LSE: Public lectures and events

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.

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.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Andrea De Santis via Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/black-and-white-robot-toy-on-red-wooden-table-zwd435-ewb4

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.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Tony Zohari via Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-holding-banners-during-a-climate-protest-on-a-street-in-city-16509484/

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.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Tom Fisk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/high-angle-shot-of-colorful-trucks-2226457/ via Pexels

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.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Artem Podrez via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/businessman-man-person-people-5715851/

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   We’re keen to find out more about our audience so we can better tailor our content to suit your interests. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could please take the time to fill out this short survey and share your feedback.

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.

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 LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science. We’re keen to find out more about our audience so we can better tailor our content to suit your interests. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could please take the time to fill out this short survey and share your feedback.

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.

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.