

LSE: Public lectures and events
London School of Economics and Political Science
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 21, 2025 • 1h
Positive futures
Contributor(s): Roger Highfield, Suhair Khan, Isabel Losada, Professor Michael Muthukrishna | Where should we look for optimism about the future? Our final panel come together to share some of the ideas, innovations and discoveries that could shape the world to come for the better.

Jun 21, 2025 • 53min
The golden road
Contributor(s): William Dalrymple | How did ancient India transform the world and what lessons can we learn for the future? Historian and best-selling author William Dalrymple will be in conversation with Professor in Social Anthropology at LSE, Mukulika Banerjee.This recording contains strong language.

Jun 20, 2025 • 55min
Visions for the future with Lila Ibrahim
Contributor(s): Lila Ibrahim | Lila Ibrahim, Chief Operating Officer of Google DeepMind, is shaping the company's strategic operations and partnerships to drive innovation and impact. At this event, she will share her vision for the future and discuss the transformative potential of AI in the years ahead.

Jun 20, 2025 • 60min
Putting wellbeing and mental health at the heart of progress
Contributor(s): Professor Martin Knapp, Professor Lord Layard, Dr Laura Taylor | The panel explore how we can identify cost-effective policies to improve societal wellbeing — and why it will be key to shaping the future of the UK and beyond.

Jun 20, 2025 • 1h 1min
The future of US-China relations
Contributor(s): Professor G. John Ikenberry, Professor Rana Mitter, Professor Nathalie Tocci | Navigating the US-China relationship will be one of the great challenges of our time. It will impact everything from geopolitics to global growth to technological innovation. Can this pivotal international relationship be managed peacefully and productively, or are we heading toward a world of economic fracture, military rivalry, and multiple blocs?

Jun 19, 2025 • 56min
Are universities still relevant?
Contributor(s): Dr Zhamilya Mukasheva, Dr. Aaron Reeves, Dr Boris Walbaum, Lord Willetts | Is a university education still worth the investment of rising tuition fees and time spent studying towards a degree rather than gaining valuable work experience?
Higher education around the world is undergoing a series of rapid transformations. The effects of AI and emerging technologies, the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on today’s job market, the complex global challenges requiring interdisciplinary attention, and the rise of campuses as the site of contestation around free speech have all led to many questioning both the form and function of contemporary universities.

Jun 19, 2025 • 54min
Reimagining the way we work
Contributor(s): Professor Nava Ashraf, Nick Dalton, Dr Daniel Susskind | As the world of work evolves, so do our expectations, values, and definitions of success. How can we adapt to new ways of working while staying connected to purpose and meaning?

Jun 19, 2025 • 1h 4min
Visions for the future with Anthony Scaramucci
Contributor(s): Anthony Scaramucci | Anthony Scaramucci, LSE alumnus and American financier and broadcaster, who briefly served as the White House Director of Communications, joins LSE's President Larry Kramer for a conversation about his visions for the future.
This recording contains strong language.

Jun 18, 2025 • 58min
Green, just, and healthy: what do young Londoners want for the future of their neighbourhoods?
Contributor(s): Mete Coban, Rowena Champion, Maanya Jones | At a time of eco-anxiety, climate scepticism, and widespread disillusionment with formal political institutions, how do diverse young Londoners connect with climate politics at a local level? How do they imagine the future of their neighbourhoods, and how can their visions and values be brought to the heart of London’s green transition?
Young people arguably have the most at stake in the battle for liveable cities today, and a liveable planet for decades to come. And yet, youth voices are rarely heard in heated public and policy debates about urban green transitions.
Building on recent findings from an LSE Cities peer research project in Islington, this event will discuss how young people approach the core debates of the green transition, especially how environmental justice relates to social and economic justice, and how the local green transition can open up space for a deepening of democracy.

8 snips
Jun 18, 2025 • 1h 3min
Visions for the future with Daron Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu, a distinguished LSE alumnus and co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in economics, shares his insights on the future of governance and democracy. He explores the urgent need to reimagine liberal democracy to regain support across diverse groups. The conversation dives into the tensions between individual freedoms and community responsibilities, the impact of technology and neoliberalism, and shifting political dynamics among the working class. Acemoglu emphasizes tailored governance models to navigate the complexities of modern democracies.


