Lse: Public Lectures And Events

Contributor(s): Professor David B Grusky | The social sciences rely heavily on legacy data systems conceived to meet challenges of the 20th century (and earlier!). Is this the moment to build a new data system that meets new challenges and exploits new types of technology and data? The purpose of this talk is to sketch out this radical vision, how it might be realized, and the risks that it would entail.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Google DeepMind via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-artist-s-illustration-of-artificial-intelligence-ai-this-image-was-inspired-neural-networks-used-in-deep-learning-it-was-created-by-novoto-studio-as-part-of-the-visualising-ai-proje-17483873/

Contributor(s): Conrad Wolfram | The recent prominence of AI has exposed major deficiencies in education. Not only how much improvement can be made in the pedagogical process with modern technology, but also how the subject-matter has diverged from what's needed in the real world. Maths education has been at the epicentre of this mismatch: required of all, seen as central to the future, yet without reformation for the technology revolution that has elevated it to such importance in society. Conrad Wolfram will explain what the problem is, how we fix it and his group's pioneering work to rebuild the curriculum to achieve "computational literacy for all". He will go further: explaining how failures in maths education should forewarn us of actions needed across the curriculum as we enter the AI age, and technology transforms our world.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by MART PRODUCTION via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-with-curly-hair-using-vr-headset-8471958/

Contributor(s): Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith | Join us for the Sir Karl Popper Memorial Lecture which will be delivered by Peter Godfrey-Smith who will speak about tolerance and the freedom of expression. Karl Popper suggested that tolerance in political contexts can be self-defeating. “Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance,” he said, because it allows intolerance to flourish and take over. He called this the “paradox of tolerance.” One important kind of tolerance relates to the expression of controversial ideas. Using a framework for understanding tolerance developed with Ben Kerr, Peter Godfrey-Smith will discuss problems raised by toleration of the intolerant, especially around questions of speech and expression. The framework itself doesn't dictate policies, but combined with other arguments it can provide support for a "classic liberal" treatment of free expression, where some protection is afforded to the expression of unpopular views. The framework eliminates the appearance o

Contributor(s): Dr Mohamed Saleh | Why has democracy struggled to thrive in the Global South? In this British Academy-funded research project, Mohamed Saleh develops a new economic history of the Middle East that explains the economic roots of authoritarianism in the region. He theoretically and empirically investigates how demands for democratisation emerge from intra-elite conflicts in an agrarian economy, despite the lack of an industrial bourgeoisie that was crucial in the Global North, and how elite politics shift with colonialism, the intrusion of industrial capital, and postcolonial nationalist military coups.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Ali Aliakbari via Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/red-plastic-container-lot-on-brown-wooden-table-7msDHQrs0s8

Contributor(s): John Cassidy | In this lecture John Cassidy will speak about his new book, Capitalism and Its Critics: A Battle of Ideas in the Modern World. At a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability of the economic system, Capitalism and Its Critics provides a kaleidoscopic history of the now dominant system of global capitalism, from colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence. Cassidy will tell the story through the eyes of the system’s critics. From eighteenth-century weavers who rebelled against early factory automation to Eric Williams's paradigm-changing work on slavery and capitalism, to the Latin American dependistas, the international Wages for Housework campaign of the 1970s, and the modern degrowth movement. He looks at familiar figures – Smith, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi – from a fresh perspective, but also focuses on many less-familiar, including William Thompson, the Irish proto-socialist whose work i

Contributor(s): Professor George Lawson, Dr Jasmine K Gani | This lecture, held in honour of the renowned scholar Fred Halliday, will explore the relationship between revolutions and world order in contemporary geopolitics. Fred Halliday argued that revolutions were the “sixth great power” of the modern world, a force that sat alongside the five great powers that sought to regulate 19th century world politics. Does Halliday’s assessment of the impact of revolutions remain true today? This talk analyses the three main forms that revolution takes today – ‘people power’ movements, ‘restoration revolutions’ and ‘decentralised vanguardism’ – and assesses their impact on contemporary world order. It argues that revolutions remain central to contemporary world politics, not as a “sixth great power”, but still as the primary means through which people around the world mobilise against injustice, inequality and domination.

Contributor(s): Elias Albagli, Elena Almeida, Jessica Dempsey, Pablo Pacheco, Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva | This event will delve into the intricate links between forest ecosystems and global economic systems, highlighting how nature degradation affects the economy and financial system. Through the lens of deforestation as a primary driver of nature degradation, we will explore both the economic and social dimensions of forest ecosystem disruption. The presentation will showcase the economic and financial risks associated with deforestation, analysing key transmission channels such as supply chains, trade, and international governance, and discuss the persistent economic pressures and governance challenges that perpetuate forest loss.

Contributor(s): Professor Nick Couldry, Professor Claire Laurier Decoteau, Professor Monika Krause, Professor Thomas Scheffer | This event uses a debate format to engage with the meanings of the concept of critique, which has been central to core traditions in the humanities and the social sciences. The event will bring together sociologists from a range of traditions to discuss whether critique can be equated with the critique of power in the analysis of the social world. Inspired by the Group for Debates in Anthropological Theory, the speakers have been asked to speak in favour of or in opposition a set motion. Claire Decoteau and Nick Couldry will speak in favour, while Thomas Scheffer and Monika Krause will speak in opposition.

Contributor(s): Professor Lelia Green, Professor Jessica Ringrose, Dr Kim Sylwander, Giselle Woodley | With the ubiquity of technological devices, young people are more visible and accessible than ever before, and they are encountering, using and producing an unprecedented amount of sexualised imagery. Although evidence suggests that ‘sexting’ is considered a normal practice among teens, there are, nonetheless, inherent risks. Teens who sext run a range of legal, financial, health, educational and sociosexual risks, yet still they do it. Apart from image-based sexual harassment and abuse, teens also face emerging risks such as AI-informed deepfakes and sextortion. In this public event, four speakers will discuss empirical findings from three different countries: Australia, Sweden and the UK.

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Posner | Join us for the launch of Conscience Incorporated by Michael Posner. In today’s world, where corporations wield immense power and influence, how can business leaders balance the pursuit of profits with ethical responsibility? Drawing from decades of experience as a human rights lawyer, former State Department official, and Director of the Centre for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business, Posner presents a clear roadmap for business leaders to align profitability with ethical practices. Through well-researched case studies of major corporations—including Nike, Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Meta—he explores how companies can, and must, do better in addressing human rights abuses within their supply chains, labour practices, and digital platforms. With governments, particularly in Europe, stepping in to regulate corporate behaviour, Conscience Incorporated is a guide for executives, investors, and policymakers navigating the evolving landscape of corporate

Contributor(s): Professor Patrick Wallis | In his latest book, The Market for Skill: apprenticeship and economic growth in early-modern England, which forms the basis of this event, Patrick Wallis shows how apprenticeship helped reshape the English economy between 1500-1800. By detailing the activities of apprentices and masters, the strategies of ambitious parents, the interventions of guilds and the decisions of town officials, he shows how the system contributed to the growth of cities, the movement of workers, and the spread of new technologies. He argues that this success was because it was a flexible institution which allowed apprentices to change their minds and exit contracts early, providing a vital training accessible to most young people, whatever their background.

Contributor(s): Dr Nick Cowen, Dr Paola Romero | This event will explore the relationship between Rawlsian liberal egalitarianism and neoliberalism, based on Nick Cowen's book Neoliberal Social Justice. His timely and provocative book challenges the conventional wisdom that neoliberal capitalism is incompatible with social justice. In the book Nick tackles the crucial intersection of economic liberty and moral philosophy, highlighting the perspectives of John Rawls and Adam Smith. He confronts the ongoing debate between classical and egalitarian liberalism, showing how commerce does more than create consumer goods but also shapes society’s moral character, often in a positive direction. The lecture will explore how and whether market economies can be a driving force for social equality and the case for recognizing basic economic liberties as fundamental rights. This lecture is significant for anyone passionate about political theory, economics, and social justice, as Cowen illuminates the indispensable role

Contributor(s): Professor Sir John Kay | Join us as John Kay, one of Britain’s leading economists, discusses his new book The Corporation in the 21st Century: Why (almost) everything we are told about business is wrong, a radical reappraisal of the nature and activities of business - what it is for and how it works.

Contributor(s): Dr Alison Powell, Dr Chris Wiggins, Dr Erin Young | Data profoundly influences all of our lives and the social, economic and political systems that govern them. Everywhere we turn we are creating increasing amounts of data that powers decision-making algorithms and shapes our future. It is however important to remember how partial and biased data can be given the privileged position it has in the perception of absolute truth. This event will discuss important questions around the role of data science in understanding and shaping the public interest, from access to information to civic participation and business development to democratic processes. It will offer a framework for understanding the persistent role of data in rearranging power, with Chris Wiggins reflecting on the history and future of data drawing on his book How Data Happened. Alison Powell, author of Undoing Optimization, discussing the ethics and politics of data practices and Erin Young considering inclusion practices in data

Contributor(s): Will Hutton, Professor Robert Kuttner, Professor Stephanie J. Rickard | Since the 1990s, progressive parties have tended to combine globalist neoliberal policies with avant-garde social views. Life steadily became more precarious for large numbers of working people, who lost confidence in traditional left-of-center parties. Economically stressed and culturally conservative lower- and middle-income voters found themselves no political champion and turned increasingly to the nationalist, authoritarian right. This trend is in drastic contrast to the economics of the postwar boom, when the center-left and center-right shared basic assumptions about how to manage and regulate capitalism. Global trade and migration expanded at a socially bearable pace that did not undermine national social contracts. The politics of that era produced economic security for ordinary people and strengthened democratic institutions. With the loss of confidence in both center-left parties and in democracy itself, what is

Contributor(s): Professor Gudni Jóhannesson, Professor Kristina Spohr | President Trump’s determination to increase American influence and presence in Greenland has generated great interest in the future of the world’s largest island and its surrounding regions in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. While Trump's offhand idea of purchasing Greenland is preposterous, it jolted the Danish government and its European NATO/EU allies. At the same time, the evident US-Danish tensions may have increased the Greenlanders’ resolve to move faster towards full independence in the not-too-distant future. Iceland is Greenland’s closest neighbour in Europe. In 1944, Iceland declared full independence from Denmark, at a time when Greenland was still a Danish colony. When the Icelanders severed their final ties with their erstwhile masters in Copenhagen, there were doubters among the Great Powers about this small nation’s ability to stand on its own feet in a bipolar world. Similar words can be heard today about the capabilit

Contributor(s): Professor Nick Couldry, Dr Eugenie Dugoua, Ceara Carney | Artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us, offering increased productivity and promising to help tackle difficult problems like global warming. But behind the scenes, its environmental costs are mounting. From massive energy use to vast quantities of water required to cool data centres, AI’s footprint is growing fast. So, in an age of water scarcity and climate crisis, can we justify this technological boom? In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Is AI destroying the planet? She travels to a data centre in Slough to find out exactly how data centres work, and speaks to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory at LSE; Eugenie Dugoua, Assistant Professor in Environmental Economics at LSE; and Ceara Carney, an actor and climate activist.  This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem? And discusses surprising ways AI is being use

Contributor(s): Professor Valerie Ramey | Join us for the 2025 Economica-Phillips Lecture which will be delivered by Valerie Ramey. Starting in the 1930s, Keynesian fiscal stimulus was the leading policy tool for fighting recessions, but it subsequently fell out of favor with the discovery of the permanent income hypothesis and evidence for the effectiveness of monetary policy. However, Keynesian fiscal stimulus re-emerged as an important policy tool when interest rates hit the effective lower bound during the Global Financial Crisis. Most policymakers and many academics now believe that temporary transfers, infrastructure spending, and other types of government purchases and tax programs are effective ways to fight recessions. This lecture revisits the evidence for this view. Using a variety of methods to check the plausibility of some of the leading estimates and models, it identifies cases in which these types of spending did not appear to stimulate the macroeconomy as intended. It also discusses the costs

Contributor(s): Dr Suleman Lazarus, Professor Andrew Murray, Lisa Mills, Nikki MacLeod | This episode of LSE iQ looks at how we can avoid falling for online scams. We think it couldn’t happen to us, but incidents of online fraud are escalating at an alarming rate, affecting all areas of our day-to-day lives, from social media and dating apps to banking and business. As AI deepfakes and impersonation tactics become more advanced, scammers are finding new ways to exploit us, leaving victims emotionally and financially devastated. In this episode Oliver Johnson talks to a victim of a devastating romance scam, he hears about what motivates some of the fraudsters and what legal protections we have in the battle against the scammers. Contributors: Dr Suleman Lazarus, Professor Andrew Murray, Lisa Mills, Nikki MacLeod Research: Fraud as Legitimate Retribution for Colonial Injustice, Dr Suleman Lazarus et al Examining fifty cases of convicted online romance fraud offenders Dr Suleman Lazarus et al Information Technol

Contributor(s): Professor Michèle Lamont | Join us for this lecture in which Michèle Lamont will discuss her book Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How it Can Heal a Divided World. She will also discuss ongoing collaborative research on whether and how American and British young workers in the “two Manchesters” are searching for recognition through politics; how indigenous people in Canada and Micronesia are seeking recognition through environmental justice and jobs, and the challenge of seeking recognition where it is impossible to obtain.