Contributor(s): Professor Bruce J. Caldwell | 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize won by liberal political economist F.A. Hayek. This lecture will review some of Hayek’s key ideas and especially his contributions to the methodology of the social sciences. It will feature Bruce Caldwell, a leading historian of economic thought, author of a recently released book Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950.

Contributor(s): Kate Aronoff, Stephen Castle, Professor Inderjeet Parmar, Richard Seymour | What does the outcome of the US presidential election mean for democrats and progressives? What is its significance both in the United States and around the world?

Contributor(s): Dr Helen Sharman, Dr Jill Stuart, Dr Dimitrios Stroikos | What kind of possibilities does this new space age bring—and what dangers should we be worried about? Can any nation seize possession of the moon? Could it be mined? Is there junk in space? And whatever happened to that flag that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted on the moon fifty five years ago? To find out more, Maayan Arad speaks to Dr Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut in space who flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-12 in 1991. He also talks to Dr Jill Stuart, an expert in the politics, ethics and law of outer space exploration and exploitation and Visiting Fellow in LSE’s Department of Government, and Dr Dimitrios Stroikos, LSE Fellow in the Department of International Relations and Head of the Space Policy Programme at LSE IDEAS.   Contributors Dr Helen Sharman, first British astronaut Dr Jill Stuart, Visiting Fellow at LSE’s Department of Government Dr Dimitrios Stroikos, LSE Fellow in the Department of International Relations at LSE and Head of the Space Policy Programme at LSE IDEAS.

Contributor(s): Ellie Benton, Meghan Roach, Alicia Walker | An estimated 20,000 young people in London were experiencing homelessness, or were at risk of homelessness, in 2022/23. This represents a 10% increase compared to 2021/22, with a similar trend seen nationally. Crucially, estimates suggest that 48% of all young people experiencing homelessness do not contact their local authority, or face barriers in doing so. The event will explore why youth homelessness in London has increased; the special needs of young people experiencing homelessness; the challenges for London’s local authorities and voluntary organisations in addressing these issues; and proposals for helping solve the problem of youth homelessness.

Contributor(s): Professor Mukulika Banerjee, Keith Magee, Joseph C Sternberg | Will the 2024 election mark a turning point in American democracy and in the country’s role in the world? Leading experts discuss the 2024 US election and its domestic and international implications.

Contributor(s): Professor Helen Margetts, Professor Andrew Murray, Dr Dorottya Sallai, Chloe Smith | In a world increasingly shaped by digital transformation, AI and data science present new opportunities to change policymaking in nearly all areas of policy. Yet the capabilities of these emerging technologies are still unfolding and need to be better understood, both in terms of their benefits and their limitations. This event marks the publication of the most recent issue of the LSE Public Policy Review, which brings together contributions from a range of disciplines - from philosophy to statistics, government and law - to reflect together on future directions, applications, and consequences of the use of AI in public policies. Join our panellists as they discuss how emerging technologies can transform evidence-based policy development through their analytical capabilities, predictive powers, and real-time monitoring, while also bringing questions around regulation, transparency, accountability and ethics to the fore.

Contributor(s): Professor Miguel de Beistegui, Dr Demetra Kasimis, Professor Jonathan White | Crises abound: our economies, democracies, social relations, cultural identities, and the very planet that we live on are subjected to repeated and increasingly severe shocks. Have we entered an age of chronic crisis? From diverse disciplinary perspectives, the event will explore conceptual and theoretical approaches that might help us better to understand, engage with, and respond to our time as a time ‘out of joint’.

Contributor(s): Jim Muir | This event will be the inaugural memorial lecture for the late Ian Black, former visiting fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre and Middle East editor for The Guardian. In this first lecture, Jim Muir, Ian’s colleague at the LSE Middle East Centre and fellow seasoned journalist of the Middle East, will explore how reporting on the Middle East has been challenged and had to adapt in the extraordinary conditions prevailing since October 7, 2023.

Contributor(s): Professor Rachel Aldred, Professor Marco te Brömmelstroet, Dr Will Norman, Julie Plichon | Cycling and other forms of active travel have significant benefits for wellbeing, local economies, air pollution and the environment. Indeed, a substantial increase in active travel is needed to achieve London’s 2030 target for net zero carbon emissions. Yet, while London’s roads are increasingly popular and safe, more must be done to make them safer. London universities have repeatedly experienced the human cost of unsafe streets, with LSE losing three members of its community in less than a year. In response, staff and students initiated a cross-university letter to the London Mayoral candidates. The letter asked candidates to commit to putting a stop to cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by motor vehicles in London by 2028, and to bring forward the deadline for London’s ‘Vision Zero’, its strategy to eradicate deaths from London’s roads, from 2041 to 2032.

Contributor(s): Professor Elliott Green | The late LSE Professor Ernest Gellner famously proposed that industrialization generated modern national identities. Yet there has been very little empirical attention to examining the validity of Gellner’s theory using cross-national data, especially within the developing world. In this inaugural lecture Elliott Green will examine the effects of industrialization on national identification in contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa and show that industrialization and economic development more broadly have a surprisingly strong positive impact on the development of nationalism in the African context. The lecture will conclude with wider thoughts on how and why industrialization continues to transform national identities in the contemporary world.