Contributor(s): Michael Muthukrishna, Sandra Sequeira, Jonathan Weigel | Welcome to LSE IQ, the award-winning podcast where we ask social scientists and other experts to answer one intelligent question. In this episode Jess Winterstein asks, "Is corruption inevitable?" Bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism – corruption comes in many forms, with varying levels of legality, it costs countries trillions of dollars per year and causes great damage to a nation’s economic prosperity and reputation. Yet despite regular pledges of governments around the world to combat it, corruption still flourishes. Exploring the question, ‘Is corruption inevitable?’, Jess Winterstein talks to Michael Muthukrishna, Sandra Sequeira and Jonathan Weigel Corruption, Cooperation, and the Evolution of Prosocial Institutions by Michael Muthukrishna http://www.lse.ac.uk/lacc/publications/PDFs/Muthukrishna-Corruption-Cooperation-Prosocial-Institutions.pdf Corrupting cooperation and how anti-corruption strategies may backfire by Michael Muthukrishna, Patrick Francois, Shayan Pourahmadi and Joseph Henrich http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/83544/1/Muthukrishna_Corrupting%20cooperation%20and%20how_2018.pdf An empirical study of corruption in Ports by Sandra Sequeira and Simeon Djankov, http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/41301/ The Supply of Bribes: Evidence from Roadway Tolls in the D.R. Congo by Otis Reid and Jonathan Weigel https://jonathanweigel.com/jwresearch/motos

Contributor(s): Yvonne Lawson, Professor Tom Kirchmaier, Carmen Vila-Llera, Janet Foster, Kerris Cooper | Knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high in 2019, up by 7% on the previous year. A disproportionate number of victims - and perpetrators - are young and disadvantaged. Exploring the question, ‘How do we stop knife crime?’, Joanna Bale talks to Kerris Cooper, Janet Foster, Tom Kirchmaier, Yvonne Lawson and Carmen Villa-Llera. Research links: Physical safety and Security: Policies, spending and outcomes 2015-2020 by Kerris Cooper and Nicola Lacey. The Real Sherlocks: Murder Investigators at Work by Janet Foster (due for publication in 2020)

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Dolan, Professor Lord Richard Layard, Liz Zeidler | This month we have raided the LSE IQ archives for an episode from 2017 when we ask, ‘What’s the secret to happiness?’ Western societies have been getting steadily richer for several decades, but social scientists have shown that we are no happier for it. In fact we now have more depression, more alcoholism and more crime. Why does happiness elude so many of us and what can we do about it? Joanna Bale talks to LSE’s Paul Dolan and Richard Layard, and Liz Zeidler of the Happy City Initiative

Contributor(s): Professor Christopher Coker, Dr Debin Ma, Dr Yu Jie | Welcome to LSE IQ, the award-winning podcast where we ask social scientists and other experts to answer one intelligent question. In this episode Sue Windebank asks, “Is the 21st Century the Chinese century?” This month sees the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. In 1949 the Chinese Communist Party won the Chinese Civil War. Having overthrown the nationalist government of the Republic of China, Mao Zedong declared the People’s Republic on October 1st in Tiananmen Square. The last 70 years have been tumultuous for the People’s Republic of China. Under Mao it experienced economic break down and societal chaos. Famously the Great Leap Forward, a campaign designed to industrialise and modernise the economy, led to the largest famine in history, with millions of people dying of starvation. And yet today, after widespread market-economy reforms started by Deng Xiaoping in the 1970s, China is the second largest economy in the world. This wealth is reflected in the country’s international influence, which is growing through sizeable investments the country is making in large infrastructure projects around the world. And, of course, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students study abroad every year – including at LSE. This episode features: Professor Christopher Coker, LSE Department of International Relations and LSE IDEAS; Dr Debin Ma, LSE Department of Economic History; and Dr Yu Jie, Chatham House. For further information about the podcast and all the related links visit lse.ac.uk/iq and please tell us what you think using the hashtag #LSE.

Contributor(s): Professor Tim Newburn, Paul Lewis, Professor John Drury | Welcome to LSE IQ, a monthly podcast from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where we ask leading social scientists – and other experts – to answer an intelligent question about economics, politics or society. In August 2011 England experienced the largest outbreak of rioting in a generation. The disorder began after the shooting of young man, Mark Duggan, by police officers in Tottenham. A protest two days later morphed into more widespread disorder. Over the next three days riots spread rapidly across London, and then other urban centres in England. In total, there were an estimated 5 deaths, 200 injuries, 3000 arrests and over 200 million pounds of property damage. Severe jail terms were imposed to deter future lawlessness. Politicians called the disorder acts of greed and opportunism, while others blamed austerity and inequality. Many years on, is it possible to state what actually happened? Since 2011 we’ve faced major public spending cuts, two elections, the Brexit referendum, the election of Trump and the rise of populism. Are any of these events connected? In this episode of LSE IQ James Rattee asks, what can we learn from the 2011 riots? This episode features the following contributors: Professor Tim Newburn, LSE Department of Social Policy; Paul Lewis, The Guardian; and Professor John Drury, University of Sussex School of Psychology. For further information about the podcast and all the related links visit http://lse.ac.uk/iq and please tell us what you think using the hashtag #LSEIQ.

Contributor(s): Dr. Aaron Reeves, Laura Lane, Daphine Aikens | Welcome to LSE’s award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists and other experts to answer an intelligent question. In this episode, Joanna Bale asks ‘Why do we need food banks?’ She talks to LSE’s Aaron Reeves and Laura Lane, as well as Daphine Aikens, founder and CEO of Hammersmith and Fulham food bank, and some of her clients.

Contributor(s): Professor Sarah-Banet-Weiser, Dr Grace Lordan, Shani Orgad | Welcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about economics, politics or society. In this episode, Jess Winterstein asks ‘Is gender equality possible?' This episode features LSE's Sarah-Banet-Weiser, Grace Lordan and Shani Orgad, who examine issues of gender inequality in our culture, work and home lives. For further information about the podcast visit lse.ac.uk/iq and please tell us what you think using the hashtag #LSEIQ

Contributor(s): Professor Hiroko Akiyama, Kath Scanlon, Dr Thijs Van Den Broek, Professor Alan Walker | Welcome to LSE IQ, a podcast from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about economics, politics or society. We are all getting older. Not just as individuals, but as societies – particularly in the developed world but middle income and developing countries are following on quickly behind us. In 1950 there were 14 million people over the age of 80 globally. In 2080 that number is expected to be 700 million. In Britain, a child born today will live for more than 90 years and more than 30 per cent will reach a hundred. Indeed, Michael Murphy, professor of demography at LSE, has said that perhaps the greatest achievement of humanity over the last century is the doubling of the amount of years a child could expect to live from birth. Given the extended lifespans many of us will live, in this episode of LSE IQ Sue Windebank asks, 'How can we age better?'. This episode features: Professor Hiroko Akiyama, University of Tokyo; Kath Scanlon, LSE London; Dr Thijs Van Den Broek, Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management; and Professor Alan Walker University of Sheffield. For further information about the podcast and all the related links visit lse.ac.uk/iq and please tell us what you think using the hashtag #LSE.

Dr Brett Heasman, Paula Kiel, and Brian D. Earp discuss the impact of the modern world on relationships. Topics include the use of MDMA in relationships, love drugs for improving connections, extending relationships beyond death through technology, challenges in interpersonal relationships faced by autistic individuals, and learning from neurodivergent ways of interacting.

Contributor(s): Simon Hix, Marta Lorimer, Matthew Feldman, Sara Khan | Welcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about economics, politics or society. In this episode, Joanna Bale asks 'Should we fear the rise of the far right?' She talks to LSE's Simon Hix and Marta Lorimer, as well as Matthew Feldman of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right and Sara Khan, Britain’s first counter-extremism commissioner. For further information about the podcast visit lse.ac.uk/iq and please tell us what you think using the hashtag #LSEIQ.