourses surrounding the green transition. From Berlin to Barcelona to Oslo to London, green policies have developed into a central battleground in local politics, with initiatives such as 15-minute cities, low-traffic neighbourhoods, low emission zones and other attempts to reduce car dependency proving particularly contentious. How can urban leaders design and communicate policies in ways that reconcile concerns for the end of the month and concerns for the end of the world, and enable the transition towards more just and sustainable cities?

Anti-globalism, international disorder and the West Jun 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Leslie Vinjamuri, Professor Helen Thompson, Gideon Rachman | Early hopes that Western democracies’ unified response to Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine would break the populist, anti-globalist fever have not been fulfilled. Instead, since the invasion, opponents of the liberal order have made deeper inroads in France, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the possibility persists that Trump may return to the White House in 2025.

Better work: whose business is it? Jun 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Sarah O'Connor, Professor Alan Manning, Professor Stephen Machin, Kate Bell | How much power should employers have over their workers’ lives? Most countries recognise that employer power needs to be curbed – with governments setting out legal requirements on minimum pay, maximum working hours and paid leave. And governments also intervene to curb worker power – ruling on trade union recognition, who can strike and under what conditions. But should governments intervene between employer and employee on matters such as sending out-of-hours emails, or on whether to pay bonuses?

How do we know if national economies are sustainable? A guide to going "Beyond GDP" Jun 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Giles Atkinson, Dr Matthew Agarwala | Discover how to measure economic progress and sustainability with practical illustrations in this one-hour workshop by leading experts on measuring sustainable development, Giles Atkinson and Matthew Agarwala. Learn what is at the heart of this topic – “Beyond GDP” is easy to say, but what does it actually mean to move beyond Gross Domestic Product as the primary way that nations use to measure economic and social development? Find out how thinking about "nature as capital" is a key step in this journey and why, more generally, focusing on national and planetary wealth is a better guide to economic and social development prospects. Discover which countries and organisations are doing what to go “Beyond GDP” around the world. Begin to be able to distil a picture of whether national economies are sustainable, using a handful of available indicators.

Geography of discontent: euroscepticism in regions of stagnant growth Jun 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Dr Özge Öner, James Blagden | Recent EU research highlights a clear connection between stagnant growth within some European regions and their support for Eurosceptic parties, also suggesting that the longer the period of stagnation, the stronger the opposition to European integration.

Lawfare: do law and courts have power to solve global problems? Jun 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Gerry Simpson, Dr Joana Setzer, Sir Howard Morrison KC, Professor Larry Kramer | There is a growing expectation for law and courts, whether domestic or international, to be remedies for international problems. Our panel explore the power of law and courts in the face of contemporary international challenges.

Left behind: a new economics for neglected places Jun 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Collier | Left behind places can be found in prosperous countries — from South Yorkshire, integral to the industrial revolution and now England’s poorest county, to Barranquilla, once Colombia’s portal to the Caribbean and now struggling. More alarmingly, the poorest countries in the world are diverging further from the rest of humanity.

Power and social change: 5 ways we can challenge inequalities of power Jun 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Kerryn Krige, Dr Jonathan Roberts | You will learn five practical skills to challenge and reshape power dynamics: Understanding social problems Prioritising coproduction with communities and users Considering organisational design Leading systems change Building (and sometimes not building) market-based solutions

The drama of displacement: the journey of a Syrian refugee through theatre Jun 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Nesrin Alrefaai, Professor Matthew Spangler | The new play 'A handful of lentils' by Dr Nesrin Alrefaai and Professor Matthew Spangler, focuses on the interaction between a Syrian refugee and a state official. They discuss how theatre plays a role in addressing life experiences during political upheaval.

Empowering communities? Exploring devolution's impact on low-income areas Jun 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Tony Travers | Devolution offers an opportunity to reshape where power resides in the UK. But after years of austerity, the impact of the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis, can it be made to work for our most deprived communities?

Global middle powers and the changing world order Jun 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Bugra Susler, Dr Yolanda Spies, Professor Chris Alden | Now, as emerging global middle powers begin to assert their influence in their respective regions, and on the global stage, diverse perspectives on pressing global issues, spanning international conflicts to climate change, present various visions for the future of the international system. With recent elections in Turkey, and forthcoming voting in South Africa and the Western world (the UK, EU and the US), our panel will delve into the aspirations and perspectives of global middle powers, and will analyse the impact of their rise on the global order.

How does data regulation work for our digital society? Jun 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Andrew Murray | Learn the fundamentals of data regulation – how data is gathered and processed, held and stored according to the law Discuss how regulation supports opportunities for data use, and how regulation sets limitations on abuse or misuse of data Explore the latest legal developments including the Data Act and the AI Act Consolidate your understanding with the Q&A

Understanding China's views of the world Jun 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Xiaolu Guo, Professor William A. Callahan, Dr Elena Barabantseva | Elena Barabantseva’s Chinese-Russian Group Wedding (5 min) explores the relations of these two superpowers through the intimate geopolitics of mixed-marriages, and William A. Callahan’s The Nose Knows (15min) traces how Chinese artists and officials have imagined foreigners in terms of their “big noses” both historically and up to the present day. The films challenge stereotypes by showing a multifaceted understanding of the UK and the world, exploring personal experience, foreign policy agendas, and artistic creativity through the eyes of different groups of Chinese people.

100 days to kickstart Britain: what should the government's priorities be? Jun 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Danny Sriskandarajah, Sam Richards, Eshe Nelson, Soumaya Keynes | The UK’s economy has waned in recent years – low growth and productivity coupled with rising inflation and poverty. Our panel explore how to respond.

Authoritarian populism and media freedom Jun 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Kate Wright, Dr Damian Tambini, Alan Rusbridger | How did the Trump administration capture one of the world’s most important public service news networks, The Voice of America? How did the BBC, an exemplary public service broadcaster, end up being accused of bias towards the privileged and the ruling elites?

How can countries prepare for the next global health crisis? Jun 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Clare Wenham, Professor Ken Shadlen, Dr Ulrich Sedelmeier, Dr Tine Hanrieder | They explore how power, politics and public opinion are affecting the next international pandemic response and preparedness, including the crucial question of access to vaccines and other medicines.

How to make better decisions Jun 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Luc Schneider | Learn about the fundamental ingredients of any personal or professional decision Explore the evidence around how these ingredients inform the quality of the decision-making process Get actionable tips to implement and improve your own strategic decisions Consolidate your understanding with the Q&A

Is history a guide to politics? Jun 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Angus Wrenn, Professor Gordon Barrass | LSE Language Centre, in collaboration with the LSESU Drama Society, presents an evening of theatre and discussion, featuring Professor Gordon Barrass, a specialist on strategy assessment and perception.

A year of elections: power and politics in 2024 Jun 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Bill Neely, Professor Sara Hobolt, Dr Mukulika Banerjee, Dr Nick Anstead | This year people around the world are going to the polls. What have been the surprises and takeaways from election results so far, and what is still to come?

Economics and wellbeing: inflation, public debt, and commercial wars Jun 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Olivier Blanchard | What are the prospects for inflation? Is the level of public debt now dangerous? And will commercial wars between nations blight our future?

The ministry for the future: navigating the politics of the climate crisis Jun 10, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Elizabeth Robinson, Kim Stanley Robinson | Kim Stanley Robinson is the Author of about twenty books, including the internationally bestselling Mars trilogy, and more recently Red Moon, New York 2140 and The Ministry for the Future and explores the political economy needed to cope with existential threats in his writing.

The 2024 European elections and the challenges ahead Jun 06, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Sara Hobolt, Dr Heather Grabbe, Tony Barber | The 2024 European Parliament elections promise to be a pivotal moment for the European Union. Polling suggests Eurosceptic parties could make large gains, fundamentally shifting the balance of power within the Parliament.

Tech tantrums - when tech meets humanity Jun 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Baroness Beeban Kidron | AI is poised to supercharge its impact on almost every aspect of economic, public and personal life. Tech leaders in Silicon Valley believe that AI poses an existential threat to humanity even as they enter an arms race to be ’the ruler of the world”. This year 50% of the world’s population go to the polls, without a single party offering a vision of how they will ride, contain or regulate the wave of change that AI will bring.

How to build a cohesive society Jun 04, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Jonathan Wolff, Professor Marc Stears, Professor Margaret Levi | Tim Besley, School Professor of Economics and Political Science and Director of the Programme on Cohesive Capitalism chairs our discussion on cohesion and capitalism.

Alternatives to neoliberalism Jun 03, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Debra Satz, Professor Sir Paul Collier | The first of two events to launch LSE’s new Programme on Cohesive Capitalism, a distinguished panel, chaired by LSE President and Vice Chancellor Larry Kramer.

Visions of inequality: from the French Revolution to the end of the Cold War May 30, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Branko Milanovic | The book is a history of how economists across two centuries have thought about inequality, told through portraits of six key figures (François Quesnay, Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, Vilfredo Pareto, and Simon Kuznets). “How do you see income distribution in your time, and how and why do you expect it to change?”

The divine economy: how religions compete for wealth, power, and people May 29, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Seabright | Religion in the twenty-first century is alive and well across the world, despite its apparent decline in North America and parts of Europe. Vigorous competition between and within religious movements has led to their accumulating great power and wealth.

England: seven myths that changed a country – and how to set them straight May 28, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Marc Stears, Tom Baldwin | Some politicians will talk of restoring an English birthright of liberty or the swashbuckling self-confidence to rule the waves. Others will yearn for the old-fashioned morality with which, they claim, England once civilised a savage world. Still will more look inwards to a story of an enchanted island that can stand alone and isolated against the world. But England - written by Tom Baldwin, the best-selling author of Keir Starmer's biography, and Marc Stears, influential think tank head - unravels seven myths that have provided so much ammunition for charlatans or culture warriors from both left and right.

Shadows without bodies: war, revolutionary nostalgia, and the challenges of internationalism May 22, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Christina Heatherton | She discusses how war, nationalism, and revolutionary nostalgia have confounded the development of an internationalist consciousness. In revisiting the radical theories and visions developed in an earlier era of global solidarity, she considers how we might now imagine otherwise.

The importance of central bank reserves May 21, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Andrew Bailey | He discusses implications for the future of the Bank’s balance sheet.

Living in the past: exploring memory in humans, animals, and artificial agents May 20, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Johannes Mahr, Dr Zafeirios Fountas, Dr Felipe De Brigard, Professor Nicola Clayton | From music to nostalgia, to recall your feelings of specific events is considered unique to humans. Yet other animals also share this function, though not in the same way.

The sixth suspect: Stephen Lawrence, investigative journalism and racial inequality May 16, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr. Clive James Nwonka, Ann-Marie Cousins, Daniel De Simone | The panel explore the potential of contemporary investigative journalism practices in uncovering historical institutional failings and intervening in structural racial inequalities.

Data grab: the new colonialism of big tech and how to fight back May 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Ulises Ali Mejias, Professor Nick Couldry | Every time we click ‘Accept’ on Terms and Conditions, we allow our most personal information to be repackaged by Big Tech companies for their own profit. In this searing, cutting-edge guide, two leading global researchers – and leading proponents of the concept of data colonialism – reveal how history can help us both to understand the emerging future and to fight back.

Are universities creating a new political divide? May 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Maria Sobolewska, Dr Elizabeth Simon, Professor Jonathan Hopkin | Is the level of education now becoming a central political cleavage? And is it displacing long-established cleavages like social class?

Will the US remain the world’s superpower? May 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Elizabeth Ingleson, John Van Reenen, Ashley Tellis | A shining city on a hill. America the beautiful. The United States has long been mythologised as the land of dreams and opportunity. And since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s it has been undisputedly the most powerful nation on earth. But is it a fading force? The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat? In this episode of LSE iQ, a collaboration with the LSE Phelan US Centre's podcast, The Ballpark, Sue Windebank and Chris Gilson speak to LSE’s Elizabeth Ingleson and John Van Reenen and Ashley Tellis from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Contributors Elizabeth Ingleson John Van Reenen Ashley Tellis Research Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade by Elizabeth Ingleson The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms by David Autor, David Dorn, Lawrence F Katz, Christina Patterson and John Van Reenen, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, May 2020. Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China by Robert D. Blackwill and Ashley J. Tellis LSE Phelan United States Centre: https://www.lse.ac.uk/United-States Listen to The Ballpark podcast: https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/the-ballpark/Podcasts; LSE Player, Spotify; Soundcloud Related interviews on The Ballpark with guests on this episode Dr Ashley Tellis - The Future of US-China Competition Dr Elizabeth Ingleson - Made in China: When US-China Interests Converged to Transform Global Trade

The bankers' new clothes: what's wrong with banking and what to do about it May 09, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Anat R Admati | Professor Anat Admati explores how the banking system can be made safer and healthier, exposing the shortcomings of current policies and revealing how the dominance of banking presents dangers to the rule of law and democracy itself.

Human rights: the case for the defence May 07, 2024

Contributor(s): Bee Rowlatt, Professor Conor Gearty, Baroness Chakrabarti | Baroness Chakrabarti's latest book, Human Rights: The Case for the Defence outlines the historic national and international struggles for human rights, from the fall of Babylon to the present day. Her intervention engages both sceptics and supporters and equips believers in the battle of ideas whilst persuading doubters to think again. For human rights to survive, they must be far better understood by everyone.

Addressing climate inequality May 02, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Esther Duflo, Shweta Banerjee | Head of BRAC International, India, Shweta Banerjee joins the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics, Esther Duflo to examine how funds might be best spent to protect vulnerable populations against the effects of climate change.

Why women won May 02, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Claudia Goldin | 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics winner, Claudia Goldin delivers the first of two Economica-Coase lectures on US women obtaining legal rights equal to men's ranging from the workplace, marriage, family, social security, criminal justice, credit markets, and other parts of the economy and society, decades after winning the right to vote.

Lessons for monetary policy from the latest inflationary-disinflationary episode May 01, 2024

Contributor(s): Pablo Hernández de Cos | In the last few years, central banks across the globe have faced a formidable surge in inflation, stemming from a succession of supply and demand shocks. In response, they have embarked on an extraordinarily sharp monetary policy tightening cycle. Governor Hernández de Cos looks at the lessons learned.

Is the risk of nuclear war increasing? Apr 30, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Lauren Sukin, Professor Jeffrey Legro, Dr Fred Kaplan | Russia’s war in Ukraine, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, and mounting rivalry between the US and China in East Asia have raised anew concerns about the risks of nuclear war. Is the risk of nuclear war increasing?

This time no mistakes Apr 29, 2024

Contributor(s): Will Hutton | Will Hutton's new book, This Time No Mistakes explores the errors of the last forty-five years as an attempt to create the utopia of free markets and a minimal state. This event is part of LSE’s free public events programme. Everyone is welcome to join us at our central London campus, or on a live stream from home, to hear from some of the most influential figures in the social sciences. You can also delve into the LSE Events podcast series, our back catalogue of talks from world leaders, sector experts and academic researchers. Find out what’s on: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events Catch up with the LSE Events podcast: https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-player/podcast-events

The future-proof career: strategies for thriving at every stage Apr 23, 2024

Contributor(s): Isabel Berwick, Dr Grace Lordan | Dr Grace Lordan discusses hybrid work, workplace equality, and today’s evolving workplace with the host of Financial Times’ Working It podcast, Isabel Berwick at the launch of her new book, The Future-Proof Career.

Approximation is the new optimal Apr 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Michal Feldman | The internet has become a huge computational platform for many heterogeneous, complex markets. These complex markets require the design of fast algorithms that take into account the economic, game theoretic, and computational considerations in a unified way. In this talk, Michal Feldman will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that arise in this domain, through the lens of approximation.

What it means to be human in a world changed by AI Mar 27, 2024

Contributor(s): Madhumita Murgia | On the surface a British poet, an UberEats courier in Pittsburgh, an Indian doctor, and a Chinese activist in exile have nothing in common. But they are in fact linked by a profound common experience—unexpected encounters with artificial intelligence.

The search for democracy in the world's largest democracy Mar 26, 2024

Contributor(s): Priyanka Kotamraju, Professor Tarun Khaitan, Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor Alpa Shah | In her latest book, The Incarcerations. Professor Alpa Shah finds a shocking case of cyber warfare - hacked emails, mobile phones and implantation of electronic evidence used to make the arrests of the 16 human rights defenders (the BK-16). Delving into the lives of the BK-16, The Incarcerations shows how the case is a bellwether for the collapse of democracy and why these events matter to all of us.

From probabilities to decisions Mar 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Anna Mahtani | In deciding whether to carry out a particular healthcare policy for example, the process for reaching a decision will almost certainly involve a calculation of credences. Drawing from the Philosophy of Language, Anna Mahtani argues that objects of credence are "opaque". It matters then how the relevant object is described or designated.

The trading game Mar 21, 2024

Contributor(s): Gary Stevenson, Rebecca Gowland | Whilst studying at LSE, Gary won a competition run by a bank: "The Trading Game". The prize: a golden ticket to a new life, as the youngest trader in the whole city. A place where you could make more money than you'd ever imagined. Where your colleagues are dysfunctional maths geniuses, overfed public schoolboys and borderline psychopaths, yet they start to feel like family. But what happens when winning starts to feel like losing? Would you stick, or quit? Even if it meant risking everything? Gary's book is an outrageous, unvarnished, white-knuckle journey to the dark heart of an intoxicating world - from someone who survived the game and then blew it all wide open.

Who's afraid of gender? Mar 20, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Judith Butler | Judith Butler confronts the attacks on gender which have become central to right-wing movements today. Global networks have formed "anti-gender ideology movements" dedicated to circulating a fantasy that gender is a dangerous threat to families, local cultures, civilisation – and even "man" himself.

China, war and the civilizational state Mar 19, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Christopher Coker | For the late Professor Christopher Coker the answer lay in the rise of a new political entity, the civilizational state. In an episode of LSE iQ which explored China’s position in the world in the coming century, Professor Coker talked about this, the potential for war between the United States and China and what that might look like. Christopher Coker, was Professor of International Relations at LSE for almost four decades, and co-Director of LSE IDEAS, LSE’s foreign policy think tank. He was a scholar of war and warfare. This episode of LSE iQ is a lightly edited version of our 2019 interview recorded before the COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is dedicated to his memory. Contributors Professor Christopher Coker Research The Rise of the Civilizational State by Christopher Coker The Improbable War, China, the United States and the Logic of Great Power Conflict by Christopher Coker

The politics and philosophy of AI Mar 19, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Kate Vredenburgh, Professor Geoffrey Hinton | As artificial intelligence (AI) moves beyond the realm of science fiction, it is already having a profound impact on our economies, societies and politics. Our panel examine its transformative power and disruptive potential.

Digital cities for humans or for profit? Mar 18, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Myria Georgiou, Dr Matt Mahmoudi, Professor Myria Georgiou, Professor Ayona Datta, Sara Alsherif | Our panel investigates the dynamic workings of technology and power in the city from a transnational and comparative perspective as illustrated in Myria Georgiou’s book, Being Human in Digital Cities. They discuss the the contradictory claims and struggles for the future of digital cities and their humanity.

Recasting the global economy and international institutions: collaboration, competition, and the new growth story Mar 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Rachel Kyte, Professor Lord Stern | As part of the Lionel Robbins Lecture Series, our panel discuss the growth story for the 21st century: building sustainable, resilient, and equitable development.

A new growth story: structural transformation; policies and institutions Mar 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Cameron Hepburn, Professor Lord Stern | As part of the Lionel Robbins Lecture Series, the second lecture explores structural transformation; policies and institutions.

Look again: the power of noticing what was always there Mar 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Tali Sharot, Professor Cass R. Sunstein | The authors tackle a great question: why are we so often oblivious to things around us, from pollution and lying to bias and corruption?

A world re-drawn; a world in crisis; a moment in history; the agenda for growth and transformation Mar 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Emily Shuckburgh, Professor Lord Stern | As part of the Lionel Robbins Lecture Series, our panel discussed the first theme on a world re-drawn; a world in crisis; a moment in history; the agenda for growth and transformation.

Building prosperity through social solidarity and economic dynamism Mar 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Humza Yousaf MSP | Humza Yousaf MSP, First Minister of Scotland looks at the relative success of European countries comparable to Scotland, which benefit from an (economic) model grounded in the combination of social solidarity and economic dynamism. With the damage of Brexit becoming clear, would an independent Scotland in the EU be well-placed to benefit from an economic model and direction different to Westminster’s?

Global ocean governance: past, present, and future Mar 11, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Scott Barrett | The ocean is governed by a combination of property rights, established in customary law, cooperative agreements, and under treaty law. Professor Scott Barrett looks at what these institutions have achieved and why.

217 million census records: evidence from linked census data Mar 07, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor James Feigenbaum | In this talk, James Feigenbaum shows how the ability to link individuals over time, and between databases, means that new avenues for research have opened up, thus allowing us to track intergenerational mobility, assimilation, discrimination and the returns to education.

Déja vu all over again? Super Tuesday and the race for the presidency Mar 06, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Jason Casellas, Dr Ursula Hackett, Mark Landler, Professor Stephanie Rickard | Jason Casellas is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor in American Government at the University of Oxford affiliated with Balliol College and the Rothermere American Institute. Ursula Hackett is Reader in Politics at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a British Academy Mid-Career Fellow. Mark Landler is the London bureau chief of The New York Times. Stephanie J Rickard is Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the Department of Government.

How can we tackle inequalities through British public policy? Mar 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Tania Burchardt, Professor Neil Lee, Professor Mike Savage | Our panel of speakers will cover a range of topics, such as how we can improve the quality of employment, how to implement a levelling up agenda, and how we can tackle wealth inequality in the UK.

What's funny about everyday sexism? Mar 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Cally Beaton | They discuss how comedy can both perpetuate and conceal sexism, while also having the profound ability to reveal and rise above bias and discrimination.

Shaping major cities – the challenge of being a mayor Feb 29, 2024

Contributor(s): Marvin Rees OBE | What lessons are there about how to represent, lead and shape a city? How difficult is it to balance short-term priorities with long-term vision and strategy? And what does central government need to learn about public policy and city services from the sharp end? Join us as we host Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, to address this and more.

The inequality of wealth: why it matters and how to fix it Feb 28, 2024

Contributor(s): Katie Schmuecker, Professor Mike Savage , Liam Byrne MP | Yet, it doesn’t have to be like this. In his new book The Inequality of Wealth: why it matters and how to fix it, former Treasury Minister, Liam Byrne, explains the fast-accelerating inequality of wealth; warns how it threatens our society, economy, and politics; shows where economics got it wrong – and lays out a path back to common sense, with five practical new ways to rebuild an old ideal: the wealth-owning democracy. Liam Byrne draws on conversations and debates with former prime ministers, presidents and policymakers around the world together with experts at the OECD, World Bank, and IMF to argue that, after twenty years of statistics and slogans, it's time for solutions that aren’t just radical but plausible and achievable as well.

Moments of polycrisis: a mayor's perspective Feb 27, 2024

Contributor(s): Kostas Bakoyannis | It has become vital to draw from the local perspective when tackling global issue. The same is true for many organisations and communities, for whom traditional, top-down approaches do not offer the agility and responsiveness that is essential for effective crisis management in our times. Having served local government for 13 years, from a rural to an urban context and from a small town to a region and a big city, Kostas Bakoyannis shares his experience of bottom-up crisis management including the economic, refugee and COVID-19 crises.

Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution? Feb 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Sarah Appleton, Nikki Sullivan, Paul Frijters, Helen | Joanna Bale talks to Helen, who found Ozempic ‘life-changing’, Clinical Psychologist Sarah Appleton, and LSE’s Nikki Sullivan & Paul Frijters.

The modern left for progressive governance Feb 23, 2024

Contributor(s): Stefanos Kasselakis | In Greece, SYRIZA rose dramatically to lead the fight against euro-zone imposed austerity. Yet, it lost badly in two national elections last year and the left is fragmenting. How can the fortunes of the left be restored? What kind of unity is feasible and desirable on the left? How can the left avoid further defeat?

Transnational anti-gender politics and resistance Feb 22, 2024

Contributor(s): Tooba Syed, Professor Judith Butler | What might feminist, queer and decolonial forms of resistance teach us about diverse forms of 'anti-gender' backlash? How can we generate political solidarity to counter 'anti-gender' mobilisations across different contexts? Our keynote speakers reflect on political, epistemic and ethical interventions and open up for discussion with the audience.

The new China playbook: beyond socialism and capitalism Feb 20, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Keyu Jin | Yet Western economists have long been incorrectly predicting its collapse. Why do they keep getting it wrong? Because, according to Keyu Jin, the Chinese economy that most Westerners picture is an incomplete sketch, based on Western dated assumptions and incomplete information. We need a new understanding of China, one that takes a holistic view of its history and its culture. Professor Jin presents The New China Playbook, a revelatory, clear-eyed, and myth-busting exploration of China’s economy, how it grew to be one of the largest in the world, and what the future may hold.

The great fear: the politics of performing Feb 15, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Richard Sennett | The Performer explores the relations between performing in art (particularly music), politics and everyday experience. It focuses on the bodily and physical dimensions of performing, rather than on words. Richard Sennett is particularly attuned to the ways in which the rituals of ordinary life are performances. The book draws on history and sociology, and more personally on the author's early career as a professional cellist, as well as on his later work as a city planner and social thinker. It traces the evolution of performing spaces in the city; the emergence of actors, musicians, and dancers as independent artists; the inequality between performer and spectator; the uneasy relations between artistic creation and social and religious ritual; the uses and abuses of acting by politicians. The Janus-faced art of performing is both destructive and civilizing.

Transforming rural Southeast Asia Feb 14, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Tania Murray Li | In Southeast Asia, 30 million more people live and work in rural areas today than they did in 1990. Yet rural people are largely absent from public and academic discourse, out of sight and out of mind. One reason for the neglect is the stubbornly persistent transition narrative which suggests that rural populations are anachronistic: they belong to the past, and sooner or later they will move to cities and join the march of progress. Hence it is not worth worrying too much about who they are or how they live, how national and global currents affect them, or how their aspirations and practices shape the course of history. The only question seems to be how to move them more quickly out of agriculture, into jobs, and off the land to free up more space for mining, corporate agriculture or conservation schemes. In this talk Tania Murray Li outlines the main powers and processes at work in transforming rural Southeast Asia and draw on her ethnographic research in Indonesia to illustrate how rural people navigate their ever-changing terrain.

Growth through investment: what should the UK's FDI strategy look like? Feb 13, 2024

Contributor(s): Lord Harrington, Professor Nigel Driffield, Professor Riccardo Crescenzi, Laura Citron | The recently published Harrington Review of Foreign Direct Investment offers a set of evidence-based and achievable recommendations for the UK to provide a tailored, responsive and comprehensive offer that meets foreign investors’ expectations and factors in the speed of the modern world. This panel discussion pushes the debate on FDI attraction and retention forward and consider how the Harrington Review’s recommendations can be put into practice and what impacts they will have. The panel discusses how best practices from around the world should inform new strategies to link FDI, Global Value Chains and sustainable and inclusive development in the UK and beyond.

Empowering the economy Feb 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Christian Lindner | The German Finance Minister talks about new realities and strengthening Germany’s competitiveness for the benefit of its economy and its partners.

The shortcut - how machines became intelligent without thinking in a human way Feb 12, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Nello Cristianini | Instead, the prevailing form of machine intelligence is the direct result of a series of decisions that we have made over the past decades. These were shortcuts aimed at addressing various technical (and business) problems, and that are now behind many of the current concerns about the impact of this technology on society. A major shortcut was taken with the creation of the very first statistical language models, and we will describe how that step was the first move towards statistical AI, how it challenged previous assumptions, and how it reflected a new mindset that was starting to emerge among AI researchers. When business models, data availability and scientific paradigms became aligned, the current revolution started. Understanding how those technical shortcuts limit the options of regulators will be essential to safely co-exist with the present form of AI.

The revolutionary city Feb 08, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Mark R Beissinger, Professor Olga Onuch | In his new book, The Revolutionary City, Mark R. Beissinger provides a new understanding of how revolutions happen and what they might look like in the future. He is joined by Olga Onuch who will discuss the book.

The seaside: England's love affair Feb 07, 2024

Contributor(s): Lord Bassam, Sheela Agarwal, Madeleine Bunting | England invented the seaside resort as a place of pleasure and these towns became iconic in the nation's sense of identity for over a century, but for over four decades the rise of package holidays and cheap flights have eroded their economies. This has resulted in a 'salt fringe' of deprivation, low pay, poor health and low educational achievement and the worst social mobility in the country. Despite persistent affection for many of these resorts which still attract millions of visitors, their chronic plight has failed to capture political engagement and investment. How can these resorts, with their wealth of cultural heritage, forge a new future?

The Oceans Treaty as a win for multilateralism: what lies ahead Feb 06, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Michael I Kanu, Philippe Carvalho Raposo, Lowri Mai Griffiths, Dr Robert Blasiak, Dr Siva Thambisetty | On 5 March 2023, state parties at the United Nations agreed the text of a new Treaty to cover biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, in areas also known as the high seas. The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty sets out governance mechanisms for oceans over nearly half the planet’s surface covering marine genetic resources, environmental impact assessments, capacity building and technology transfer and Area Based Management Tools. It has the potential to transform the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity on the oceans beyond national jurisdiction and bring about greater sharing of the wealth of the oceans.

The perils of Saudi nationalism Feb 05, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed | Mainly the pervasive sub-national identities that dominated Arabia or the supra-national Islamic identity that the regime promoted to achieve legitimacy. But since the rise of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman in 2017, a new populist Saudi nationalism is promoted. This lecture traces the shift in Saudi nation-building from the early days of religious nationalism to the current populist trend. It will explain why only recently constructing a Saudi nation became a priority for the leadership after almost a century of creating a state. The new Saudi national narrative inevitably involves selectively remembering and forgetting aspects of the past in order to consolidate a shift in national consciousness about who Saudis are. But while the new nationalism promises to invigorate the nation, the process is accompanied by serious violence against dissenting voices.

Recent advances in the understanding of human sociality Feb 01, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Joseph Heath | Major unanswered questions involve the relationship between biological and sociocultural factors in promoting cooperativeness, as well as the vulnerability of human social systems to stagnation or collapse. We have amassed a great deal of theory regarding these questions, but our scientific knowledge remains fragmented. In recent years, however, a few pieces of the puzzle have begun to be fitted together. In this lecture Joseph Heath discusses two important advances: first, gene-culture coevolutionary theory, which has shed light on a number of fundamental questions about the early emergence of human sociality, and second, recent work on the development of hierarchy and the state, which has made it possible integrate fundamental sociological insights about how complex societies are maintained. He will attempt to show how these advances move us closer to having a unified scientific understanding of human sociality.

Limitarianism: the case against extreme wealth Jan 31, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Lea Ypi, Martin Sandbu, Professor Ingrid Robeyns | What we need is a world without decamillionaires – people having more than ten million pounds. That is what the philosopher Ingrid Robeyns from the University of Utrecht argues in her new book, Limitarianism. The Case Against Extreme Wealth. Why would a world without anyone being superrich be better? Because extreme wealth undermines democracy; is incompatible with climate justice; and the money could be used much better elsewhere. Most fundamentally, no-one deserves to have so much money. But do these reasons stand up to scrutiny? Would preventing the accumulation of extreme wealth kill innovation, undermine our freedoms and opportunities to live the lives we lead, and in the end also harm the poor? Is limitarianism viable? Would it require us to abolish capitalism, and if so, what could replace it? And what, if anything, would it require from the overwhelming majority who do not have sizeable wealth? This event puts these ideas to the test in a lively debate with the author of Limitarianism in conversation with LSE's Lea Ypi and Martin Sandbu of the Financial Times.

Why is it worth staying curious about racial capitalism? Jan 31, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya | The framing of racial capitalism can become a way to freeze analysis - as if the same circuit of dispossession and violence continues across time and space and, with the desperate implication, for always. In this talk, Gargi Bhattacharyya considers the changing violences of racial capitalism and considers how can we use this language to identify emerging patterns of racialised dispossession, and what might we then do about it.

Empowering citizens with behavioural science Jan 30, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Ralph Hertwig | Nudging promises that minor adjustments in choice architecture can influence decisions without altering incentives. However, nudging has also been criticised, including objections to its soft paternalism and its neglect of agency, autonomy, and the longevity of behaviour change. In response to such criticisms— and the proliferation of highly engineered and manipulative, commercial choice architectures—other behavioural policy approaches have been proposed, focusing on empowering citizens to make well-informed decisions. Those approaches are based on a view of human cognitive and motivational capacities that goes beyond the deficit model underlying nudge. In the face of systemic problems such as climate change, pandemics, threats to liberal democracies, and rapid cycles of technological innovations, evidence-informed investments in a competent, informed, and active citizenry seem an essential—though not—sufficient policy approach. This talk outlines recent developments in conceptual and empirical research that aims to empower citizens by boosting their competences.

Fluke: chance, chaos and why everything we do matters Jan 29, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Brian Klaas | Brian Klaas explores how our world really works, driven by strange interactions and random events. How much difference does our decision to hit the snooze button make? Did one couple's vacation really change the course of the twentieth century? His new book, Fluke, is a provocative new vision of how our world really works - and why chance determines everything.

It's in the news: we're decarbonising! Jan 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Adam Vaughan, Dr James Painter, Fiona Harvey, Roger Harrabin | This event gathers journalists from various backgrounds to discuss the challenges they face in informing and promoting balanced public discussions about decarbonisation, particularly in the context of looming local and general elections. Media coverage of climate change has long centered on alerting the public about, as well as debating and contesting, the dangers of climate change. Today, history has moved on. The UK public understands this issue is real and urgent; by and large, Britons supports decarbonisation of the economy. Yet, decarbonisation is at once a grand political project – offering the possibility of revamping and redesigning the make-up of infrastructure, technological networks, and land-use, in ways that will increase well-being, health, and possibly the vitality of many local economies – but also a slow process, difficult to understand for the lay person, full of trade offs and uncertainties.

Solidarity economics: why mutuality and movements matter Jan 25, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Manuel Pastor, T.O. Molefe | Traditional economics is built on the assumption of self-interested individuals seeking to maximize personal gain, but that is far from the whole story. Sharing, caring, and a desire to uphold the collective good are also powerful motives. In a world on fire – facing threats to multiracial democracy, tensions from rising economic inequality, and even the existential threat of climate change, can we build an alternative economics based on cooperation? In this lecture Manuel Pastor, joined by T.O. Molefe, will discuss his newest book Solidarity Economics: why mutuality and movements matter. He will introduce the concept of solidarity economics, which is rooted in the idea that equity is key to prosperity and social movements are crucial to the reconfiguration of power in our politics and show how we can use solidarity economics to build a fairer economy that can generate prosperity and preserve the planet.

Protect, strengthen, prepare - 2024 as a moment of truth for the future of the European continent Jan 23, 2024

Contributor(s): Alexander De Croo | Belgium will enter 2024 as the rotating chair of the European Union. As one of the founding fathers of the Union, Belgium presides over the EU for the 13th time. The number might sound unlucky and the challenges ahead are surely daunting. That said, Prime Minister De Croo will talk about the strengths of the Union, its relationship with the United Kingdom, and the ways in which the EU needs to reform to stay in shape.

In conversation with Bisher Khasawneh, Prime Minister of Jordan Jan 22, 2024

Contributor(s): Dr Bisher Khasawneh | Bisher Khasawneh (@BisherKhasawneh) is Prime Minister of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Minister of Defence, positions he has held since October 2020. He held the position of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017 and Minister of State for Legal Affairs 2017-2018. He served as King Abdullah II’s Advisor for Communication and Coordination Affairs from April 2019 to August 17, 2020 and as the King’s Adviser for Policies in the Royal Hashemite Court until he became Prime Minister. He obtained a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Jordan, in addition to a master's degree in International Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as a Doctorate in Law. David Kershaw is Dean of LSE Law School. He is also a member of the LSE Council, the Governing Body of LSE, and an Associate Tenant at Cornerstone Barristers. He is a former General Editor of the Modern Law Review. He joined LSE in 2006. Prior to joining LSE he was a Lecturer in Law at the University of Warwick between 2003-2006.

Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class? | Extra iQ Jan 22, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Sam Friedman | More than one in four people in the UK, from solidly middle-class backgrounds, mistakenly think of themselves as working-class. Why is this? In this episode of Extra iQ, a shorter style of the LSE iQ podcast, Sue Windebank speaks to Sam Friedman, a sociologist of class and inequality at LSE to find out more. Sam spoke to the podcast in November 2022 for an episode which asked, ‘How does class define us?’ The whole interview was fantastic but we couldn’t include it all in the original episode. This episode features some more of the thought-provoking content from that interview. Contributors Sam Friedman Research Deflecting Privilege: Class Identity and the Intergenerational Self by Sam Friedman, Dave O’Brien and Ian McDonald

Inflation: new and old perspectives Jan 19, 2024

Contributor(s): Professor Iván Werning | Previous inflationary episodes have taught us a lot on what causes inflation and what can be done to reduce it. But the world has changed and previous insights may no longer be valid. Iván Werning will discuss how old insights extended with new frameworks can be used to shed light on the recent surge in inflation.

A lecture by Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados Dec 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Mia Amor Mottley, Esther Phillips, Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah | Ms Mottley was elected to the Parliament of Barbados in September 1994 as part of the new Barbados Labour Party Government. Prior to that, she served as one of two Opposition Senators between 1991 and 1994. One of the youngest persons ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio, Ms. Mottley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 2001. She later served as Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados from 2001 to 2008 and was the first female to hold that position. Ms Mottley is an Attorney-at-law with a degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, specialising in advocacy. She is also a Barrister of the Bar of England and Wales. In 2002, she became a member of the Local Privy Council. She was also admitted to the Inner Bar, becoming the youngest ever Queens Counsel in Barbados.

Engaging the global urban agenda: from the south Dec 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Susan Parnell | Sue Parnell outlines why a new urban disposition, that breaks with geographies, disciplines, and ideologies might be helpful in building new communities of practice to advance a global urban agenda. Creating solutions to the complex problems of cities, like gender inequality, informality, climate resilience or disease prevention, necessitates global not just national and local analysis and intervention. Some progress has been made, for example in the SDGs and other multi-lateral agreements. But there remains a mismatch between the importance of the urban question and the global policy attention it demands. To be effective the global urban agenda must be informed by a broad range of evidence, scientific voices must be appropriately embedded to influence policy, and the urban agenda needs to have universal credibility.

The economic costs of British planning: unaffordable housing and lost employment and productivity Dec 05, 2023

Contributor(s): Lord Wolfson, Professor Paul Cheshire, Dame Kate Barker, Stephen Aldridge | It is 40 years since Paul Cheshire began to investigate the economic effects of our land use planning system and 20 years since Kate Barker published her first review of the impact of planning on housing supply. Their insights have helped us understand what can be done to ensure decent housing for all and boost productivity – but, after three failed attempts at significant planning reform - we are now in a time of economic stagnation and facing a housing affordability crisis that is only becoming more desperate as interest rates rise.

Rights, virtues and humanity: re-thinking the ethics of human rights Dec 04, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Kimberly Hutchings | For the past twenty years the idea of human rights as an absolute and universal ethical standard has been subject to a barrage of criticism. Critiques have come from all philosophical and political directions, including communitarian, pragmatist, poststructuralist and decolonial. In this lecture, Kimberly Hutchings explores the critical landscape of human rights thinking today and how we might re-think the concept of human rights in ways that will sustain its power as an ethical discourse into the future.

How can we tackle loneliness? Dec 02, 2023

Contributor(s): Heather Kappes, David McDaid, Molly Taylor | According to the Office for National Statistics, 7.1 per cent of adults in Great Britain - nearly 4 million people - say they 'often or always' feel lonely. Look around you when you’re in a crowded place – a supermarket or an office - 1 in 14 of the people you’re looking at are likely to be lonely, not just sometimes but most of the time. And that’s half a million more people saying that they feel chronically lonely in 2023 than there were in 2020 – suggesting that the pandemic has had some enduring impacts in this respect. Sue Windebank talks to a young person who responded to her own deep feelings of loneliness by campaigning to help others. She hears how people can be influenced to feel more or less lonely – at least for a short time. And she got a surprising insight into which group of people are the loneliest. Sue talks to: Heather Kappes, Associate Professor of Management at LSE; David McDaid Associate Professorial Research Fellow in the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at LSE; and Molly Taylor, Loneliness Activist, Founder of #AloneNoMore.

The oceans, the blue economy and implications for climate change Nov 29, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Siva Thambisetty, Dr John Siddorn, Ishbel Matheson, Dr Joanna Post, Dr Darian McBain | The blue economy is estimated to be worth over US$1.5 trillion per year globally, providing over 30 million jobs and supplying protein to over three billion people. With new large-scale industrial activities, such as offshore renewable energy as well as the growing interest in ocean mining and marine biotechnology, the oceans have moved to the top of political and economic agendas. This event will bring together leading voices in the field for a discussion on the risks to the health of our oceans and the opportunities in the transition to a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient blue economy. The speakers speaks at first hand about key negotiations, such as the UN High Seas Treaty or the Biodiversity Conference COP15; scientific work in the ocean; the role of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in bringing hundreds of nations to one table; as well as the challenges, priorities, and opportunities to make the oceans and the blue economy an effective part of a sustainable future.

Greek foreign policy: future challenges and opportunities Nov 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor George Gerapetritis | Climate change, worldwide aggression, migration flows, food crisis and public health emergencies have core common characteristics: they destroy certainties, they produce extraterritorial effects, they are not dealt through deliberative mechanisms. In light of these, we need to revisit the current status and, perhaps, return to the basics. Enhancing democratic institutions and global principled governance, acknowledging the moral value of solidarity and the right to belonging and combating root causes of global challenges, mainly inequalities among people and states. A global alliance is needed towards this goal.

The legacy of Richard Titmuss: social welfare fifty years on Nov 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Ann Oakley, Professor Chris Renwick, Professor Sally Sheard, Professor John Stewart | Richard Titmuss, the first chair in Social Administration at the London School of Economics and Political Science, died fifty years ago in 1973. From his appointment in 1950 until his death Titmuss established and defined the field of social policy. This event will discuss Titmuss’s critique of the ‘welfare state’, and how his insights have had to evolve in the light of the challenges to, and strategies for, social welfare which have come to predominate since his death. The event brings together authors of published and planned biographies of Richard Titmuss, Brian Abel-Smith, and Peter Townsend, alongside Titmuss’ daughter, renowned academic Ann Oakley.

How economics changes the world Nov 23, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Mary S Morgan | While the conventional view is that ideas create policy change and economic change follows on - it is just not that simple. We can see what is involved by looking at major changes - such as the reconstruction of post-war economies, post-colonial economic development planning, or switching from capitalist to socialist systems. Designing such new kinds of worlds required new ways of thinking about how the economic world could work involving imagination and cognitive work, and new kinds of economic measurements and accounting systems to deliver that change.

Why the racial wealth divide matters Nov 22, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Vimal Ranchhod, Faeza Meyer, Dr Eleni Karagiannaki, Dr Shabna Begum | Wealthy households able to draw on owner occupied housing assets, private pensions, savings and financial investments have prospered. Meanwhile the majority of the populations, even in rich nations – have been exposed to harsh ‘austerity’ policies, and often the need to balance debt obligations. There is increasing evidence that wealth assets play a significant role in allowing social mobility advantages to the children of wealthy households. However, it is not widely appreciated that these developments underscore the intensification of racial wealth divides. Although the historical study of the racialised elements of wealth inequality is widely known, with widely appreciated studies of slavery and imperialism, the contemporary racialisation of wealth inequality needs to be much better known. This event features original research reporting on their findings from the UK, South Africa, and elsewhere.

Dementia and decision-making Nov 21, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Richard Pettigrew, Dr David Jarrett, Nicci Gerrard, Ruth Bright | Many of us will face this important question: over 850,000 people in the UK currently have dementia, and many more will be involved in their care. One of the great strengths of the LSE is its work in decision-theory – but how should we apply decision-theory to those with dementia? How can we figure out the preferences of a person who currently has dementia, whose desires may appear incoherent and ever-shifting? Should we focus on a person’s current desires – or rather on what they ‘would have wanted’ – or indeed what they did want for themselves before dementia took hold? And how should we make room for the needs of carers, and the wider community? To discuss these questions, we bring together a diverse collection of thinkers for a panel-style event, with discussion questions posed by the chair, and regular questions from the audience.

Making good law in a time of polycrisis Nov 20, 2023

Contributor(s): Lord McFall | He advises caution on radical reform of the Upper House, arguing that incremental change to the process for nomination of peers would strengthen its role as a “forum for civil society” allowing the country to draw on expertise from outside politics.

Trends and determinants of global child malnutrition: what can we learn from history? Nov 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Eric Schneider | Children with poor nutrition or who are exposed to high levels of chronic disease grow more slowly than healthy children. Thus, children’s growth is a sensitive metric of how population health has evolved over time. Eric begins by showing how child growth has changed around the world since the nineteenth century and linking changes in child growth to child stunting, children who are too short for their age relative to healthy standards, the most common indicator used to measure malnutrition in LMICs today. Then he discusses the key determinants of poor child growth drawing on historical research and contemporary findings related to the ‘Indian Enigma’, the puzzling fact that Indian children are shorter than sub-Saharan African children today despite India’s lead in many indicators of economic development. Finally, he will consider what lessons historical analysis of child malnutrition has for tackling child stunting today.

The elusive plantation: imagining development in Mozambique Nov 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Catherine Boone, Professor Wendy Wolford | For over 100 years, plantations have served as the imagined ideal for agricultural production and labor management in Mozambique. This talk outlines the colonial roots of this desire for the always-elusive plantation and argue that it manifests in contemporary Mozambique in a variety of ways: the global market takes priority over local needs; agricultural researchers rely on external funding that is short-term, motivated by international interests and the search for new varieties rather than land management; and local residents long seen only as plantation labor are separated into ‘emerging’ and ‘poor’ farmers, with research aimed at the former and charity at the latter.

Art, rights and resistance for the 21st century Nov 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Daffne Valdes Vargas, Sibila Sotomayor Van Rysseghem, Paula Cometa Stange | This is a timely event. 50 years after the Chilean coup that ushered forth a violent 17-year dictatorship and 5 years after Chile’s widespread democratic protests, known as the estallido social, they will discuss the importance of understanding history for the present and why feminist theory and resistance matters more than ever. They also speak about their book, Set Fear on Fire: the feminist call that set the Americas ablaze, published earlier this year. What role does art and performance have in politics and how does it shape activism around the world? What relevance does Chile’s history have for contemporary politics and society? How has the conceptualisation of human rights changed over time and what rights should we be concerned about safeguarding today?

Good jobs, bad jobs in the UK labour market Nov 09, 2023

Contributor(s): Stephen Timms MP, Professor Kirsten Sehnbruch, Professor James Foster | In the context of a worldwide cost-of-living crisis and likely recession, policy attention will focus increasingly on poverty and employment. In the UK, as elsewhere, those workers employed in low-wage, unstable jobs with poor working conditions are likely to suffer disproportionately in this crisis, thus exacerbating existing inequalities. It will further discuss the policy implications and applications of this research, especially in the context of potential future disruptions in the labour market such as technological changes, climate change, population ageing and migration. The event will present research from a British Academy Global Professorship on multidimensional quality of employment deprivation.

AI disruption in the job market: navigating future skills and relevance Nov 08, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Leslie Willcocks, Dr Michael Muthukrishna, Lucy Bailey, Dr Grace Lordan | The job market is in constant flux; industries change or become obsolete and new technologies emerge and disrupt. Never before has this been more salient, with the recent progress of AI. In this public event the panel will explain just how AI is now and will continue to disrupt the labour market.

How can you get happier? Nov 07, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Dolan | Paul Dolan introduces his new podcast series, Get Happier, which aims to help you improve your own happiness and the happiness of those around you, at home and at work, without too much effort. This recording contains strong language.

The women who made modern economics Nov 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Rachel Reeves MP | In this event, Rachel delves into the untold stories of remarkable women who have historically been sidelined in the economic landscape. As both a woman and an economist, Rachel brings a unique perspective to the challenges faced by women in the field and the broader impact on society. She addresses the barriers these women encountered, highlighting the consequences for us all when their contributions were dismissed. This event is a call to action, inspiring us to work towards an economy that fosters productivity, sustains growth, and creates opportunities for everyone, irrespective of their background.

Underground empire: how America weaponised the world economy Nov 02, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Leslie Vinjamuri, Ann Pettifor, Professor Abraham L Newman, Professor Henry Farrell | The panel discusses debates around the weaponisation of the global economy with the sustainability of these tactics, how different major and emerging powers are reacting, and what role the UK has to play in both utilising and mitigating these tactics.

How did Britain come to this? The accidental logics of Britain's neoliberal settlement Nov 01, 2023

Contributor(s): Ros Taylor, Dr Abby Innes, Professor Gwyn Bevan | The post-war political settlement established by Clement Attlee’s government developed systems to tackle what William Beveridge identified as five giant evils of Britain in 1942: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Idleness, and Squalor. By 1979, these systems were failing. In the UK, from 1979, successive governments led by Margaret Thatcher aimed to tackle those failures in a neoliberal settlement based on rolling back the state and empowering markets. This strategy was based on two fundamental neoliberal ideas. First, the social responsibility of private enterprises is to maximise profits within rules of the game. Second, effective systems of governance can harness the attractions of market forces for services that violate the requirements for markets to be effective.

Towards a world of good relationships Oct 31, 2023

Contributor(s): Gemma Mortensen, Kirsty McNeill, David Robinson | How are we to live together? More than ever, the big questions that we face are all about relationships. Their substance and quality will determine the direction and quality of our lives. In his 2018 LSE public lecture David Robinson set out the case for building a better society by building better relationships. What happened next? David will tell the unfolding story of the Relationships Project, discuss new trends in our understanding of relationships, and put forward his practical vision of a place where 'meaningful relationships are the central operating principle' for social innovation.

Black Feminism in Europe Oct 30, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr SM Rodriguez, Dr Mame-Fatou Niang | In tandem with the theme of Black History Month, "Celebrating our Sisters, Saluting our Sisters, and Honouring Matriarchs of Movements", this panel discussion analyses the role of black women in social, cultural and political movements historically and in our times.

Can we change the world? Oct 26, 2023

Contributor(s): Faiza Shaheen, Duncan Green, Dr Jens Madsen | Experts will discuss how change isn't as straightforward as we'd like it to be – How it can be all in the timing and that, at times, you just need to wait for the right moment to make change happen. We’ll hear from an academic striving to become a Member of Parliament and make change from within the political system, rather than by lobbying from the outside. And an author and strategic advisor to Oxfam will explain how change is built around communities and groups of people rather than the individual. Mike Wilkerson talks to: Faiza Shaheen, an author and a Labour candidate running to become an MP; Dr. Jens Madsen an Assistant Professor at LSE’s Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science; and Dr. Duncan Green a Professor in Practice and Senior Strategic advisor to Oxfam. Contributors Faiza Shaheen Duncan Green Jens Madsen Research How change Happens: Duncan Green

The economic government of the world, 1933-2023 Oct 26, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Martin Daunton | In his latest book, which forms the basis of this lecture, Martin Daunton pulls back the curtain on the institutions and individuals who have created and managed the economy over the last ninety years, revealing how and why one economic order breaks down and another is built.

The psychosis of whiteness Oct 25, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Sara Camacho-Felix, Professor Kehinde Andrews | An all-encompassing, insightful and wry look at living in a racist world, by a leading black British voice in the academy and in the media. Take a step through the looking-glass to a strange land, one where Piers Morgan is a voice worth listening to about race, where white people buy self-help books to cope with their whiteness, where Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are seen by the majority of the population as 'the right (white) man for the job'. Perhaps you know it. All the inhabitants seem to be afflicted by serious delusions, like that racism doesn't exist and if it does it can be cured with a one-hour inclusion seminar, and bizarre collective hallucinations, like the widely held idea that Britain's only role in slavery was to abolish it. But there is a serious side too. Black and brown people suffer from a greater number of mental health difficulties, caused in no small part by living in a racist society. Society cannot face up to the racism at its heart and in its history, so the delusions and hallucinations it conjures up to avoid doing so can only best be described as a psychosis, and the costs are being borne by the sons and daughters of that racist history.

In conversation with Arun Blair-Mangat Oct 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Arun Blair-Mangat | To celebrate Black History Month, join us for this conversation between LSE alumnus Arun Blair-Mangat and LSE President Eric Neumayer.

The golden passport: global mobility for millionaires Oct 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Jason Sharman, Oliver Bullough, Thomas Anthony, Dr Kristin Surak | Drawing on fieldwork in sixteen countries, Kristin Surak exposes the world of the wealthy elites who buy passports, the states and brokers who sell them, and the normalisation of a once shadowy practice. It’s a business that thrives on uncertainty and imbalances of power between big, globalised economies and tiny states desperate for investment. In between are fascinating stories of buyers, brokers, and sellers, all ready to profit from the citizenship trade. Joining Kristin will be three experts who offer different angles into this world. Thomas Anthony, CEO of Citizenship Investment Unit of the country of Grenada, brings a Caribbean perspective on the programs. Oliver Bullough, author and journalist, has examined issues around financial crimes. Jason Sharman of Cambridge University will share his extensive knowledge of the political economy of offshore.

Organised labour and future of British politics Oct 23, 2023

Contributor(s): Paul Nowak | The protracted cost of living crisis has seen a resurgence of industrial action across almost every sector of the British economy. To discuss the political implications of this renewed activism in the labour movement, we are joined by Paul Nowak, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress.

Homelessness in London in a time of crisis Oct 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Jennifer Wynter, Professor Christine Whitehead, Dr Maria-Christina Vogkli, Pam Orchard, Manny Hothi | London accounts for around 60% of all households in temporary accommodation in England and over a quarter of those who are sleeping rough. Households also stay in temporary accommodation for much longer. In this debate we will be looking at the reasons why the situation has worsened; the consequences for individuals facing homelessness; the consequences for London’s local authorities; and the impact of proposed policy changes.

Shattered nation: inequality and the geography of a failing state Oct 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Danny Dorling | Britain was once the leading economy in Europe; it is now the most unequal. Fifty years ago the UK led the world in child health; today, twenty-two of the twenty-seven EU countries have better mortality rates for newborns. No other European country has such miserly unemployment benefits; university fees so high; housing so unaffordable; or a government economically so far to the right.

Predicting our climate future: what we know, what we don't know, what we can't know Oct 12, 2023

Contributor(s): | Climate change raises new, foundational challenges in science. It requires us to question what we know and how we know it. The subject is important for society but the science is young and history tells us that scientists can get things wrong before they get them right. How, then, can we judge what information is reliable and what is open to question? During the event the essential characteristics of climate change which make it a difficult issue to study will be highlighted. A series of challenges in the study of climate change across multiple disciplines will be presented and the audience will be taken on a journey through the maths of complexity, the physics of climate, philosophical questions regarding the origins and robustness of knowledge, and the use of natural science in the economics and policy of climate change.

How to slay a dragon: building a new Russia after Putin Oct 10, 2023

Contributor(s): Mikhail Khodorkovsky | The book is Khodorkovsky's account of what is happening in Russia today and what could happen in the future. Putin will not last forever: sooner or later, there will be a post-Putin era. But Russia's history has been deeply shaped by an autocratic trap: a revolution against an autocracy has produced another autocracy, followed by another revolution and another autocracy, and so on. If Russia is to find its place as a constructive partner in a global community of civilised nations, then it has to escape this vicious cycle. His book is Khodorkovsky's account of his own journey and of how the vicious cycle of Russian history can be broken. He charts a pathway towards a parliamentary federal republic which would enable Russia to become a free and democratic society, living in peace and without dragons.

The identity trap: a story of ideas and power in our time Oct 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Yascha Mounk | He terms this as the "identity synthesis" which seeks to put each citizen's matrix of identities at the heart of social, cultural and political life. This, he argues, is "the identity trap". Mounk traces the intellectual origin of these ideas and their use as politica, social and cultural capital over the decades. He makes a nuanced case on why their application to areas from education to public policy is proving to be deeply counterproductive. He argues for universalism and humanism, and posits that the proponents of identitarian ideas will, though they may be full of good intentions, make it harder to achieve progress towards genuine equality.

Can Russia be remade? Oct 05, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Nina Lvovna Khrushcheva | With the war in Ukraine well into its second year, we are joined by Nina Khrushcheva to discuss the fault lines that the war has opened up in Russian society - and the potential of the Russia left to use these fractures to push for a more progressive Russia.

Recovering enslaved peoples' perspectives from archives, literature, and art Oct 05, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Sir Isaac Julien | Henry Louis Gates, Jr in conversation with Isaac Julien and LSE's Imaobong Umoren.

How can we leverage transparency to the betterment of society? Oct 04, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Christian Leuz | Publicity and transparency are frequently proposed as solutions to societal and environmental problems; after all, sunlight is famously said to be the best of disinfectants. Such regimes have become common place for consumer protection, food safety, healthcare, campaign contributions, conflicts of interest, and more. They are viewed as less intrusive and more benign than directly regulating corporate activities. But do they work? Or are transparency regimes simply politically more expedient? These questions are very relevant in the context of sustainability as many countries are requiring firms to provide reports on their impacts on the environment and society more broadly. We will therefore ask what transparency can do when it comes to widespread environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Can disclosure mandate help clean up the environment? What are the limitations of transparency and why it is not always the best solution?

Eurowhiteness: culture, empire and race in the European project Oct 03, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Mike Wilkinson, Professor Helen Thompson, Hans Kundnani, Professor Gurminder K Bhambra | The European Union is often seen as a cosmopolitan rejection of violent nationalism. Yet the idea of Europe has a long, problematic history—in medieval times, it was synonymous with Christianity; in the modern era, it became associated with ‘whiteness’. Eurowhiteness exposes the EU as a vehicle for imperial amnesia. Narratives of European integration emphasise the lessons of war and the Holocaust, but not the lessons of colonial history. The EU is about power as much as peace—and civic ideas of Europe are being displaced by ethnic and cultural ones. Since the 2015 refugee crisis, whiteness has become even more central to European identity—a troubling new turn in Europe’s long civilisational project. It is time to confront the relationship between ideas of Europe and ideas of race.

Ukraine: the war that changed the world Oct 02, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Tomila Lankina, Dr Eleanor Knott, Professor Robert Falkner, Professor Chris Alden | Few predicted the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Even fewer thought it would still be going on 18 months later. There is though almost complete agreement that what began as a regional conflict has changed the world forever.

A theory of everyone: who we are, how we got here, and where we're going Sep 28, 2023

Contributor(s): Matthew Syed, Dr Michael Muthukrishna | Playing on the phrase “a theory of everything” from physics, Michael Muthukrishna discusses his ambitious, original, and deeply hopeful book A Theory of Everyone, which draws on the most recent research from across the sciences, humanities, and the emerging field of cultural evolution to paint a panoramic picture of who we are and what exactly makes human beings different from all other forms of life on the planet.

Decentralised governance: crafting effective democracies around the world Sep 26, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Fabio Sánchez, Professor Sarmistha Pal, Professor Jean-Paul Faguet | This new book brings together a new generation of political economy studies, blending theoretical insights with empirical innovation, including broad cross-country data as well as detailed studies of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya and Colombia. The authors investigate the pros and cons of decentralisation in both democratic and autocratic regimes, and the effects of critical factors such as advances in technology, citizen-based data systems, political entrepreneurship in ethnically diverse societies, and reforms aimed at improving transparency and monitoring.

What’s it like to be criminalised for being gay? Sep 25, 2023

Contributor(s): Ryan Centner, James, Jamal | Homosexuality is illegal in just over a third of countries across the globe. Some nations, like Barbados, have recently repealed anti-gay laws, but others, like Uganda, have just introduced the death penalty. Joanna Bale talks to LSE’s Dr Ryan Centner about how Western gay men living in Dubai create covert communities where they can meet and socialise. James, a British gay man, and Jamal, an Emirati gay man, also share their very different experiences of life in the city. Research links: Peril, privilege, and queer comforts: the nocturnal performative geographies of expatriate gay men in Dubai http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/110762/ The Pink Line: The World’s Queer Frontiers https://www.markgevisser.com/the-pink-line

An industrial strategy for the green economy Sep 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Heather Boushey, Ed Miliband MP, Dr Arkebe Oqubay, Dr Anna Valero | The transition to a net zero economy requires a new industrial revolution. How should the UK and other countries craft effective policies to generate such radical change? What will be the effect of the Biden administration’s green subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act on the US, Europe and the rest of the world?

Four ways of thinking Sep 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor David Sumpter | What is the best way to think about the world? How often do we consider how our own thinking might impact the way we approach our daily decisions? Could it help or hinder our relationships, our careers, or even our health? Acclaimed mathematician David Sumpter shows how we can deal with the chaos and complexity of our lives with four easily applied approaches to our problems: statistical, interactive, chaotic and complex. Combining engaging personal experience with practical advice and inspiring tales of ground-breaking scientific pioneers (with a tiny bit of number crunching along the way), Sumpter explains how these tried and tested methods can help us with every conundrum, from how to bicker less with our partners to pitching to a tough crowd - and in doing so change our lives.

From adversity to resilience: climate justice in developing countries Sep 12, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Oriana Bandiera, Chipokota Mwanawasa, Asif Saleh, Ali Sarfraz | The conversation will centre around the pressing needs of adaptation and social protection, both integral for survival and resilience in these regions. The speakers will discuss the need for research and innovative strategies promoting sustainable livelihoods and diversification of jobs, highlighting policy interventions that fortify the most vulnerable against escalating climate shocks.

The war on air pollution Sep 11, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Greenstone, Professor Namrata Kala, Omar Masud, Liu Xin | This event raises the profile of this important determinant of human well-being and explore innovative ways to reduce it. To do this we will pair prominent academics and policy makers working on the frontline of the war on air pollution to help map a path forward for the world.

Parenthood and the double x economy Sep 04, 2023

Contributor(s): Alison McGovern MP, Professor Henrik J Kleven, Professor Linda Scott | In this event, expert and best-selling author Linda Scott, in a conversation with academic and political leaders, discusses how the unequal division of the burden of parenthood fuels women’s systematic exclusion from economic participation.

Is AI coming for our jobs? Aug 20, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides, Professor Charlie Beckett, Dr Giulia Gentile | We’ll hear about the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in the courtroom, and what might happen if robots take over the roles of judges. Experts will explore how journalism and other professional fields could be affected by the AI revolution. They will discuss what individuals can do to prepare, and the role of governments and businesses in addressing practical and ethical concerns about the technology. Maayan Arad talks to: Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides, LSE professor of economics and Nobel Prize winner; Professor Charlie Beckett, LSE media professor and director of Polis, LSE’s journalism think-tank; and Dr Giulia Gentile, Lecturer in Law at the University of Essex Law School and former a Fellow at LSE Law School. Contributors Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides Professor Charlie Beckett Dr Giulia Gentile Chat GPT Research LawGPT? How AI is Reshaping the Legal Profession by Giulia Gentile The digitisation of justice risks blurring the lines between public and private actors by Giulia Gentile AI in the courtroom and judicial independence: An EU perspective by Giulia Gentile Forthcoming report by JournalismAI – a project of Polis, the LSE’s journalism think-thank. The Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing The Institute for the Future of Work

The Other Pandemic: how QAnon contaminated the world Jul 03, 2023

Contributor(s): James Ball | The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World, takes us into the depths of the internet to trace the origins and rapid ascent of QAnon – the world's first digital pandemic – and how we can build immunity. Imagine a deadly pathogen that, once created, could infect any person in any part of the globe within seconds. No need to wait for travellers, trains, or air traffic to spread it, all you need is an internet connection. In his new book, James Ball decodes the cryptic language of the online right and with a surgeon's precision tracks the spread of QAnon, the world's first digital pandemic. QAnon began in 2017 as an internet community dedicated to supporting President Trump and intent on outing a global cabal of human traffickers. What started as a macabre game of virtual make believe quickly spiralled into the spread of virulently hateful, dangerous messaging – which turned into tragic, violent actions. From a standoff at the Hoover Dam, to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on 6 January 2021, to protesting COVID-19 lockdowns, this digital pandemic has spread globally and shows no signs of stopping.

Global Trends in Climate Litigation Jun 29, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Joana Setzer, Catherine Higham, Dr Maria Antonia Tigre, Professor Lauge Poulson, Dr Birsha Ohdedar, Sophie Marjanac, Laura Ford | This influential report presents an overview of climate litigation, highlighting recent developments and future trends. The report is widely read and cited by civil society organisations, policymakers, the legal community, judges, financiers, scholars and media all around the world. Over the past year, the climate litigation field has seen novel case strategies deployed against a broad array of government and corporate actors. Notable examples in the private sector include a world-first case brought against Shell's Board of Directors, as well as against a commercial bank. Three new cases have also been brought against Russia, Finland and Sweden, to challenge the inadequacy of their national climate plans more Increasingly a broad range of actors is compelled to understand how the litigation landscape is evolving and what risks litigation poses to their activities in the public and private spheres. The event is chaired by the Grantham Research Institute’s Director, Elizabeth Robinson, and will begin with a short presentation from authors Joana Setzer and Catherine Higham on the findings of the 2023 Global Trends in Climate Change Litigation report. The presentation is followed by a panel discussion, with five distinguished experts in the field. Panellists react to the report and draw out key aspects from their own experience in the field.

Know Your Place: how society sets us up to fail – and what we can do about it Jun 19, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Gary Younge, Gary Stevenson, Dr Faiza Shaheen, Kimberly McIntosh | Part memoir, part polemic, this is a personal and statistical look at how society is built, the people it leaves behind, and what we can do about it. Our panel of speakers discuss the prospects for social mobility in Britain today, and how we can create opportunities for all.

#MeToo in the Media: survivors, believability, and emotional labour | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Lucia Osborne-Crowley, Winnie M Li, Dr Kathryn Claire Higgins, Rowena Chiu | More than five years after the first Weinstein allegations appeared in news headlines, #MeToo continues to impact our media landscape, but we should not ignore the impact this movement has had on the individual people caught in the glare of the media spotlight. Which survivors are seen as believable in the media? What is the emotional labour required of survivors whose experiences of trauma are made so very public? Our unique panel looks at at these mediated struggles for visibility, authenticity, and recognition around #MeToo, drawn from their own lived experience, media practice, and academic research. Rowena Chiu’s story became public during the Harvey Weinstein investigation and later a Hollywood film adaptation. Winnie M Li’s experience with news media reports of her rape prompted her subsequent writing, activism, and PhD research. Lucia Osborne-Crowley’s personal trauma informed her own study of the law, and then her astute journalism around sexual assault. They will speak in dialogue with Sarah Banet-Weiser and Kathryn Claire Higgins, whose latest book is Believability: Sexual Violence, Media, and the Politics of Doubt (2023).

Can People Change the World? Activists, Social Movements, and Utopian Futures | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): | More and more individuals and groups are taking action and using their voices to tackle the growing social and economic inequalities. Social movements and activists engage with, challenge, and seek to shape policy processes and wider political transformations to tackle inequalities through forms of mobilisation as well as everyday forms of action and resistance. From racial justice to climate emergency and women’s rights, they are imagining and building more equal, just, and sustainable societies all across the world. Looking beyond just forms of resistance, this panel will discuss the role of activists and social movements in today’s world and examine their agency in imagining utopian futures and creating change. How are social movements providing creative spaces for not only challenging inequalities but also coming up with alternative ideas for solutions to address the problems they are fighting against? And how and to what extent are these ideas informing policy changes?

How Did Britain Come to This? | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Ros Taylor, Professor Gwyn Bevan | So what is wrong with the design of British government, and how has it resulted in catastrophic failures of governance in recent years? To mark the publication of his new book with LSE Press, Professor Gwyn Bevan and political podcaster and author Ros Taylor will reflect on a century of systemic failures of governance and explore what an innovative state might look like in the future.

How is AI Changing the World? | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Wooldridge, Dr Giulia Gentile, Dr Thomas Ferretti, Dr Christine Chow | The sudden rise of ChatGPT has confirmed that artificial intelligence is no longer a technology of the future, but is already shaping our everyday lives – from work and education to policing, transport and even sport.

Russia's War Against Ukraine: war crimes and responsibility for post-war reconstruction | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): | These include reported mass rape, torture, and abductions of children, as well as the destruction of civil infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and residential homes. Efforts are under way by inter-state and non-state organisations, governments, and civil society to document the crimes and the material consequences and costs of the invasion. The panel, including prominent Ukraine policy practitioners and leading academic experts on Ukraine and Russia, discuss whether there is a legal case to be made that Russia is committing crimes of aggression and/or genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes; and what the prospects are for prosecuting the crimes in international tribunals. They will also ask what the perpetrators’ responsibility is for post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, whether through paying for damages or tackling legal issues (such as the possibility of using Russia’s frozen assets).

Russia: does It believe in anything? | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Vladislav Zubok, Professor Tomila Lankina, Adam Curtis, Grigor Atanesian | Adam Curtis’s BAFTA-nominated BBC series, Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone, documents what it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy, based on preserved and digitised footage from BBC archives and forgotten or never shown scenes from Soviet life and life in post-Soviet states. Adam Curtis and Traumazone producer Grigor Atanesian, in conversation with Professor Vladislav Zubok and Professor Tomila Lankina, will reflect on what went wrong thirty-something years ago.

The Changing Nature of Religion in Today's World | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Erin K. Wilson, Georgette Bennett, John Casson, Dr Mukulika Banerjee | But this has distracted us from asking how religion itself is changing and, in turn, changing understandings of identity, political participation and citizenship for millions of people around the world. In many countries religion is being fused with populist politics and becoming an important component in new nationalisms such as in Russia and India where Orthodox Christian and Hindu Nationalists discourse have taken on new importance. In other places it is being mobilised as a source of resistance to state oppression or corporate exploitation. Are these more political expressions of religion less grounded in personal piety and community practice, reflecting a different kind of secularisation – the loss of transcendence? Is religion in today’s world more politicised, more tribal, and less spiritual? Or are we in fact in a post-secular era where spiritual impulses are changing our understanding of ‘secular’ politics?

The Power of Data in Health | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Angela Spatharou, Dr Alexandra Gomes, James Fransham | We are rightly concerned about the misuse of our personal data, but data science and the tracking of data reveal crucial information about the impacts of change on people, as the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered. Health and well-being must also be seen beyond the medical point of view - the space we live in has a strong impact on us, as shown in our Festival exhibition Mapping People and Change.

This is Not America: why black lives in Britain matter | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Tomiwa Owolade | Debate abounds around racism, identity, diversity, immigration and colonial history, and, in the rush to address injustice, Britain has followed the lead of the world's dominant power: America. We judge ourselves by America's standards, absorb its arguments and follow its agenda. But what if we're looking in the wrong place?In This is Not America, Tomiwa Owolade argues that too much of the conversation around race in Britain is viewed through the prism of American ideas that don't reflect the history, challenges and achievements of increasingly diverse black populations at home. If we want to build a long-lasting and more effective anti-racist agenda - one that truly values black British communities - we must acknowledge that crucial differences exist between Britain and America; that we are talking about distinct communities and cultures, distinguished by language, history, class, religion and national origin.

What Would a Fairer Society Look Like? | LSE Festival Jun 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Lord Willetts, Swatee Deepak, Dr Ayça Çubukçu, Daniel Chandler | Whilst many are dissatisfied with the status quo, it is surprisingly hard to find a coherent vision of what a better and fairer world would look like. In the Festival’s closing event, leading thinkers put forward their suggestions.

How to Manage Transition in Turbulent Times | LSE Festival Jun 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Katerina Glyniadaki | Drawing examples from her research on migration management, Dr Glyniadaki discusses some steps that organisations for migrants take to prevent crises, as well as some strategies individual migrants employ to tackle transition and overcome relevant challenges.

Smashing the Class Ceiling | LSE Festival Jun 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Sam Friedman, Professor Lee Elliot Major | A society with high social mobility creates opportunities for people from all backgrounds to excel. The UK is becoming less socially mobile, meaning that, compared to previous generations, the chances of young people starting out today are more tightly tied to their background. Leading experts in this field discuss not only what can be done to level the playing field - but why it’s not being done already and what is needed to turn ideas into action.

How to Negotiate: the essentials you need to know | LSE Festival Jun 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Karin A. King, Dr Aurelie Cnop-Nielsen | Negotiation is one of the most important skills of successful managers in organisations today. In the context of ongoing change in business, economies and society, organisations need to adapt the design of work and the workplace. The ability to use negotiations effectively day to day has become a key skill for managers to support employees and teams through ongoing change. This session looks closely at what it takes to be an effective negotiator and what that means for supporting people in organisations today to navigate ongoing complex change. Participants consider how you can develop the skills it takes to support your teams to navigate change while creating more value for all involved through effective negotiations.

In Conversation with Martin Lewis | LSE Festival Jun 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Martin Lewis | Ours is an age of rampant inequalities and pervasive financial struggles, where the power of big banks and corporations seems overwhelming to the individual. Whilst you might hope for longer term systemic change, what can you do in the shorter term to improve your financial situation and change your relationship with money?

The Birth Lottery of History | LSE Festival Jun 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Nicola Lacey, Professor Robert J. Sampson | Does when you are born shape your life chances? A leading sociologist discusses his ground-breaking study of criminal justice that shows that when you come of age matters as much (and perhaps more than) who you are in determining whether you get arrested.

The Changing Inequalities of Citizenship | LSE Festival Jun 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Eleanor Knott, Dr Kristin Surak, Dr Robtel Neajai Pailey | In this session three scholars from across the social sciences explore the varying, complex, and global nature of inequalities produced in and through citizenship in the 21st century. Drawing on their newly released books, our panel discuss new transformations in citizenship and (in)equality, ranging from contestations around dual citizenship for Liberia, to the sale of citizenship by microstates to millionaires, to the extra-territorial acquisition of citizenship in Crimea and Moldova.

Financing Climate Change? Inspiration for Change from African Thinkers | LSE Festival Jun 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Luca Taschini, Annet Nakyeyune, Bogolo Kenewendo | We consider the ways in which climate change mitigation will be financed, seeking approaches from key African academics and professionals. We address the environmental and ecological challenges the continent faces and critically evaluate climate capitalism.

How Should We Use AI in Higher Education? | LSE Festival Jun 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Jonathan Cardoso-Silva | Generative AI is a field of artificial intelligence that can create new data based on existing data, such as text, images, code and sounds. It can mimic the way humans create new ideas, concepts and designs that are both diverse and novel. It has the potential to transform higher education by enhancing learning outcomes, fostering creativity and enabling authentic assessments. However, it also poses challenges and ethical implications, such as ensuring quality, integrity and fairness. This talk will demonstrate how generative AI can be used to create engaging and personalised learning experiences for students in higher education. It will show examples of how generative AI tools can generate text, images, code and sounds based on text prompts, sketches or other inputs. It will also discuss how generative AI can enable more authentic assessments that measure students’ knowledge and skills in a relevant and meaningful way. The talk will highlight the opportunities and challenges of using generative AI in higher education and provide some practical tips and best practices for educators and learners.

In Conversation with Sadiq Khan | LSE Festival Jun 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Sadiq Khan | For many years, Sadiq wasn't fully aware of the dangers posed by air pollution, nor its connection with climate change. Then, aged 43, he was unexpectedly diagnosed with adult-onset asthma - brought on by the polluted London air he had been breathing for decades. Scandalised, Sadiq underwent a political transformation that would see him become one of the most prominent global politicians fighting (and winning) elections on green issues. Since becoming Mayor of London in 2016, he has declared a climate emergency, introduced the world's first Ultra-Low Emission Zone, and turned London into the first-ever 'National Park City'. Now, Sadiq draws on his experiences to reveal the seven ways environmental action gets blown off course - and how to get it back on track. Whether by building coalitions across the political spectrum, putting social justice at the heart of green politics, or showing that the climate crisis is a health crisis too, he offers a playbook for anyone - voter, activist, or politician - who wants to win the argument on the environment. It will help create a world where we can all breathe again.

The Power of "Good Enough" | LSE Festival Jun 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Rachel O'Neill, Adrienne Herbert, Dr Thomas Curran | Over the past 30 years, there has been a substantial increase in the percentage of people who feel they need to be perfect. The pressure we put on ourselves to be perfect and the expectations we feel from others and society-at-large can lead to depression, burnout and other mental illnesses, particularly amongst younger generations.

How to Understand Digitalisation and Change Management: a sociotechnical approach | LSE Festival Jun 13, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Emilio Lastra-Gil | People in different organisations may use the same new technology differently and, consequently, change informal organising in distinct ways. Materiality allows social effect if it is constant in the organisation under study. The aim of this session will be to discuss the socio-materiality perpective of ICTs.

The Road to Net Zero: how to seize opportunities and manage change | LSE Festival Jun 13, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Anna Valero, Rain Newton-Smith, Chris Skidmore, Dr Liam F Beiser-McGrath | As new ways to power our homes, workplaces and transport are developed there will be opportunities for sustainable, healthier economic growth. But there will also be costs for firms, workers and households. To date, climate action has faced challenges from the people, through protests and failed referenda, but has also been driven by public support and activism. How we can ensure the net zero transition is an inclusive one, so that crucial public support can be maintained and built?

Why is Change so Hard? | LSE Festival Jun 13, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Jens Madsen, Laura de Molière, Professor Conor Gearty, Stella Creasy | Prevented by risk or fear; hampered by bureaucracy; stifled by people circumventing interventions; or cancelled out by unintended consequences - the panel will consider the legal, social, political and psychological reasons why change is so hard.

How Can Economists Change Our Lives? | LSE Festival Jun 12, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Linda Yueh, Baroness Shafik, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Professor Richard Davies | Expert economists share stories of what is possible, and what the pitfalls might be, showing how economists and policymakers have changed our lives – to create safer, happier and fairer societies.

How the Workplace is Changing: productivity, inclusion, and beyond | LSE Festival Jun 12, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Jasmine Virhia, Yolanda Blavo | In this session, we cover the changes to the workplace owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential changes we expect to see in the future, and the UTOPIA framework, which we developed for the future of financial and professional services.

Rethinking Retirement: public policies to support life changes | LSE Festival Jun 12, 2023

Contributor(s): Susan Scholefield, David Sinclair, Professor Sir Vince Cable | Prior to retiring people rarely consider these questions, and there is little of a public policy framework to help them do so. How much do we understand – or anticipate - the psychological life-change around moving from a full-time executive role to something else? The path to retirement is sometimes direct, sometimes voluntary and rarely what we think it will be. We discuss what research, teaching and ethnography can tell us about public policy around aging and the transition from work to retirement. The discussion touches on current public policy debates about the retirement age, anti-age discrimination, health and well-being.

The Future of Social Democracy Jun 08, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Adam Przeworski | The contemporary period of crisis has fundamentally altered party-political landscapes in democracies around the world. The rise of the far right, shifting voter preferences, renewed union activism, and new ideas have all contributed to a host of new opportunities and constraints for social democrats and the parties they inhabit -- and untangling this series of challenges will be key for understanding our shared political futures.

Black Ghost of Empire: failed emancipations, reparations, and Maroon ecologies Jun 07, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Kris Manjapra | Manjapra argues that during each of the supposed emancipations from slavery – whether Haiti after the revolution, the British Empire in 1833 or the United States during the Civil War – Black people were dispossessed by the moves meant to free them. Emancipation codified existing racial-colonial hierarchies - rather than obliterating them, with far-reaching consequences for climate colonialism and for environmental justice. For centuries, Black reparations movements emerged in opposition to emancipation’s racial distribution of social exploitation, toxicity, and precarity. Black reparations movements enacted liberation, sovereignty, Maroon ecologies, and alternative ways of dwelling beyond the racial-colonial order. Manjapra highlights the radical traditions of Black reparations as a long and ongoing struggle against the world order first created by slavery, then redoubled by emancipation, with deep consequences for how we approach climate justice today.

Economics, Hayek, and Large Language Models Jun 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Tyler Cowen | For the first time, Large Language Models give us a direct and effective means of conversing with Artificial Intelligence on substantive questions of our choosing, including matters of economics. How do Large Language Models change our conception of how economies work? Are economies better described by words than we thought, or less well described? Given this new power of text, is Michael Polanyi's phenomenon of inarticulable knowledge more or less important?

Global Governance in an Age of Fracture Jun 01, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Cornelia Woll, Dr C Raja Mohan, Professor Charles A Kupchan, Dr Selina Ho | Support for traditional international institutions such as the UN and the WTO is weakening in the Global North as well as the Global South. Can these institutions be revived and if so, how? Or is the postwar rules-based order now so fractured that we are likely to get more international and domestic “buy in” starting anew?

Social Capital and Economic Mobility May 31, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Raj Chetty | This talk will discuss recent research using data on billions of friendships from Facebook that identifies economic connectedness -- the degree of social interaction between low- and high-income people -- as a key predictor of economic mobility. It will then discuss what factors determine the degree of interaction across class lines and policy implications to increase the forms of social capital most relevant for upward income mobility.

Time to Think May 26, 2023

Contributor(s): Hannah Barnes, Professor Lucinda Platt | In this event investigative journalist Hannah Barnes speaks about her book: how she came to investigate the Tavistock’s gender service for children, the testimony she received, and her attempts to understand how safeguarding concerns got lost and the service unraveled.

Ontological Polyglossia: the art of communicating in opacity May 25, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Charles Stépanoff | In these three cases, we engage in opaque communication that is far from the standard psycholinguistic model of transparent discussion between adults. Yet anthropologists know that these asymmetrical situations can be some of the most emotionally intense in human lives. This willingness to build sociality beyond linguistic humanity (with infants, deceased and non-humans) allows humans to have a future, a past and a rich relationship with their living environment. This lecture argues that our ontological polyglossia is not a deviance but an intrinsic feature of the human condition. In these asymmetrical situations, the mind of our interlocutor remains opaque to us, which requires exploratory imagination and communicational creativity from us. We will explore this polyglossia in ritual language and in the kinship relationships Siberian peoples build with animals and the dead.

Patriarchy: where did it all begin? May 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Bee Rowlatt, Angela Saini | Join us as Angela reveals the true roots of gendered oppression, and the complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies across the globe. Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are. Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time, even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash. Saini examines what part every one of us plays in keeping patriarchy alive, and asks that we look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists.

What We Owe the Future: in conversation with William MacAskill May 22, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr William MacAskill | Does what we do today determine the happiness or misery of trillions of people in the future? MacAskill proposes that by making wise moral decisions today, we can navigate a multitude of crises – bioengineered pandemics, technological stagnation, climate change, and transformative AI – more fairly for generations to come.

Putting Bourdieu and Marx in Dialogue May 18, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Gabriella Paolucci, Dr Poornima Paidipaty, Professor Bridget Fowler | This book is the first sustained work reflecting on the relations between these two major theorists, and includes contributions from major writers drawing from both scholarly traditions. This new book especially focuses on "the practice of critique" that both thinkers exercised vigilantly throughout their careers. We reflect that ongoing dialogue with the entire body of Marxian critique is a constant in Bourdieu's writings, most clearly evidenced by the adoption of a critical perspective on the social world, and reinforced by the repeated references to Marx’s texts.

Central Bank Balance Sheet Expansion and Financial Stability: why less can be more May 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Raghuram Rajan | When the Federal Reserve expanded its balance sheet via large-scale asset purchases (quantitative easing) in recent years, we find an increase in commercial bank deposits with a shortening of their maturity, and also an increase in outstanding bank lines of credit to corporations. However, when it halted the balance-sheet expansion in 2014 and even reversed it during quantitative tightening starting in 2017, there was no commensurate shrinkage of these claims on liquidity. Consequently, the past expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet left the financial sector more sensitive to potential liquidity shocks when the Fed started shrinking it, necessitating Fed liquidity provision in September 2019 and again in March 2020. If the past repeats, the shrinkage of the central bank balance sheet is not likely to be an entirely benign process and will require careful monitoring of the size of on- and off-balance-sheet demandable claims on the banking sector. It is reasonable to ask whether the prior expansion and then shrinkage of the central banks balance sheets had left the private financial sector more vulnerable to such disruptions, and as a result, dependent on further liquidity interventions.

What Would a Fair Society Look Like? May 15, 2023

Contributor(s): Polly Toynbee, Professor David Runciman, Professor Margaret Levi, Daniel Chandler | In his new book, Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like?, Daniel Chandler argues that the ideas we need are hiding in plain sight, in the work of the twentieth century's greatest political philosopher, John Rawls. Although Rawls revolutionised philosophy — he is routinely compared to figures such as Plato, Hobbes and Mill – his distinctive vision of a fair society has had little impact on politics, until now. In this talk Daniel Chandler explores how Rawls’ ideas can rehabilitate liberalism as a progressive public philosophy, and point the way towards a practical agenda that would reinvigorate democratic politics and transform, or even transcend, capitalism.

Blood and Power May 11, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor John Foot | But how much does the contemporary period of political upheaval compare to the past? And what does this mean for the left in Italy and beyond? To find out, we're joined by John Foot to discuss his new book Blood and Power: The Rise and Fall of Italian Fascism.

Anti-globalism and the Future of the Liberal World Order May 09, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Brian Burgoon, Professor Michael Cox, Professor Sara Hobolt, Professor Peter Trubowitz, Professor Leslie Vinjamuri | In Geopolitics and Democracy, Peter Trubowitz and Brian Burgoon provide a new explanation of why the liberal international order has buckled under the pressures of anti-globalist political forces. They trace the anti-globalist backlash to foreign policy decisions made by Western leaders in the decade after the Cold War’s end. These decisions sought to globalize markets and pool national sovereignty at the supranational level while undercutting social protections at home—a combination of policies that succeeded in expanding the Western liberal order, but at the cost of mounting public discontent and political fragmentation. This roundtable will discuss the book and its broader implications for democracy and the liberal order going forward.

Shaping a 21st Century Policy Consensus May 04, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Leonard Wantchekon, Professor Lord Stern, Professor Diane Coyle, Professor Pranab Bardhan | A generation ago, the so-called Washington Consensus laid out a series of do´s and don’t´s for policymakers around the world, and particularly in emerging and developing countries. The world has changed a great deal since 1989 and so has the collective wisdom on what sound policies look like. Today, goals such as sustainability, equity and cohesion play a much bigger role in orienting policy design than they did in the 1980s. There is a growing sense that states should take a more proactive role in confronting all these challenges, but is also likely that many states lack the capacity to do the job well, and will need to be reformed and made fit for purpose. This panel brings together experts discussing key emerging priorities and challenges across a number of policy areas, reflecting on not just what these policy priorities are and why, but also on how they can be implemented.

The Travelling Salesman Problem May 03, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor William Cook | The general setting is the following. Complexity theory suggests there are limits to the power of general-purpose computational techniques, in engineering, science and elsewhere. But what are these limits and how widely do they constrain our quest for knowledge? The TSP can play a crucial role in this discussion, demonstrating whether or not focused efforts on a single, possibly unsolvable, model will produce results beyond our expectations. We discuss the history of the TSP and its applications, together with computational efforts towards exact and approximate solutions.

The Dialogical Roots of Deduction May 02, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Catarina Dutilh Novaes | Catarina Dutilh Novaes gives a public lecture on her Lakatos Award winning book, The Dialogical Roots of Deduction. Catarina is known for her research on the history and philosophy of logic, philosophy of mathematics, social epistemology, reasoning and cognition, and argumentation theory.

Russian War on Ukraine: the death of a soldier told by his sister Apr 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Paul Mason, Dr Luke Cooper, Dr Olesya Khromeychuk | Before February 2022 Ukraine was already at war with Russia. This conflict, which began in February 2014 as Russia responded militarily to the "Revolution of Dignity", had already cost thousands of Ukrainian lives by the time of the second Russian invasion. One of them was Olesya Khromeychuk's brother Volodymyr, who died from shrapnel on the frontline in eastern Ukraine. Her book, "The death of a soldier told by his sister", combines memoir and essay, in a poignant account of the costs of the human costs of war, empire and authoritarianism. The book provides a vivid answer as to why, facing a full-scale military onslaught from Russia in February 2022, the people of Ukraine chose to resist. In this public lecture, Olesya discusses the book in light of the events of this year. Her lecture is followed by a discussion with Luke Cooper and Tim Judah.

Should Monarchy Be Abolished? Apr 26, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Cleve Scott, Geoffrey Robertson, Dr Bob Morris | What can we learn from recent constitutional changes in the Caribbean? And what are the lessons from Britain’s own Republican experiment?

What is it like to be an animal? Apr 19, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Jonathan Birch, Professor Kristin Andrews, Dr Rosalind Arden | Since this episode was recorded the UK Animal Welfare Act 2022 has become law. This extends animal welfare protections to animals such as octopuses, lobsters and crabs - a direct result of the findings of LSE academic Dr Jonathan Birch – featured in this episode - that animals are sentient. They have the capacity to experience pain, distress or harm.For this episode, James Rattee travels to the local park to find out how smart dogs are, he’ll hear about a campaign arguing that chimpanzees are animals deserving of their own rights and, finally, he’ll ask whether insects and other invertebrates have feelings. The episode features Jonathan Birch, Associate Professor in LSE's Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, Professor Kristin Andrews, the York Research Chair in Animal Minds at York University (Toronto) and Dr Rosalind Arden, Research Fellow at the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science. Research Foundations of Animal Sentience Project Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers’ Brief, Kristin Andrews, Gary L Comstock, Crozier G.K.D., Sue Donaldson, Andrew Fenton, Tyler M John, L. Syd M Johnson, Robert C Jones, Will Kymlicka, Letitia Meynell, Nathan Nobis, David Pena-Guzman and Jeff Sebo. A general intelligence factor in dogs, Rosalind Arden, Mark James Adams, Intelligence Volume 55, March–April 2016, Pages 79-85

A Complex Relationship: religiosity and science in a historical perspective Mar 30, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Mara Pasquamaria Squicciarini | Dr Mara Pasquamaria Squicciarini (@mara_squi) is based in the Department of Economics at Bocconi University and is currently a visiting academic at Harvard. Her research interests include economic history, economic growth and development, and applied macroeconomics. Patrick Wallis is Professor of Economic History at LSE. His research explores the economic, social and medical history of Britain from the 16th to 18th century.

Critical Minerals, Geopolitics, and the Risks for Achieving Net-Zero Transition Mar 29, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Sophia Kalantzakos, Daniel Litvin, Rob Patalano, Eric Buisson | Transitioning to net-zero emissions requires a large-scale economic transition to renewable energy. Scaling up the manufacturing of the technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles will result in significant demand for and dependency on the supply of a range of minerals for the foreseeable future. These ‘transition-critical minerals’, including metals, minerals and Rare Earth Elements, are required to manufacture the green technologies needed for the transition to a low-carbon economy. As a low-carbon future will not be possible without these minerals, supply chain risks and demand uncertainties are central topics that need to be assessed and addressed, with potential implications for economic and financial stability. The type of transition to a net-zero economy significantly determines the materiality of the risks, with a delayed and disorderly transition presenting greater challenges for financial and price stability.

Digital Platforms and the Future of Political Solidarity Mar 28, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Alison Winch, Dr James Muldoon, Miranda Hall, Professor Jeremy Gilbert, Professor Myria Georgiou | But are the digital platforms we have today, and the business models that drive them, good for political life? And even if they are good for some dimensions of politics, for example mobilization, do they work as well for building solidarity and for forming long-term campaigns of progressive political change? What weight should we give to the fears of polarization online versus the more positive potentials of the digital? And differences of scale matter here between urban politics and the national or global? Finally, if we do have concerns about our current digital platforms, how do we build better ones? Who should do this, and what sorts of resource will they need? Our speakers who have all written books highly relevant to these topics will address and debate these urgent questions.

How can we make homes more affordable? Mar 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Ralitsa Angelova, Oliver Bulleid, Christian Hilber, Kath Scanlon | We’ll hear how planning restrictions established in the 1700s are still preventing development on some of London’s most valuable land. Experts will set out why we can’t afford to not build on the greenbelts that circle some of our major cities. And an Executive Director will explain how his organisation is building homes that will be truly affordable in perpetuity. Sue Windebank talks to: Ralitsa (Rali) Angelova, a young mum whose family has had the chance to buy an affordable flat in London; Oliver Bulleid, Executive Director of the London Community Land Trust; Professor Christian Hilber, an urban and real estate economist at LSE and; Kath Scanlon, Distinguished Policy Fellow at LSE London.

Supply Matters Mar 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Andrew Bailey | Andrew Bailey is Governor of the Bank of England, a position he has held since March 2020. Andrew served as Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from 1 July 2016 until taking up the role of Governor. As CEO of the FCA, Andrew Bailey was also a member of the Prudential Regulation Committee, the Financial Policy Committee, and the Board of the Financial Conduct Authority. Andrew previously held the role of Deputy Governor, Prudential Regulation and CEO of the PRA from 1 April 2013. While retaining his role as Executive Director of the Bank, Andrew joined the Financial Services Authority in April 2011 as Deputy Head of the Prudential Business Unit and Director of UK Banks and Building Societies. In July 2012, Andrew became Managing Director of the Prudential Business Unit, with responsibility for the prudential supervision of banks, investment banks and insurance companies. Andrew was appointed as a voting member of the interim Financial Policy Committee at its June 2012 meeting. Previously, Andrew worked at the Bank in a number of areas, most recently as Executive Director for Banking Services and Chief Cashier, as well as Head of the Bank's Special Resolution Unit (SRU). Previous roles include Governor's Private Secretary, and Head of the International Economic Analysis Division in Monetary Analysis. Minouche Shafik is President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Political Science. She was previously a senior leader of the Bank of England, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. She is an alumna of LSE. Her new book, What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract, is out now.

The Rise and Fall of the EAST Mar 27, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Yasheng Huang | Drawing on new data, he will explore the policy implications of this historical pattern for China at a time of mounting strategic and economic rivalry with the United States.

Of Boys and Men: new challenges for gender equality Mar 23, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Richard V Reeves, Dr Abigail McKnight | Boys in OECD countries are 50% more likely than girls to fail at all three key school subjects: maths, literacy, and science. Meanwhile, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. Profound economic and social changes of recent decades have left many men at a disadvantage in these areas. Many previous attempts to treat this condition have made the same fatal mistake - of viewing the problems of men as a problem with men. In his new book, Richard V Reeves explores how the male malaise is the result of deep structural challenges and societal issues. Richard draws on a careful analysis of social, economic, and demographic trends; current discussions on gender in psychology, public policy, economics and sociology; as well as on interviews with men and women, girls and boys. In particular, he examines the worrying signs that males are less responsive to social programs and policies intended to promote economic mobility.

Nationalism and the Return of Geopolitics Mar 21, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Lars-Erik Cederman | Lars-Erik Cederman addresses the link between nationalism and conflict in relation to the Ukraine war.

In Conversation With Catherine McKenna Mar 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Catherine McKenna, Chris Skidmore MP | Catherine McKenna will be in conversation with Chris Skidmore MP about how to carry forward and implement the findings of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments of Non-State Entities, which were published in November 2022. The Group’s report sets out a roadmap to prevent net zero from being undermined by false claims, ambiguity and “greenwash”.

Waning Globalisation Mar 14, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Pinelopi Goldberg | The world is trending away from globalisation. Brexit, the rise of protectionism in the US, and calls for re- or friend-shoring are recent manifestations of this trend. Pinelopi Goldberg, the Elihu Professor of Economics at Yale University and former Chief Economist of the World Bank Group, discusses the causes and implications of the retreat from globalisation for growth and inequality.

Putting Collective Value Creation at the Heart of Economic Thinking and Practice Mar 13, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Mariana Mazzucato | Where does value come from? What is the difference between value creation and value extraction? And what is the role of the state in directing and co-shaping economies that are innovative, inclusive and sustainable? Mariana Mazzucato will explain how we lost sight of what value means and why we need to rethink the economic theory and practice that is shaping our economies. The contemporary concept of value - as interchangeable with price - has trapped policymakers in a debate about public “spending” rather than public “investment.” This has enormous implications for how economies are structured, and has impacted how leaders across the political spectrum frame economic policy and industrial strategy. Notably, as industrial policy is being revived, there is an opportunity to embed dynamic conditionalities in state funding to steer growth that is sustainable and inclusive – tackling wealth creation and inequality on a pre-distributive basis. Changing the status quo requires a different understanding of public value and public purpose, and the design of policy as not just market fixing but market shaping. Key to this is also the revival of stakeholder value through a new social contract between public and private actors, ensuring that partnerships between the state, private sector, and labour create shared value. In this way, governments can impact not only the rate of growth, but it’s direction.

100 years of the Republic of Türkiye: changing ideas of modernity Mar 08, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Faruk Birtek, Professor Yaprak Gürsoy, Professor Laurent Mignon, Professor Şuhnaz Yılmaz | It will assess transformations in society, foreign policy, literature and politics while providing an overview of the history of the Turkish Republic, as well as the nation’s competing understandings of itself and idealisations of its past and future. When the Turkish Republic was founded on 29 October 1923, one of its ideals was the modernisation and Westernisation of the newly built nation. In the following century, these ideals have changed in content, but in many spheres of life, dialogues with the idea of progress have continued. Relations with the West and different interpretations of modernity divided the nation. Yet the notion of participating in a historically decisive movement of progress toward something distinctively better than the past has united generations and different political groups in various ways.

Follow the Money: how much does Britain cost? Mar 07, 2023

Contributor(s): Paul Johnson | Government decisions determine the welfare of the poor and the elderly, the state of the health service, the effectiveness of our children’s education, and how prepared we are for the future: whether that is a pandemic or global warming. As a society, we are a reflection of what the government spends. Johnson looks at what happened following the financial crisis of 2008-09 and the austerity years that followed. He examines the way that the government tackled the economy during Covid – when the UK budget shot up to over a trillion for the first time – and he analyses prospects for our future as we grapple with looming recession and the cost of living crisis.

The Productivity Puzzle: can diversity and inclusion unlock the key to growth? Mar 07, 2023

Contributor(s): Daniel Jolles, Dr Aliya Hamid Rao, Belton Flournoy, Dr Claire Crawford | Weak productivity in Britain is an acute problem. Explanations have included insufficient necessary skills, an overinvestment in unnecessary skills at the university level, capital shallowing and too little creative destruction. In this webinar we explore a different explanation. We ask whether a failure to recruit and operationalise diverse talent is an underlying root cause of slow growth.

The Future of Privacy Mar 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Alex Voorhoeve, Dr Elin Palm, Dr Orla Lynskey | Prominent ethical and legal frameworks claim that governments and businesses can permissibly process personal information, under specific conditions, as soon as data subjects give their consent. This already justifies constraints on personal data processing practices to secure free, informed, and unambiguous consent, as well as to respect the context in which consent was given. But consent is not the whole story. Processing personal data without consent may be permissible in some cases when other “legitimate interests” are at stake, such as national security or fraud prevention: so, how to balance privacy and other legitimate interests? On the other hand, emerging accounts of privacy propose that obtaining individual consent is sometimes insufficient to justify personal data processing. If giving away one’s personal data reveals information about others, or if coordination failure leads to suboptimal privacy for all, collective privacy decisions may be required.

Different Perspectives on Diversity of Thought in Social Science Mar 01, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir, Roger’s Bacon, Dr Dario Krpan, Dr Celestin Okoroji, Feiyang Wang | This low diversity of thought is reflected in numerous aspects of social sciences—for example, certain research topics (e.g., those that may be easily publishable) are prioritized over other important but less desirable topics (e.g., those that are not heavily cited or easy to publish); some methodologies such as experimentation are widely used whereas less common methods (e.g., self-observation) are neglected; short-term projects with quick gains are prioritized over the long-term ones; some participant populations are understudied (e.g., non-WEIRD samples - i.e., non-western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic); and theorizing is driven by arbitrary conventions and overly reliant on available research findings while avoiding speculation that could lead to new insights. In this event, social scientists of varied backgrounds will express their perspectives on diversity of thought in social sciences followed by a panel discussion.

How can we solve the refugee crisis? Feb 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Stuart Gordon, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Halima | The UK government could soon be sending some asylum-seekers on a one-way flight to Rwanda as part of a controversial strategy to deter those crossing the English Channel on small boats. Joanna Bale talks to Dr Stuart Gordon, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq and Halima, an Afghan refugee living in a hotel, about what it’s like to flee your country and policy ideas to help resolve the situation. Research links: Regulating humanitarian governance: humanitarianism and the ‘risk society’ by Stuart Gordon: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/105296/ The protection of civilians: an evolving paradigm? by Stuart Gordon: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/101979/ Afghan women’s storytelling and campaigning platform: https://chadariproject.com/about-chadari/

Surrogacy Law Reform Feb 23, 2023

Contributor(s): Baroness Barker, Natalie Gamble, Dr Kirsty Horsey, Professor Isabel Karpin | In 2023, the Law Commission will publish its long-awaited final proposals for reform of the law relating to surrogacy in the UK.

The Russia-Ukraine War: a challenge to international order Feb 22, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Roy Allison | Russia and Western states have long clashed over the nature of international society and the desirability of a liberal rule-based international order. Relations plunged with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which flouted a core prohibition of the United Nations Charter system against territorial expansion by force. Putin’s renewed all-out invasion of Ukraine now appears openly revanchist. This lecture assesses the implications for international order at large and the operation of international law, including international humanitarian law, around the conflict. It dissects the peculiar logic and false justifications Putin offers for Russia’s aggression. Does he really believe Russia occupies some common civilizational and territorial space with Ukraine, justifying the subjugation of Ukraine to return ‘historic Russian regions’? Or is this cynical cover for strategic ends aimed at the mobilisation of domestic support? With no end to the war in sight, the lecture also questions what remains of the post-Cold war territorial settlement in Europe and whether an eventual negotiated settlement of the war is conceivable under the current Russian leadership.  

Global Energy Politics and Cost of Living Crisis Feb 20, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Helen Thompson | The war in Ukraine, mounting cost of living crisis and the looming threat of climate change all underscore the importance of energy to contemporary politics. To help make sense of this vital aspect of 21st century political economy, the Ralph Miliband Programme is joined by Helen Thompson to discuss how many of the defining dislocations of our contemporary world are best understood through the lens of energy politics.

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism Feb 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Martin Wolf, Diane Coyle, Jesse Norman MP | Democracy and capitalism are the political and economic 'operating systems' of today's high-income democracies. But how stable is the relationship between them? The answer is 'not very', since it requires a separation of power from wealth inconsistent with almost all historical experience. In his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Martin Wolf argues that this complex system can best be described as a marriage of 'complementary opposites'. The book analyses how this marriage happened, why it is fragile and how economic and political changes have undermined it. It concludes by asking what needs to be done in response to developments that threaten the survival of liberal democracy itself.

The New Normal: a dual track approach to health strategy and policy Feb 13, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Hans Kluge | Three years of COVID-19 have exposed the fault lines in health systems across the WHO European Region and globally. The pandemic has also driven home the gross inequities that impact access to health within societies and between countries. As we embark on the 4th year of what the UN Secretary-General has labelled the worst global crisis since World War Two, it’s clear that governments and health partners need a new approach to strengthening health systems overall. Dr Kluge avers that a dual track approach to health strategy and policy must be our new normal. Countries must prepare for the health emergencies that lie ahead, arriving faster than ever before, while, at the same time, investing in essential, everyday health services. This approach addresses this range of health challenges, requiring political commitment at the highest levels, grassroots efforts to strengthen primary health care, innovations in health such as digital health and the adoption of disciplines such as behavioural and cultural insights.

In Conversation with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Feb 07, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | LSE President and Vice Chancellor Minouche Shafik in conversation with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

Inside the Deal: how the EU got Brexit done Feb 06, 2023

Contributor(s): Vicky Pryce, Stefaan de Rynck | A close aide to Michel Barnier, Stefaan De Rynck had a ringside seat in the Brexit negotiations. In his book, Inside the Deal, which he discusses at this event De Rynck demonstrates how the EU-27’s unity held firm while the UK vacillated throughout, changing negotiators, prime ministers, their aims and tactics. From the mood in the room to the technical discussions, he gives an unvarnished account of the process and obstacles that shaped the final deal.

Lessons from the Edge: a memoir Feb 03, 2023

Contributor(s): Marie Yovanovitch, Professor Tomila Lankina | with Tomila Lankina and Peter Trubowitz.

What Should Fiscal and Social Policy in a Sustainable Economy Look Like? Feb 03, 2023

Contributor(s): Liam Byrne MP, Ed Miliband MP, Dr Andy Summers | Using research evidence and on-the-ground experience, they are looking at how to shape a greener economy and close socioeconomic, health and well-being divides in the UK.

Do we always need to pay our debts? Feb 01, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Joseph Spooner, Sara Williams | Borrowing is a fundamental part of our world, but with millions considered over-indebted before the pandemic and a deepening cost of living crisis fueled by stagnating wages and high inflation, for many the burden of debt looks only set to increase. This month, LSE iQ asks “Do we always need to pay our debts?”, exploring the reasons people might find themselves with problematic levels of debt, the options open to those in financial trouble and how bankruptcy laws could be used more impactfully to the benefit of both individuals and society. Jess Winterstein talks to: Dr Joseph Spooner, Associate Professor in the LSE Law School and author of Bankruptcy: the case for relief in an economy of debt, and Sara Williams, founder of debt advisory website Debt Camel. https://debtcamel.co.uk/

Global Trade Policy Challenges: preparing for the next decade Feb 01, 2023

Contributor(s): John Alty, Geoffrey Yu, Han-Koo Yeo, Crawford Falconer, Iana Dreyer, Ignacio Garcia Bercero | The world economy is going through a phase of considerable turmoil and instability. First, globalisation seems to be reversing with an acceleration of economic disintegration among major trading powers, securitisation of global trade and investment relations within geo-economic blocks and paralysis of multilateral global governance. Second, our domestic economies are undergoing profound structural shifts in the light of the climate emergency, energy scarcity and rise of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. And third, the centre of the world economy is shifting towards the Asia and Global South. How do policy-makers see these developments? And how can states position themselves to benefit rather than lose from today’s phase of turmoil?

Money and Politics: analysing donations to UK political parties, 2000-2021 Jan 25, 2023

Contributor(s): Professor Stuart Wilks-Heeg, Alberto Parmigiani, Dr Kate Alexander Shaw | Questions over the motivation and effect of financial contributions to political parties and candidates have been a constant source of contention in the politics of democratic countries. However, difficulties accessing reliable data have often constrained research about political finance. In the UK the Electoral Commission has been recording all political donations since its foundation, with detailed information on the date, amount and type of contribution, and names of donors. This panel will discuss preliminary findings of a British Academy/Leverhulme funded study of these donations, and seek to draw broad conclusions about how British politics is funded and what we still need to know.

Follow the Science? Data, Models and Decisions in the 21st Century Jan 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Erica Thompson, Dr Stephanie Hare, Professor Diane Coyle | This discussion lifts the lid on science for decision support, so that we can be savvier with how we use science, rather than following it blindly.

Growth for Good: reshaping capitalism to save humanity from climate catastrophe Jan 24, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Alessio Terzi, Dr Anna Valero | Historically, industrialisation, capitalism, and affluence have contributed to the emissions that are warming the planet’s atmosphere. As humanity starts to grapple with the Herculean challenge of climate change, should economic growth be abandoned to stand a chance of success? Would this lead to a better society, especially in already rich nations, freeing them from pointless consumerism? In Growth for Good, Alessio Terzi takes these legitimate concerns as a starting point to draw the reader on a journey into the socioeconomic, evolutionary, historical and cultural origins of the growth imperative. Rather than simply stating impossibilities, the book draws a credible agenda to enrol capitalism in the fight to stave off climate catastrophe. Shelving command-and-control solutions, or the complete reliance on, the market, Terzi details a plan involving an activist government, proactive business, and engaged citizens.

Global Discord: values and power in a fractured world order Jan 17, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Peter Wilson, Professor Stephanie J. Rickard, Professor John Bew, Sir Paul Tucker | As outlined in his new book, democracies are facing a drawn-out contest with authoritarian states entangling much of public policy with global security issues. He lays out some principles for a sustainable system of international cooperation, showing how democracies can deal with China and other illiberal states without sacrificing their deepest political values. Examples are drawn from the international monetary order, including the role of the US dollar, trade and investment regimes, and the financial system. The approach takes its inspiration from David Hume rather than the standard International Relations menu of Hobbes, Kant, or Grotius, so that each of power, norms and material interests matter. After his opening remarks, our panel engages in a discussion with Paul and each other, and questions from the audience.

Philosophy Live: time's arrow Jan 16, 2023

Contributor(s): Dr Anne Giersch, Claire North, Dr Bryan W Roberts, Dr Karim PY Thébault | The asymmetry between the past and the future is called the Arrow of Time. For example, the events of the past year have shaped all of us, but the future years are ours to shape. We all perceive the Arrow: we remember the start of the pandemic, but we don't "remember" or even know when it will end in the future. We have hopes about the future, but must simply accept and learn from what has happened in the past. Where do these differences come from? How do they arise in human psychology? Do they have an origin in the physical nature of space and time? What can reflecting on the difference between the past and the future tell us about our place in the post-pandemic world?

Beveridge 2.0: tax justice Dec 09, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Jonathan Hopkin, James Murray, Dr Andy Summers, Dr Kate Summers | The panel will reflect on what shapes public demand for tax justice, its relation to tackling inequality and the challenges posed by taxing the super-rich.

The Paradox of Vocational Education Dec 07, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Baroness Wolf | Governments around the world are increasingly preoccupied with the financial 'returns' to education; and yet are overseeing the destruction of long-established and once-effective vocational education systems. Why is this? And is it inevitable?

Everyone and No One: moral solicitude and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Dec 06, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Shiera Malik, Professor Siba N'Zatioula Grovogui | In these times of multiple crises - of war, ecological catastrophe and resurgent decolonial contestations of the existing order - it often feels like the traditional tools of global governance have lost their relevance and power. Rather than merely a Western, liberal text, he offers the UDHR as a document with a plurality of authors and sensibilities; a re-reading that could help us (re-)imagine much needed alternatives to the current global order and its various crises.

Imagining Information and Communications Technologies for a Fairer World Dec 05, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Marc Raboy, Dr Alison Norah Gillwald, Dr Gillian Marcelle, Dr Linje Manyozo, Professor Sharon Strover, Professor Hopeton Dunn | Speakers address the legacy of LSE’s Robin Mansell, a leading figure in the field of information and communication technologies (ICTs) theory and practice

Inequality Hysteresis: how can central banks contribute to an equitable society? Dec 01, 2022

Contributor(s): Dr Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva, Dr Deniz Igan, Dr Benoit Mojon | The debate is intensified by deep recessions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and resurgent food and energy inflation increasing cost of living in 2022, which unequally impact different groups within society. This event marks the launch of the book Inequality Hysteresis, which highlights a new facet of inequality: its persistence or ‘hysteresis’ after recessions.

Rituals and the Making of International Society Dec 01, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Thierry Balzacq | Diplomatic apologies, joint military exercises, gift giving, and global summits, are assumed to be some of the most iconic rituals of world politics. However, many actions that are achieved by means of rituals can be enacted otherwise. What criteria, then, do scholars employ to say that an action or an event is a ritual, and what difference (if any) does it make to its character as well as to its efficacy? To answer this question, Thierry Balzacq develops a grammar of ritual and contrasts it to alternative theories of action in world politics. Ritual is not a residual category of a phenomenon or an event, but is a qualitatively transformed way of going about acting, which, less frequently noticed, entails moral commitments. In this respect, it is posited that ritual enacts a social order as much as it enhances the salience of the action it involves. He will show how, and examine the theoretical implications of a ritual analysis by revisiting four dominant approaches to action in international relations: discourse, performance, practice and habitus, and strategic views. It is argued that while ritual intersects with each account, it does not extend wholesale.

First Lady of Ukraine speaks to students at LSE Nov 30, 2022

Contributor(s): Olena Zelenska | The event, organised in coordination with the LSE SU Ukrainian student society, was chaired by LSE Director Minouche Shafik. (For the most part, this event is delivered in Ukrainian.)

Can gaming make us happier? Nov 29, 2022

Contributor(s): Dr Aaron Cheng, Michael Steranka, Joanna Ferreria | Gaming has become a normal part of many people's everyday lives, from mobile to console games it is easier than ever to be a gamer. But how do online games affect us? This month, LSE iQ asks: Can gaming make us happier? We talk about online abuse in gaming and the toxic nature of some gamers and how a location-based game like Pokémon Go gently nudges players to go outside to play and interact with others. Mike Wilkerson talks to: Dr Aaron Cheng, Assistant Professor in LSE’s Department of Management; Michael Steranka, Product Director at the creators of the game Pokémon Go Niantic; and Joanna Ferreria an online blogger and avid gamer. Research blog: https://www.lse.ac.uk/News/Latest-news-from-LSE/2022/d-Apr-22/Location-based-mobile-games-like-Pok%C3%A9mon-Go-may-help-alleviate-depression

Greece – the Way Forward: in conversation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis Nov 28, 2022

Contributor(s): Kyriakos Mitsotakis | Is Greece on the path to a sustained economic recovery? How substantive have the reforms been? With elections due next year, and with recent controversies, political stability seems at a premium. What vision does the PM have for Greece? And, how are the geopolitics of the region changing? Where does Greece stand on the new issues facing a changing Europe?

Abolishing the Political Class, From Aristotle to Hayek Nov 25, 2022

Contributor(s): Lord Sumption, Professor Martin Loughlin, Dr Munira Mirza | It will examine the desire among some members of the public to have a democracy without parties or professional politicians, an idea which has its roots in the ancient world. Jonathan Sumption will first discuss such arguments after which there will be a panel discussion.

European Remembrance Nov 24, 2022

Contributor(s): Dr Paris Chronakis, Professor Meena Dhanda, Professor James Mark | At issue is the cultural politics of European politics, and we will be discussing how and what kind of European histories get remembered or memorialised, what and who gets included (whose statues are erected and whose toppled), and whose story is left out.

How Do We Eradicate Poverty? Nov 24, 2022

Contributor(s): Claire Harding, Dave Hill, Manny Hothi, Stewart Lansley, Professor Baroness Lister | Join us for this important discussion as our panel each presents their thoughts. Our audience are invited to contribute to the discussion as we unpick this difficult question. This event is inspired by the life, work and legacy of George Lansbury (1859–1940). A pioneering campaigner for peace, women’s rights, local democracy and improvements in labour conditions, Lansbury was an adopted East Ender who made a great contribution to local as well as national life.

Implementing Child Rights Online: new cross-national evidence to guide policy Nov 23, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Manisha Pathak-Shelat, Marium Saeed, Professor Sonia Livingstone, Dr Daniel Kardefelt-Winther, Patrick Burton, Dr Alexandre Barbosa | Our panel explores implementing child rights online.

Sovereignty without Power: Liberia in the age of empires, 1822-1980 Nov 23, 2022

Contributor(s): Professor Leigh Gardner | Leigh Gardner discusses her new book, Sovereignty without Power: Liberia in the Age of Empires, 1822-1980.

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