
LSE: Public lectures and events
The London School of Economics and Political Science public events podcast series is a platform for thought, ideas and lively debate where you can hear from some of the world's leading thinkers. Listen to more than 200 new episodes every year.
Latest episodes

Mar 13, 2024 • 1h 27min
Look again: the power of noticing what was always there
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?

Mar 12, 2024 • 1h 4min
Building prosperity through social solidarity and economic dynamism
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?

Mar 12, 2024 • 1h 29min
A world re-drawn; a world in crisis; a moment in history; the agenda for growth and transformation
Join climate science expert Professor Emily Shuckburgh and distinguished economist Professor Lord Stern as they delve into the pressing crises of our time. They highlight the vital need for systemic change, advocating for clean technology investments and a united global response to climate challenges. The conversation shifts to sustainability ethics, emphasizing our duty towards future generations. They also call for proactive youth engagement and financial support for developing nations while stressing the importance of maintaining investments for sustainable growth, even during economic recessions.

Mar 11, 2024 • 1h 32min
Global ocean governance: past, present, and future
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.

Mar 7, 2024 • 1h 33min
217 million census records: evidence from linked census data
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.

Mar 6, 2024 • 1h 31min
Déja vu all over again? Super Tuesday and the race for the presidency
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.

Mar 5, 2024 • 38min
What's funny about everyday sexism?
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.

Mar 5, 2024 • 1h 26min
How can we tackle inequalities through British public policy?
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.

Feb 29, 2024 • 1h 35min
Shaping major cities – the challenge of being a mayor
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.

Feb 28, 2024 • 1h 31min
The inequality of wealth: why it matters and how to fix it
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.