Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Autumn 2014 | Public lectures and events | Video

Contributor(s): Professor Keller Easterling, Dr David Madden | Infrastructure is not only the underground pipes and cables controlling our cities. It also determines the hidden rules that structure the spaces all around us – free trade zones, smart cities, suburbs, and shopping malls. In this lecture Keller Easterling drew on her new book ‘Extrastatecraft’ to chart the emergent new powers controlling this space and showed how they extend beyond the reach of government. Easterling explored areas of infrastructure with the greatest impact on our world – examining everything from standards for the thinness of credit cards to the urbanism of mobile telephony, the world’s largest shared platform, to the “free zone,” the most virulent new world city paradigm. In conclusion, she proposed some unexpected techniques for resisting power in the modern world.

Contributor(s): Yiannis Boutaris | Amidst the economic crisis in Greece, something unusual emerged in Thessaloniki, the idiosyncratic “co-Capital” of the country. Under the mayorship of Yiannis Boutaris, the first non-political figure to be elected as Mayor in the city’s modern history, the city started to re-invent itself, beginning from its very own mode of governance. In this lecture, the Mayor of Thessaloniki will talk about the challenges of administrative modernisation and the necessary institutional changes Greece needs to accomplish at the level of local administration so as to accommodate the principle of subsidiarity.

Contributor(s): Mirza Waheed | Acclaimed novelist Mirza Waheed will be introducing his new novel The Book of Gold Leaves: a book of piercing lyricism, a story of the impossible choice between personal duty and romantic love. ‘Waheed writes about war with a devastating and unflinching calm, with the melancholy wisdom of someone attuned to but never hardened by its horrors’ The Guardian. ‘Like his great-grandfather's gold painting, Waheed's work will undoubtedly endure’ Financial Times. Mr Mirza Waheed was born and brought up in Kashmir. His debut novel The Collaborator was shortlisted for The Guardian First Book Award and the Shakti Bhat Prize, and long listed for the Desmond Elliott Prize. It was also book of the year for The Telegraph, New Statesman, Financial Times, Business Standard and Telegraph India. Waheed has written for the BBC, The Guardian, Granta, Al Jazeera English and The New York Times. He lives in London. Ms Razia Iqbal is a BBC Presenter. She is one of the main presenters of Newshour, the flagship current affairs programme on BBC World Service radio. She also presents arts programmes on Radio 4, and a books programme on BBC World TV, called Talking Books. She was a judge on the Baileys Prize for Women's fiction last year; Chair of the Commonwealth short story prize and this year, is judging the Wellcome Foundation book prize. She was the BBC's Arts Correspondent for many years.

Contributor(s): Professor Eleni Louri- Dendrinou | Professor Eleni Louri- Dendrinou’s talk will focus on a number of issues, starting with the roots of the crisis and the developments and shortfalls of the first and second adjustment programmes. She will discuss the Bank of Greece’s strategy, its next steps and the stabilisation of the Greek banking system - from repairing banks to financing the economy.

Contributor(s): Professor Lord Giddens | Professor Lord Giddens published The Politics of Climate Change in 2007and is currently preparing a new edition for publication in 2015. In this lecture he will consider how much progress has been made since the work was first published in containing global warming - arguably one of the greatest threats to a stable future for humanity. Anthony Giddens is a former director of LSE and a Member of the House of Lords. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Nick Davies | Nick Davies is a freelance journalist, working regularly as special correspondent for the Guardian. In the last few years, he was centrally involved in the publication of secret US logs and cables obtained by Wikileaks and in exposing the phone-hacking scandal in Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper empire. His book ‘Hack Attack’, which exposes Rupert Murdoch’s use of power as well as the crime in his newsrooms, was published in the summer of 2014 in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

Contributor(s): Dr Anthony Downey | Since the turn of the 21st century, contemporary artists have increasingly engaged with some of the most pressing issues facing our world, from globalisation, migration and citizenship to conflict, terrorism and social activism. In this talk, Dr Anthony Downey explores the implications of this development, for both art and politics alike. Art and Politics Now by Anthony Downey is published by Thames & Hudson (@thamesandhudson) on 13 October. Anthony Downey is an academic and writer. He is the editor of Uncommon Grounds: New Media and Critical Practice in North Africa and the Middle East (I.B. Tauris, 2014); and co-editor of The Future of a Promise: Contemporary Art from the Arab World (Ibraaz Publishing, 2011). He is currently editing Archival Dissonance: Knowledge Production and Art Practices in the Middle East (forthcoming, I.B. Tauris, 2015) and Mirrors for Princes (NYU Press, forthcoming 2015). He is the Director of the Contemporary Art Masters Programme at Sothebys Institute of Art, London, and the Editor in Chief of Ibraaz (www.ibraaz.org), a research forum on visual culture across the Middle East and North Africa. Credits: LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Owen Jones | Owen Jones, one of the most prominent political voices today, sets out on a journey into the heart of our Establishment, from the lobbies of Westminster to the newsrooms, boardrooms and trading rooms of Fleet Street and the City. Exposing the revolving doors that link these worlds, and the vested interests that bind them together, Jones shows how, in claiming to work on our behalf, the people at the top are doing precisely the opposite. In fact, they represent the biggest threat to our democracy today - and it is time they were challenged. Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) is a political activist, bestselling author and a weekly columnist for the Guardian. He has over 200,000 Twitter followers and appears regularly in broadcast media, including BBC1's Question Time, ITV's Daybreak, Channel 4 News and BBC 2’s Newsnight. This event marks the publication of Owen's new book, The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It. The Ralph Miliband Programme (@rmilibandlse) is one of LSE's most prestigious lecture series and seeks to advance Ralph Miliband's spirit of free social inquiry. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): HE Sylvie Bermann, Peter Chase, Pascal Lamy, Sir Peter Ricketts | A deal on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership would be a powerful shot in the arm for the world's anaemic economy. But does the political will exist to reap the gains from trade? Sylvie Bermann is French Ambassador to the UK. Peter Chase is Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - Europe Office. Pascal Lamy is former Director General of the World Trade Organisation (2005-13). Peter Ricketts (@HMARicketts) is British Ambassador to France. Peter Sutherland is Chair of the LSE Council, Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and former Director General of the World Trade Organisation (1993-95). The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) was established in 1991 as a dedicated centre for the interdisciplinary study of processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Assessment Exercise, the Institute was ranked first for research in European Studies in the United Kingdom. The LSE European Institute has been a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence since 2009. The Franco-British Council (@francobritish) was created on the joint initiative of Président Georges Pompidou and Prime Minister Edward Heath in 1972. The Council’s purpose is to promote better understanding between Britain and France through seminars and events on topical subjects of the day. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor Ross Garnaut | Professor Garnaut will look forward to where the global economy is headed across a diverse range of nation-states (using Australia, China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea as exemplars). The challenges that fertility rates and climate change pose for the global economy will also be considered. Ross Garnaut is an economist whose career has been built around the analysis of and practice of policy connected to development, economic policy and international relations in Australia, Asia and the Pacific. He has held senior roles in universities, business, government and other Australian and international institutions. He is a professorial research fellow in economics at The University of Melbourne. Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, chair of the Grantham Research Institute and chair of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor Brian P Farrell | Indonesia ‘confronted’ the establishment of Malaysia in 1963 by waging an undeclared war, which included armed incursions across recognized international frontiers. The lecture will discuss the work of a military historian in the field and explore the role and perspectives of the local populations during this cross-border conflict. Brian Farrell is professor of military history and (currently) head of the Department of History at the National University of Singapore. His main areas of research interest are the military history of the British Empire, especially in the 20th century; the modern history of empires and imperialism, especially in Asia; the history of Western military power in Asia; and problems related to collective security and coalition warfare. He is currently acting as principal investigator on the major research project Empire in Asia: A New Global History, and serving as Asia-Pacific regional coordinator for the Society for Military History, the largest such professional organization in the world. Kirsten Schulze is associate professor in International History, LSE. She has conducted research on armed conflicts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and has been the head of the LSE Ideas Southeast Asia Program since 2012. The Department of International History (@lsehistory) is one of the top five university history departments in the UK. Its reputation as a centre of new developments in the study of international history is now recognised as a separate school of thought; the “London School”.

Contributor(s): Dr Qaiser Khan, Marta Foresti, Peter Hawkins | Dr Qaiser Khan will be joined by a panel to discuss Improving Basic Services for the Bottom Forty Percent: Lessons from Ethiopia, which examines Ethiopia's model in delivering basic services and why it appears to be succeeding. Qaiser Khan is a lead economist and program leader at the World Bank and the co-author of Improving Basic Services for the Bottom Forty Percent: Lessons from Ethiopia. Marta Foresti is Director of Politics and Governance Programme at the ODI. Peter Hawkins is Head of Profession for Programme Management at DFID. Jean-Paul Faguet is a Professor of the Political Economy of Development in the Department of International Development at LSE. He is chair of the Decentralization Task Force of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University and author of a wide range of publications. The Department of International Development (@LSE_ID) promotes interdisciplinary post-graduate teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor David Armitage, Dr Jo Guldi, Professor Simon Szreter | How should historians speak truth to power - and why does it matter? Why is five hundred years better than five months or five years as a planning horizon? And why is history - especially long-term history - so essential to understanding the multiple pasts which gave rise to our conflicted present? The History Manifesto is a ‘call to arms’ to historians and everyone interested in the role of history in contemporary society. Leading historians David Armitage and Jo Guldi identify a recent shift back to longer-term narratives, following many decades of increasingly specialization, which they argue is vital for the future of historical scholarship and how it is communicated. This provocative and thoughtful book makes an important intervention in the debate about the role of history and the humanities in a digital age. It will provoke discussion among policymakers, activists and entrepreneurs as well as ordinary listeners, viewers, readers, students and teachers. David Armitage (@DavidRArmitage) is the Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at Harvard University. Jo Guldi (@joguldi) is Assistant Professor of History at Brown University. Simon Szreter is Professor of History and Public Policy at St John's College, University of Cambridge. He will be representing the History & Policy group. Paul Kelly is Pro-Director for teaching and learning at LSE. British Government@LSE is an initiative led by the LSE’s Government Department (@LSEGovernment) to promote research, teaching and debate about politics and government in the UK. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor William Easterly | The admirable fight against global poverty has a blind spot on democracy and human rights, which are both good in themselves and also the most well-proven and lasting path out of poverty. Experts in development have too often unintentionally provided a rationale for oppressive autocrats and unenlightened US foreign policy in poor countries. William Easterly (@bill_easterly) is Professor of Economics at New York University and Director of NYU’s Development Research Institute. The Department of Economics at LSE (@LSEEcon) is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor Danny Dorling | It is widely accepted that high rates of inequality are damaging to society, although some skeptics remain to be convinced. Perhaps it is because the most damaging form of economic inequality now appears to occur when the very richest 1% take more and more, even if the other 99% are becoming more equal. So what exactly is it about inequality that causes most harm? Danny Dorling (@dannydorling) is the Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, Oxford. He advises government and the office for national statistics, appears regularly on TV and radio, and writes for the Guardian, New Statesman and other papers. His new book Inequality and the 1% is published by Verso Books. Professor Corbridge is Deputy Director and Provost of LSE. He is a professor of international development with longstanding research interests in governance and the political economy of growth, especially in India. The Geography and Environment department at LSE (@LSEGeography) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor Barry Buzan, Professor Arne Westad | Despite the widespread view that China does not have a coherent grand strategy, China has already articulated one that is based on the home-grown idea of ‘peaceful rise/development’ (PRD). The key issue is whether the logic of this grand strategy, and the contradictions within it, are fully understood, and whether China has sufficient depth and coherence in its policy-making processes to implement such a strategy. This lecture will explore key issues arising from the idea of ‘Peaceful Rise/Development’. Professor Barry Buzan is a senior fellow at LSE IDEAS and the Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at LSE. Professor Arne Westad (@OAWestad) is the director of LSE IDEAS. Professor Michael Cox is founding co-director of LSE IDEAS and emeritus professor in international relations. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is a centre for the study of international affairs, diplomacy and grand strategy. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Dr James Dawson | Before beginning work on the book presented in this lecture, Dr James Dawson published survey and ethnographic research exploring political identities in an ethnically-mixed town in southern Bulgaria. The main finding of this comparative ethnographic project is that the Serbian public sphere is considerably more contested, pluralist and (at the margins) liberal than its Bulgaria counterpart. This demonstrates that the progress of Post-Socialist states in implementing liberal democratic institutions to the satisfaction of the European Union is not a reliable guide for ascertaining whether or not liberal democratic ideals have taken root in those societies. At a time when several formerly socialist EU member states are increasingly attracting scholarly attention for the rise to power of illiberal and sometimes plainly anti-democratic political movements (Hungary, Romania), this kind of analytical focus on ideas and identities could help to explain why institutional progress has not necessarily led to the formation of liberal democratic publics. Dr James Dawson has worked at UCL School of Public Policy since 2013 and currently serves as acting Director of MSc Democracy and Comparative Politics.

Contributor(s): Ben Hammersley | Your perception of The Media is probably entirely wrong. This is ok, because everyone’s is. But we’re all wrong in interesting ways, and in this talk, I’ll discuss why, and why that’s important. Ben Hammersley is an author, futurist and technologist, specialising in the effects of the internet and the ubiquitous digital network on the world’s political, cultural and social spheres. He enjoys an international career as a trends and digital guru, explaining complex technological and sociological topics to lay audiences, and as a high-level advisor on these matters to governments and business. Ben is the author of five books, including the acclaimed 64 Things You Need To Know Now For Then, which is a guide to the new concepts of the modern world. He is contributing editor of WIRED Magazine.

Contributor(s): Joel Backaler | With Chinese investment increasing dramatically in the EU, US and other overseas markets, the time is now to understand what the potential impact will be on businesses, consumers and the host governments where they invest. In this lecture Joel Backaler will address the following key issues we should be aware of when assessing the impact of Chinese firms playing an increasing role in the global economy: What are the motivations for Chinese companies to expand globally?; What forms of investment predominate in Chinese firms’ overseas expansion?; What are the potential concerns that we should consider?; What are the potential benefits?; How can business and government respond to maximize the benefits, while mitigating the risks? Joel Backaler (@joelbackaler) is associate vice-president at Frontier Strategy Group, an award-winning business blogger, a contributing columnist for Forbes, and a member of the National Committee on United States–China Relations. His work focuses on bridging the gap between Western and Chinese businesses, serving as an intermediary and advisor to executive leaders on both sides. Athar Hussain is Director of the LSE Asia Research Centre. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Philip Bobbitt, Richard Sennett, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, Lord Glasman, Donald Sassoon, The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Zygmunt Bauman | The centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War began with a serious debate over the war guilt question. Historians such as Christopher Clark, David Reynolds and Niall Ferguson engaged a wide public audience with their respective arguments. Since then,the focus has been very much on the nature of war itself. In the media, in theatres and concert halls, in stately homes and village halls, the British commemoration of the Great War is strikingly visceral. History, it seems, is less about rationalising past events than it is about accessing the emotional experience of those who lived in it. Yet, 1914 marked the beginning of a conflict that was much more than a ‘national catastrophe’ for Britain. In the words of the American diplomat and historian George F Kennan this was ‘the great seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century’, the big bang that determined the course of history and continues to define the political reality in Britain, Europe and America to this day. The aim of this conference is to move beyond the parochial and broaden the view of the British debate.

Contributor(s): Philip Bobbitt, Richard Sennett, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, Lord Glasman, Donald Sassoon, The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Zygmunt Bauman | The centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War began with a serious debate over the war guilt question. Historians such as Christopher Clark, David Reynolds and Niall Ferguson engaged a wide public audience with their respective arguments. Since then,the focus has been very much on the nature of war itself. In the media, in theatres and concert halls, in stately homes and village halls, the British commemoration of the Great War is strikingly visceral. History, it seems, is less about rationalising past events than it is about accessing the emotional experience of those who lived in it. Yet, 1914 marked the beginning of a conflict that was much more than a ‘national catastrophe’ for Britain. In the words of the American diplomat and historian George F Kennan this was ‘the great seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century’, the big bang that determined the course of history and continues to define the political reality in Britain, Europe and America to this day. The aim of this conference is to move beyond the parochial and broaden the view of the British debate.

Contributor(s): Philip Bobbitt, Richard Sennett, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, Lord Glasman, Donald Sassoon, The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Zygmunt Bauman | The centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War began with a serious debate over the war guilt question. Historians such as Christopher Clark, David Reynolds and Niall Ferguson engaged a wide public audience with their respective arguments. Since then,the focus has been very much on the nature of war itself. In the media, in theatres and concert halls, in stately homes and village halls, the British commemoration of the Great War is strikingly visceral. History, it seems, is less about rationalising past events than it is about accessing the emotional experience of those who lived in it. Yet, 1914 marked the beginning of a conflict that was much more than a ‘national catastrophe’ for Britain. In the words of the American diplomat and historian George F Kennan this was ‘the great seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century’, the big bang that determined the course of history and continues to define the political reality in Britain, Europe and America to this day. The aim of this conference is to move beyond the parochial and broaden the view of the British debate.

Contributor(s): Philip Bobbitt, Richard Sennett, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, Lord Glasman, Donald Sassoon, The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Zygmunt Bauman | The centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War began with a serious debate over the war guilt question. Historians such as Christopher Clark, David Reynolds and Niall Ferguson engaged a wide public audience with their respective arguments. Since then,the focus has been very much on the nature of war itself. In the media, in theatres and concert halls, in stately homes and village halls, the British commemoration of the Great War is strikingly visceral. History, it seems, is less about rationalising past events than it is about accessing the emotional experience of those who lived in it. Yet, 1914 marked the beginning of a conflict that was much more than a ‘national catastrophe’ for Britain. In the words of the American diplomat and historian George F Kennan this was ‘the great seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century’, the big bang that determined the course of history and continues to define the political reality in Britain, Europe and America to this day. The aim of this conference is to move beyond the parochial and broaden the view of the British debate.

Contributor(s): Philip Bobbitt, Richard Sennett, Robert Gerwarth, John Horne, Lord Glasman, Donald Sassoon, The Rt Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Zygmunt Bauman | The centenary year of the outbreak of the Great War began with a serious debate over the war guilt question. Historians such as Christopher Clark, David Reynolds and Niall Ferguson engaged a wide public audience with their respective arguments. Since then,the focus has been very much on the nature of war itself. In the media, in theatres and concert halls, in stately homes and village halls, the British commemoration of the Great War is strikingly visceral. History, it seems, is less about rationalising past events than it is about accessing the emotional experience of those who lived in it. Yet, 1914 marked the beginning of a conflict that was much more than a ‘national catastrophe’ for Britain. In the words of the American diplomat and historian George F Kennan this was ‘the great seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century’, the big bang that determined the course of history and continues to define the political reality in Britain, Europe and America to this day. The aim of this conference is to move beyond the parochial and broaden the view of the British debate.

Contributor(s): Dr Benjamin Noys | How can we imagine a way out of the stasis of a Europe mired in financial crisis? The proponents of ‘accelerationism’ argue the need to embrace forces of abstraction and technology that can escape ‘old’ Europe. In this talk, Benjamin Noys will critically explore these alternative geographical imaginaries as attempts to come to terms with the ‘uneven’ forms of capital within Europe. Benjamin Noys is Reader in English at the University of Chichester.

Contributor(s): Professor Diane Perrons | This lecture takes an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective to highlight the persistence of gender inequalities, the power relations that support these inequalities, and the everyday processes through which such inequalities are reproduced and normalised. By addressing inequality in this way, it is possible to obtain a fuller understanding of contemporary economic inequality and what to do about it. Diane Perrons is Gender Institute director and a professor of economic geography and gender studies at LSE. Naila Kabeer is professor of gender and development at LSE. The Gender Institute (@lsegendertweet) was established in 1993 to address the major intellectual challenges posed by contemporary changes in gender relations. This remains a central aim of the Institute today, which is the largest research and teaching unit of its kind in Europe. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor David Miles, Professor Charles Goodhart | MPC member, David Miles will explore the paradox of giving guidance on the course of monetary policy in an uncertain economic environment and consider the subsequent lessons for setting policy. Professor David Miles joined the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England in June 2009. He is also a professor at Imperial College, London where he was formerly head of the Financial Economics department. As an economist he has focused on the interaction between financial markets and the wider economy. He was Chief UK Economist at Morgan Stanley from October 2004 to May 2009. He has been a specialist economic advisor to the Treasury Select Committee. In Budget 2003, the Chancellor commissioned Professor Miles to lead a review of the UK mortgage market. The result, published at Budget 2004, was the report: "The UK mortgage market: taking a longer-term view". He is a council member of the Royal Economic Society, a research fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research and at the CESIFO research institute in Munich. He is a former editor of Fiscal Studies. He was re-appointed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer for a second term on the MPC in February 2012 . His second term will run until May 2015. Charles Goodhart, is Emeritus Professor of Banking and Finance with the Financial Markets Group at the London School of Economics, having previously, 1987-2005, been its Deputy Director. Until his retirement in 2002, he had been the Norman Sosnow Professor of Banking and Finance at LSE since 1985. Before then, he had worked at the Bank of England for seventeen years as a monetary adviser, becoming a Chief Adviser in 1980. In 1997 he was appointed one of the outside independent members of the Bank of England's new Monetary Policy Committee until May 2000. Wouter den Haan is Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science and co-director of the Centre for Macroeconomics at LSE. The Financial Markets Group Research Centre (FMG) at LSE (@FMG_LSE) is one of the leading European centres for academic research into financial markets and is a focal point for research communication with the business, policy making, and academic finance communities. The Systemic Risk Centre (@LSE_SRC) investigates the risks that may trigger the next financial crisis and develops practical tools to help policy-makers and private institutions become better prepared. The Centre For Macroeconomics (@CFMUK) brings together world-class experts to carry out pioneering research on the global economic crisis and to help design policies that alleviate it. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Roger Graef, Professor Conor Gearty | This event celebrates the official opening of the new media studio at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The event will include BAFTA award winning film maker Roger Graef in conversation with Conor Gearty about his films, the impact they have had, and the challenges faced by film-makers today. Roger Graef is a criminologist and film-maker. Born in New York, he moved to Britain in 1962, where after nine years directing in the theatre, he moved to documentaries. He was a pioneer in the ‘fly on the wall’ school of unstaged observational films inside normally closed institutions such as the UN, the EU, the US Senate, British Steel, government ministries, multinational corporations, prisons, probation, hospitals, and care homes to make many award winning and ground-breaking documentaries. He is Founder and Chair of Films of Record. He has made films in the arts, current affairs, science, as well as making innumerable films in criminology – he is a Visiting Professor at the Mannheim Institute for Criminology at LSE. Graef became a UK citizen in 1995. He was Visiting Professor of Communication and Media at Oxford University, a founding board member of Channel 4 and a governor of the British Film Institute. In 2004 he was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship for Lifetime achievement, the only documentary maker to have received that accolade. He was awarded an OBE in the 2006 New Year's Honours list for services to broadcasting. In May, Bafta devoted an entire tribute evening to his fifty years in documentaries. Conor Gearty is Director of the Institute of Public Affairs and Professor of Human Rights Law in the Department of Law at LSE. Adrian Thomas is Director of Communications at LSE. The media studio is a facility for the production and post-production of digital video and audio, with capability for recording or broadcasting. The studio enables staff across the School to produce videos and podcasts of a high quality. It also enables academics to undertake interviews with broadcasters from around the world. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Richard Blakeway, Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, Councillor, David Orr, Professor Henry Overman | Britain’s housing crisis is a nationwide issue with multiple dimensions. In the run-up to the election, all politicians recognise that the electorate expect fresh ideas on how to address the shortage of decent, affordable housing. This event presents an opportunity to take part in a discussion among experts in the field from the industry and academia, with a particular emphasis on planning and urban policy, and to consider how the Conservative Party intends to address the issue. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production).

Contributor(s): Peter Thiel | It's easier to copy a model than to make something new. Adding more of something familiar takes the world from 1 to n. But every time we create something new, we go from 0 to 1. Today our challenge is to imagine and create new technologies to make the future more peaceful and prosperous. Peter Thiel (@peterthiel), an entrepreneur and investor, co-founded PayPal and the data analytics firm Palantir Technologies. He made the first outside investment in Facebook, funded companies like SpaceX and LinkedIn, and started the Thiel Foundation, which nurtures tomorrow's tech visionaries through programs such as the Thiel Fellowship and Breakout Labs. This event marks the publication of Peter's new book Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future (@zerotoonebook). Professor Al Bhimani is director of LSE Entrepreneurship. LSE Entrepreneurship (@LSEship) runs a series of lectures, short courses, networking platforms, debates and social exchanges that explore entrepreneurship's extreme potential for change. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Dayo Olopade | Dayo Olopade, Nigerian-American journalist and author, will expose the global pretensions that have stymied African development, and explore the ingenious workarounds that are driving regional progress. Olopade will share case studies in innovation, drawn from her reporting across 17 African countries—moving beyond the dire headlines and toward a realistic, constructive assessment of modern Africa. Dayo Olopade (@madayo) is the author of The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making change in Modern Africa. She has been a correspondent in Washington and Nairobi, reporting for publications including The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, The New York Times and The Washington Post. She holds a BA, JD and MBA from Yale University, and is currently a Yale World Fellow. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Professor Lord Stern | India has achieved remarkable progress over the last two decades, a process in which state institutions and reform has had a crucial role. Dr Ahluwalia will reflect on the Indian growth experience to distil his key lessons for growth and development. Montek Singh Ahluwalia is the former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India. Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, chair of the Grantham Research Institute and chair of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. Francesco Caselli is Norman Sosnow Professor of Economics at LSE. The International Growth Centre (@The_IGC ) aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research. Based at LSE and in partnership with Oxford University, the IGC is initiated and funded by DFID. This public lecture is part of Growth Week 2014 which takes place at LSE from 23-25 September organised by the International Growth Centre. There are two other public events taking place during Growth Week, one on the evening of 23 September (Financing Africa's future: infrastructure, investment and opportunity), the other on the evening of 24 September (Ten Facts about Energy and Growth). Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Greenstone, Dr Kaikaus Ahmad, Dr Mohammad Irfan Elahi, Sanjay Kumar Singh | Economic growth depends critically on access to reliable energy. However, in much of the world, connectivity remains low, supply in connected areas is unreliable, and, at the same time, pollution and carbon emissions are on the rise. Professor Greenstone will explore some of the key trends that are shaping energy in the developing world and outline some solutions to their energy challenges. Michael Greenstone is a Research Programme Director (Energy) at the International Growth Centre (IGC), the Milton Friedman Professor of Economics in the department of economics at the University of Chicago and director of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago (EPIC). Kaikaus Ahmad is the Additional Secretary from the Power Division in the “Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources” in the Government of Bangladesh. He has a PhD in Public Policy and Political Economy and an MA in Development Economics. His academic and civil service career magnetized him towards interdisciplinary subjects, and issues relating to poverty, economic development, governance, global interdependence, and institutional development always intrigues him. Mohammad Irfan Elahi is Chairman of the Planning and Development Board for the Government of Punjab. He is responsible for capital investment planning for the provincial government of Punjab, as well as planning for economic growth. He also helps coordinate various Government line departments in achieving development objectives. Sanjay Singh is Secretary to the Chief Minister for the Government of Bihar and Managing Director of Bihar State Power Transmission Co. Ltd. Before moving to the CM office, he served as District Magistrate of Patna. Robin Burgess is Founder and Director of the International Growth Centre. The International Growth Centre (@The_IGC) aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research. Based at LSE and in partnership with Oxford University, the IGC is initiated and funded by DFID. This public lecture is part of Growth Week 2014 which takes place at LSE from 23-25 September organised by the International Growth Centre. There are two other public events taking place during Growth Week, one on the evening of 23 September (Financing Africa's future: infrastructure, investment and opportunity), the other on the evening of 25 September (Growth, Policy and Institutions: lessons from the Indian experience). Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Dr Donald Kaberuka, Professor Sir Paul Collier | Low investment in infrastructure is a critical constraint on economic growth in Africa. Dr Kaberuka will assess the challenges and offer his views on the way forward. Donald Kaberuka (@DonaldKaberuka) is the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Leonard Wantchekon is Professor of Politics at Princeton University. Paul Collier is a director of the International Growth Centre (IGC), professor of economics and public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and co-director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies also at Oxford University. This public lecture is part of Growth Week 2014 which takes place at LSE from 23-25 September organised by the International Growth Centre. There will be two further public events, one of the evening of 24 September (Ten Facts about Energy and Growth), the other on the evening of 25 September (Growth, Policy and Institutions: lessons from the Indian experience). The International Growth Centre (@The_IGC) aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research. Based at LSE and in partnership with Oxford University, the IGC is initiated and funded by DFID. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Emma Reynolds MP, David Orr, Professor Christine Whitehead | Britain’s housing crisis is a nationwide issue with multiple dimensions. In the run-up to the election, all politicians recognise that the electorate expect fresh ideas on how to address the shortage of decent, affordable housing. This event presents an opportunity to take part in a discussion among experts in the field from the industry and academia, with a particular emphasis on the role of taxation and the state, and to consider how the Labour Party intends to address the issue. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production).

Contributor(s): Martha Acklesberg, Richard Cleminson, Terence Kissack | The panel brings together historians and political theorists of anarchism and sexuality to explore the importance of this relationship to how we conceive of sexual politics today. The panel will explore the history of sexual freedom as part of anarchist revolutionary practice, providing an alternative history to one focused exclusively on sexual rights. Martha Acklesberg is a leading authority on women and gender in the anarchist movement in Spain during the Civil War. Richard Cleminson is reader in Hispanic Studies at the University of Leeds. He lectures on Spanish history, gender studies and the history of sexuality. He has written about anarchism and homosexuality, the history of "hermaphroditism" and the history of eugenics. Terence Kissack is a leading authority on the history of homosexuality in the anarchist movement in the US. Clare Hemmings is Professor of Feminist Theory at LSE. The Gender Institute (@lsegendertweet) was established in 1993 to address the major intellectual challenges posed by contemporary changes in gender relations. This remains a central aim of the Institute today, which is the largest research and teaching unit of its kind in Europe. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Martin Wolf | Chief Economics Commentator of the Financial Times Martin Wolf gives an insightful and timely analysis of why the financial crisis occurred, and of the radical reforms needed if we are to avoid a future repeat. At this event he will be in conversation with Adair Turner. This event marks the publication of The Shifts and The Shocks. Martin Wolf (@martinwolf_) is Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, London. He has been visiting professor of Oxford and Nottingham Universities, a fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and a member of the UK’s Vickers Commission on Banking, which reported in 2011. He is an honorary graduate of LSE. Adair Turner has combined careers in business, public policy and academia. He became Chairman of the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority as the financial crisis broke in September 2008. He is now a Senior Fellow of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and at the Centre for Financial Studies in Frankfurt. Lord Turner became a cross-bench member of the House of Lords in 2005. The Department of Economics at LSE (@LSEEcon) is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Lord May, Professor Doyne Farmer | The two sciences of interactions – economics and ecology – don’t interact enough. How many useful ideas must there be in ecology that have yet to be applied in economics, and vice versa? How much more could we discover about the human and social systems, or natural systems, by combining insights from these two subjects? It is crucial that these two fields work together to address the most pressing global challenges facing humanity. If the above intrigues then come along to our symposium Eco**2: exploring the fundamental links between ecology and economics, which we’ll be running in collaboration with the British Ecological Society (BES) in London this September. It’s your chance to help create the new science that emerges when ecology and economics collide. Everything about the symposium is designed to foster as much interaction as possible between these two fascinating sciences and attendees will be an equal mix of ecologists and economists. Attendees will also be given the opportunity to submit questions and ideas for discussion at the symposium, and these can be conceptual, technical, or applied in nature, so long as they will spark a fruitful discussion between economists and ecologists. A specific aim of Eco**2 is to examine the fundamental, conceptual links between these two sciences. These links are much deeper than most ecologists or economists appreciate, and they must be explored if we are to apply these two sciences properly to address pressing global issues.

Contributor(s): Lord May, Professor Doyne Farmer | The two sciences of interactions – economics and ecology – don’t interact enough. How many useful ideas must there be in ecology that have yet to be applied in economics, and vice versa? How much more could we discover about the human and social systems, or natural systems, by combining insights from these two subjects? It is crucial that these two fields work together to address the most pressing global challenges facing humanity. If the above intrigues then come along to our symposium Eco**2: exploring the fundamental links between ecology and economics, which we’ll be running in collaboration with the British Ecological Society (BES) in London this September. It’s your chance to help create the new science that emerges when ecology and economics collide. Everything about the symposium is designed to foster as much interaction as possible between these two fascinating sciences and attendees will be an equal mix of ecologists and economists. Attendees will also be given the opportunity to submit questions and ideas for discussion at the symposium, and these can be conceptual, technical, or applied in nature, so long as they will spark a fruitful discussion between economists and ecologists. A specific aim of Eco**2 is to examine the fundamental, conceptual links between these two sciences. These links are much deeper than most ecologists or economists appreciate, and they must be explored if we are to apply these two sciences properly to address pressing global issues.

Contributor(s): Professor Matthew Connelly | The interwar years are vital to understanding the rise of the U.S. national security state and the government’s approach to official secrecy. World War I both revealed the dangers of secret diplomacy to the world, and rationalised its necessity to its leaders. The ensuing period was marked by intense struggles over the limits to official secrecy. Woodrow Wilson both advocated for the prosecution of anyone who revealed national defense information, but also called for open covenants between nations, openly arrived at. For Wilson, if the US did not join the League of Nations it would remain a nation in arms with a vast intelligence-gathering apparatus, forced to curtail civil liberties. It was not until World War II that Wilson’s premonition finally came into being. Professor Matthew Connelly is Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE IDEAS for 2014-2015. Currently a professor in the Department of History at Columbia University, Matthew Connelly is also founder and director or the LSE-Columbia University Double Degree in International and World History. His current research focuses on planning and predictions, and using data science to analyse patterns in official secrecy. He received his B.A. from Columbia and his Ph.D. from Yale He has authored a wide-range of articles and publications, including the award-winning Diplomatic Revolution: Algeria’s fight for independence and the origins of the post-Cold War era, which has won five prizes since its publication. His most recent book, Fatal Misconception: the struggle to control world population, was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The Economist and the Financial Times. Professor Arne Westad (@OAWestad) is the director of LSE IDEAS. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is a centre for the study of international affairs, diplomacy and grand strategy. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Dr Lina Khatib, Dr Dina Matar, Dr Atef Alshaer | In this talk, Dr Lina Khatib, Dr Dina Matar, and Dr Atef Alshaer will present their most recent book, 'The Hizbullah Phenomenon: Politics and Communication'. In this book, the authors address how Hizbullah uses image, language and its charismatic leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to legitimise its political aims and ideology and appeal to different target groups. Dr Lina Khatib is director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut and research associate at the Centre for Media Studies at SOAS. Previously, she was the co-founding head of the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. Dr Dina Matar is Senior Lecturer in Arab Media and Political Communication at SOAS. Her research looks at the relationship between politics, culture and communication in the Arab world, especially in discourses of power and resistance. Dr Atef Alshaer is a lecturer in Arabic Language and culture at the University of Westminster. He is also a member of the Palestine Studies Centre and The Middle East Institute in London at SOAS.

Contributor(s): Marcelo Neri | Minister Neri will talk about the growth of social welfare in Brazil during the last twenty years, and its determinants. How have growth and distribution of incomes evolved in Brazil? What has been the role played by various public policies (such as income transfers, housing, technical education etc)? How have different groups (organized by gender, race, region etc) performed? Is Brazil becoming a middle class country? What about the middle income trap with respect to other BRICS countries? How sustainable are the observed changes? What is the new agenda on social policies in the country for the next 10 years? Marcelo Neri is Minister for Strategic Affairs for Brazil; has a PhD in Economics from Princeton University. Founder of the Center for Social Policies (CPS) at Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV); teaches at EPGE/FGV. Edited books on Microcredit; Social Security; Diversity; Rural Poverty; Bolsa Familia; Consumption and Middle Class. He was secretary general of the Council of Economic and Social Development (CDES) and president of the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea). He evaluated policies in more than two dozen countries and designed and implemented policies at three government levels in Brazil. The Department of International Development (@LSE_ID) promotes interdisciplinary post-graduate teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change.

Contributor(s): Professor John Broome | Climate change is a moral problem. Through our emissions, each of us causes harm to others - something that generally we should not do. Some people are already suffering great harm from climate change. What should we do to remedy the situation? A solution can be achieved only through the coordinated actions of governments, and difficult ethical analysis is required to choose the right actions. John Broome is the White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford.

Contributor(s): Robin Renwick | Will Hillary Clinton make history and become the first female President of the United States? Robin Renwick provides an invaluable insight into one of the most divisive figures in recent US political history. This event marks the publication of Ready for Hillary? Portrait of a President in Waiting. Robin Renwick, Lord Renwick of Clifton, is a crossbench peer in the House of Lords. He was the British ambassador in Washington when the Clintons arrived in the White House. Purna Sen (@Purna_Sen) is Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Affairs at LSE. This event is hosted by Above the Parapet (@LSEParapet), a research project at the LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs which explores the stories of women in high profile public life. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Mark Phillips | We are under attack by change. The marketplace and battle-space are increasingly populated by peer competitors and those who can achieve competitive advantage with limited resources. The value of traditional approaches is eroding. We can no longer gain and maintain our strategic position in an industry, market or contested area the way we used to. Cheap and abundant supply chains, the internet, easy user interfaces and the free flow of interpersonal connections over social media challenge our traditional models. This highly interactive discussion focuses on the one element that remains constant: human decision making. It is unpredictable, complex and wickedly creative. It is the source of all uncertainty. Yet it is the source of competitive advantage. Join us for a ground-breaking discussion on harnessing the power of uncertainty to gain and maintain competitive advantage.

Contributor(s): Professor Angus Deaton | In lectures across three consecutive evenings (9 December, 10 December and 11 December) leading development economist Professor Deaton will discuss his work on health and poverty. Global poverty has been falling rapidly, even as income inequality has been inexorably rising in most of the world. Perhaps paradoxically, global income inequality has been falling. Or has it? Many claim not. Angus Deaton will discuss recent trends in poverty and inequality, nationally and internationally, and will ask why recent growth has brought such meagre reductions in poverty. He will also argue that measurement depends, not only on theory, but also on politics, and explain why and how the politics of poverty is so often disguised as science. The lectures will ask how we know what we know about poverty and inequality, discuss the many unresolved difficulties of measurement, and make proposals for improvement. Angus Deaton is Dwight D Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Economics Department at Princeton University. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).

Contributor(s): Lord Clement-Jones | China's creative sector is a field in which Britain's creative industries can build a strong partnership if only we take the opportunity. Tim Clement-Jones is London Managing Partner of DLA Piper and Deputy Chair of the All Party Parliamentary China Group.

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Anand, Catherine Audard, Professor Jonathan Wolff | What is progress and how do we measure it? What account of wellbeing could accommodate a concern for self-realization and self-development? May an approach based on quality of life provide a superior alternative to utilitarian cost-benefit analysis? And could such an approach inform policy and practice? Paul Anand, Catherine Audard and Jonathan Wolff will combine insights from welfare economics and moral philosophy to offer new perspectives on the ideas of progress and human development. Paul Anand is Professor of Economics at the Open University. Catherine Audard is the Chair of the Forum for European Philosophy and Visiting Fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method at LSE. Jonathan Wolff is Professor of Philosophy at University College London.

Contributor(s): Professor Judy Wajcman, Genevieve Bell | Judy Wajcman explores why it is that we both blame technology for speeding up everyday life and yet turn to digital devices for the solution. The event marks the publication of Professor Judy Wajcman's new book Pressed for Time: the acceleration of life in digital capitalism. Judy Wajcman is the Anthony Giddens Professor of Sociology at LSE. Genevieve Bell (@feraldata) is Vice President of User Experience Research at Intel Labs. Anthony Giddens is a former director of LSE and a Member of the House of Lords. The Department of Sociology at LSE (@LSEsociology) was established in 1904 and remains committed to top quality teaching and leading research and scholarship today.

Contributor(s): Professor Mats Berdal | How can the UN’s mission to raise humanitarian standards find its way in a world dominated by security concerns and power competition? Mats Berdal is Professor of Security and Development at King’s College, London. The International Relations Department (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 87th year, making it one of the oldest as well as largest in the world. Credits: Tom Sturdy (Audio Post-Production), LSE AV Services (Audio Recording).