

LSE: The Ballpark
London School of Economics and Political Science
The Ballpark is the LSE Phelan US Centre's regular podcast on the politics and policy of the United States. Through features and interviews with academics from the LSE and elsewhere, The Ballpark looks more closely into what's going on behind the headlines.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 16, 2023 • 22min
LSE: The Ballpark | Professor Mary Kaldor on Long-term Solutions to the War in Ukraine
Contributor(s): Professor Mary Kaldor | On 9 June 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Mary Kaldor of the LSE about ways to reimagine a future European security framework. They also discussed the importance of empowering the local civil society groups in Russia and Ukraine that oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Sep 26, 2022 • 25min
LSE: The Ballpark | Finding Success as a Phelan US Centre Undergraduate Research Assistant, with Karen Torres
Contributor(s): Karen Torres, Joss Harrison | They also discuss her co-authored article with Dr Collins in the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, which focuses on Colombia’s place in the global drug wars. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan, Elina Ganatra and Joss Harrison.

Sep 23, 2022 • 12min
LSE: The Ballpark | Everyone wins: Student-faculty collaborations in the Phelan US Centre's Undergraduate Research Assistant programme, with Professor James Morrison
Contributor(s): James Morrison | Professor Morrison, who has worked with an UGRA each year since the programme’s inception in 2017, discussed the contribution that these undergraduate students have made to his research over the years. He also spoke about the mutual benefits that academics and students enjoy from these collaborations. This Extra Inning was produced by Anderson Tan.

Sep 19, 2022 • 19min
LSE: The Ballpark | Professor Ayse Zarakol on the future of Liberal Internationalism and the War in Ukraine
Contributor(s): Professor Ayse Zarakol, Chris Gilson, Mohid Rehman Malik | They also discuss what the rise of non-Western powers that have not fully adhered to Liberal Internationalism suggests about the future of this American-led system. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Sep 12, 2022 • 20min
LSE: The Ballpark | Professor Charles Kupchan on American Isolationism and the Future of the Liberal World Order
Contributor(s): Professor Charles Kupchan, Chris Gilson, Mohid Rehman Malik | They also discussed the foreign policy objectives of the United States and how the United States should deal with security issues in Europe. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Aug 17, 2022 • 29min
LSE: The Ballpark | Dr Fiona Hill on Putin, the War in Ukraine, and the Future of European Security
Contributor(s): | On 15 June 2022, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Dr Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institute in Washington D.C. about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ramifications for the future of NATO and the European security framework. They also discuss future possibilities of engaging with Russia and the role that non-European states may play in this process. This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Emmanuel Olugbenga.

Mar 2, 2022 • 34min
The Ballpark | S4 E3: New York: Education Inequality in the Empire State
Contributor(s): David Little, Marisa Lago | We explore how the City and the rest of the state interact, as well as how they differ on some key issues, and in one important area, education, that rift is a big one.
Guest Contributors: David Little (Rural Schools Association of New York State and Rural Schools Program at Cornell University) and Marisa Lago (New York City Department of City Planning and City Planning Commission).
Producers: Chris Gilson, Elina Ganatra and Michaela Herrmann (LSE Phelan United States Centre).

Jan 19, 2022 • 27min
The Ballpark | S4 E2: California: Environmental Policy in the Golden State
Contributor(s): Professor Renee Van Vechten, Professor Leah Stokes | Guest Contributors: Professor Renee Van Vechten (University of Redlands) and Professor Leah Stokes (University of California, Santa Barbara)
Producers: Chris Gilson, Elina Ganatra and Michaela Herrmann (LSE Phelan United States Centre)

Oct 13, 2021 • 56min
The Ballpark | Extra Innings: How UK Think Tanks influence US policymaking, with Professor Michael Cox
Contributor(s): Professor Michael Cox | On July 21st, 2021, The Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Professor Michael Cox of LSE IDEAS about his new article in the journal, International Politics, “What do Think Tanks do? Chatham House in search of the United States” and how think tanks affect policymaking in the UK and the US. They also discuss his upcoming book of essays Agonies of Empire, which outlines the ways in which five very different American Presidents have addressed the complex legacies left them by their predecessors while dealing with the longer-term problems of running a modern-day empire under increasing stress. This Extra Inning was produced Chris Gilson, Michaela Herrmann, and Elina Ganatra.
Professor Michael Cox is the Founding Director of LSE IDEAS. He was appointed to a Chair at the LSE in 2002, having previously held positions in the UK at The Queen's University of Belfast and the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth. He helped establish the Cold War Studies Centre at the LSE in 2004 and later co-founded LSE IDEAS in 2008 with Arne Westad.

May 19, 2021 • 29min
The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Four Threats to American Democracy with Profs Lieberman and Mettler
Contributor(s): Professor Robert Lieberman, Professor Suzanne Mettler | On 15 February 2021, The US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Professor Robert Lieberman and Professor Suzanne Mettler about their recent book, ‘Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy’. In this podcast, they discuss some of the unique features of American democracy and how its four pillars may be under threat, and what needs to be done to secure democracy in the US.
Robert Lieberman is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. He studies American political development, race and American politics, and public policy. He has also written extensively about the development of American democracy and the links between American and comparative politics. His most recent book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Suzanne Mettler. In 2021, he will be the John G. Winant Visiting Professor of Government at the University of Oxford.
Suzanne Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. Her research and teaching interests include American political development, inequality, public policy, political behavior, and democracy. She is the author of six books, including, most recently, Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the recipient of Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships, and serves on the boards of the Scholars Strategy Network and the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences.
Contributors: Professor Suzanne Mettler (John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Cornell University); Professor Robert Lieberman (Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University); Chris Gilson (US Centre)


