LSE: Public lectures and events

Contributor(s): Professor Nick Couldry, Baroness Beeban Kidron | Drawing on his recent book, The Space of the World, Nick Couldry will reflect on the global space of social communications and interaction that has been constructed over the past three decades through a commercialized internet and digital platforms whose business model depends on extracting data from users and shaping their behaviour to optimize advertising value. What if those conditions – valid perhaps in narrowly commercial terms – have guaranteed a space of human interaction that is larger, more polarized, more intense, and more toxic than is compatible with human solidarity? A space associated increasingly with toxic forms of political power and risks to the most vulnerable members of society? If so, we need to build a different space of the world, less likely to be toxic and more likely to generate the solidarity and effective cooperation that humanity absolutely needs if it is to have any chance of addressing its huge, shared challenges.

Contributor(s): Sharon Grant, Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Dr Roxana Willis | Join us to explore the legal, political and community-based racial justice work that emerged 40 years ago from the Broadwater Farm riots, examining methods of resistance that continue to address present-day questions of race, racism and social inequality. On 6 October 1985, The Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham became the site of one of the most significant moments of civil disobedience in British history. Three men, known as the Tottenham 3, were wrongly convicted and later acquitted for the murder of PC Keith Blakelock after a long campaign for justice. Four decades after the Broadwater Farm uprising, the events of October 1985 continue to resonate in the ongoing struggle against systemic racism. Marking the riots as a significant moment in Black British history, the event explores the Broadwater Farm Riots in the context of politics, community activism, law and criminology, the media and Black injustice.

Contributor(s): Professor Kristin Andrews, Dr Leonie Bossert, Jane Lawton, Dr Jeff Sebo | Learn more about the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, a new LSE initiative committed to making sure technological change works for - rather than against - the interests of other species. Would you trust a device that claimed to translate your dog or cat's emotions into English? Would you be OK with completely automated, human-free farming? What if you had a driverless car that was indifferent to hitting birds and foxes? AI is transforming the lives of animals at speed, but these huge impacts are going unnoticed and unregulated. Some of the changes could transform our relationships with our fellow creatures for the better, whereas others could make existing animal welfare problems much worse and even more deeply entrenched. How can we curb the risks and take the opportunities?

Contributor(s): Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta | How should we measure economic progress in an age of ecological crisis? Join us for a conversation with Partha Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, as he discusses his latest book On Natural Capital where he lays out a seminal and groundbreaking new approach to economics. Challenging everything that has come before, he asks, what if we were to put a value on nature just as we value everything else?

Contributor(s): Melinda Bohannon, Dr Vera Songwe, Dr Sudarno Sumarto, Professor Chris Woodruff | Climate finance is a critical tool in supporting low-income countries as they face the growing impacts of climate change. These nations, despite contributing the least to global emissions, are often the most vulnerable to climate-related shocks such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and food insecurity. Yet, they frequently lack access to the capital needed to adapt, build resilience, and pursue low-carbon development. Unlocking investment for climate action in low-income countries requires a coordinated effort between governments, development banks, private investors, and international organisations.

Contributor(s): Professor Juliano Assunção, Jim Leape, Professor Rohini Pande | As climate change accelerates, the economic case for protecting and investing in natural capital has never been clearer. This event brings together leading economists and policymakers to explore how the degradation of ecosystems – from forests and wetlands to oceans – is not only an environmental crisis but a profound market failure. Natural capital – the world’s stock of natural assets like soil, air, water, and biodiversity – underpins global economies yet remains largely invisible in traditional financial systems. In the face of rising climate risks, we must rethink how we measure, value, and invest in nature.

Contributor(s): Professor Patrick Bolton, Professor Michael Greenstone, Sherry Rehman, Professor José Scheinkman | As the world prepares for COP30 in Brazil, this event provides a forward-looking platform to explore priorities, challenges, and opportunities for accelerating and aligning climate ambition with sustainable economic growth. As countries prepare to submit enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs), our panel explores how climate action can drive innovation, job creation, and long-term resilience, particularly in emerging and developing economies.

Contributor(s): | Exploring the reasons people might find themselves with problematic levels of debt, the options open to those in financial trouble and how bankruptcy laws could be used more impactfully to the benefit of both individuals and society; this month we revisit an episode from 2023 which asks, “Do we always need to pay our debts?” It's a question that has come back into focus recently as the UK continues to grapple with elevated interest rates and the lingering effects of inflation, putting increasing pressure on household budgets and reigniting debates around debt and repayment. Jess Winterstein talks to: Dr Joseph Spooner, Associate Professor in the LSE Law School and author of Bankruptcy: the case for relief in an economy of debt, and Sara Williams, founder of debt advisory website Debt Camel. https://debtcamel.co.uk/

Contributor(s): Thomas Piketty | Presenting new research produced by the World Inequality Lab, Thomas Piketty discusses recent trends in global inequality, analysing the historical movement toward equality and future prospects for more redistribution. This lecture includes preliminary results from the Global Justice Project. Combining comparative historical data series from the World Inequality Database with global input-output tables, environmental accounts, labour force surveys and other sources, the Global Justice Project explores what a just distribution of socio-economic and environmental resources could look like at the global level from 2025 to 2100 – both between and within countries – in a way that is compatible with planetary boundaries. The project partly builds on the analysis and proposals set out in Thomas Piketty’s Brief History of Equality, extending them into a broader and more comprehensive global framework.

Contributor(s): Sir Jeremy Hunt | Join us for this talk by Jeremy Hunt in which he will talk about his new book, Can We Be Great Again?: Why a Dangerous World Needs Britain. Since the global financial crisis, Britain has been through a difficult period, leading many to conclude the country is doomed to inevitable decline. Jeremy Hunt was at the top of government as both Foreign Secretary and Chancellor. In Can We Be Great Again? he rebuts those who think Britain is no longer capable of shaping the world we live in.

Contributor(s): Philip Coggan | In this event, former Economist and Financial Times journalist Philip Coggan will talk about his new book, The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump: What the Trade War Means for the World. In the book Coggan argues that Donald Trump has upended the system of global economic and financial cooperation that helped to bring prosperity after World War Two. His rationale is based on a foolish misunderstanding of corporate supply chains, tariffs and the decline in manufacturing employment. Whatever level of tariffs is finally reached, his chaotic decision-making has caused untold damage.

Contributor(s): Ben Chu | Join us for this conversation between journalist and author Ben Chu and LSE's Richard Davies about Ben's new book Exile Economics: What Happens if Globalisation Fails. In Exile Economics Ben Chu argues that nations are turning away from each other. Faith in globalisation has been fatally undermined by the pandemic, the energy crisis, surging trade frictions and swelling great power rivalry. A new vision is vying to replace what we’ve known for many decades. This vision – what Ben calls exile economics - entails a rejection of interdependence, a downgrading of multilateral collaboration and a striving for greater national self-sufficiency. The supporters of this new order argue it will establish genuine security, prosperity and peace. But is this promise achievable? Or a seductive delusion?

Contributor(s): Professor Alan Taylor | Join us for a special lecture by Alan Taylor, the newest member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, on monetary policy. He will discuss the natural rate of interest, also known as r*, including empirical estimates. He will also talk about the current economic situation, and the outlook for inflation and interest rates.

Contributor(s): Dr Danielle de Andrade Moreira, Kate Cook, Professor Michael Gerrard, Professor Jacqueline Peel, Dr Joana Setzer | This influential report provides an annual overview of key developments in climate litigation worldwide and identifies emerging trends shaping the future of climate law and governance. This year's report marks a decade since the landmark rulings in Urgenda Foundation v State of the Netherlands and Leghari v Federation of Pakistan. These cases pioneered the ‘rights-turn’ in climate litigation. Ten years on, the field has matured and diversified. In this edition, we expand our typology of case strategies to examine trends in cases heard by Supreme Courts and their equivalents, offering new insights into litigation outcomes at the highest judicial levels.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Kaboompics.com via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/women-protesting-and-speaking-through-megaphones-8106775/

Contributor(s): Professor Mary O’Mahony, Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides | How can we shape engaging work environments that foster productivity and enable workers to flourish? Using evidence from the Pissarides Report the event will highlight the importance of not only being skilled but also feeling capable of drawing on technological advancements in the workplace.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by fauxels via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-doing-handshakes-3183197/

Contributor(s): Dr Melissa Chapman, Amy Fisher, Sylvan Lutz, David McNeil, Professor Carmen Nuzzo | Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are versatile technologies that have drastically lowered the cost of data production and analysis, potentially accelerating global decarbonisation and addressing socioeconomic issues. Nonetheless, concerns persist regarding their environmental impact and the risk of propagating low-quality information, especially with large language models (LLMs). Like any tool, AI can yield both positive and negative outcomes. As the demand for real-time data increases for the net-zero transition, the Transition Pathway Initiative Centre (TPI Centre) at LSE is navigating this challenge. While AI could help process the necessary data for net zero alignment, unchecked reliance on automation may lead to misinformation and greenwashing, jeopardising sound decision-making. This event will explore the TPI Centre’s pilot programme aimed at automating data collection to evaluate the net-zero progress of companies, banks, and countries. By bringing together academics, researchers, investors and businesses, we hope to foster discussions on the information essential for advancing the net-zero transition.Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Getty Images via Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/3d-rendering-of-earth-futuristic-technology-abstract-background-illustration-60_6d24hGTg

Contributor(s): Professor Jason McKenzie Alexander, Professor Charlie Beckett, Hardeep Matharu | In a world of mass information, and misinformation, truth seems both easier and harder to find than ever before. As trust in traditional media erodes and social media blurs the line between fact and fiction, with authoritarian regimes weaponising disinformation and post-truth world leaders taking centre stage, how do we defend and promote knowledge, evidence and informed debate?

Contributor(s): Dr Sakshi Ghai, Adam Ingle, Michael Murray, Professor Dylan Yamada-Rice | One in three internet users is a child, yet the digital world was not designed with children in mind. As we witness an acceleration of the development of technologies like generative AI, rapidly transforming children’s lives, tech regulation often prioritises speed over human and children’s rights. Yet the technology-related challenges children face and will face in coming years differ greatly worldwide. What can we learn from engaging children from around the world in imagining what children’s digital lives might look like in the future and what changes are needed to ensure child rights respecting digital environments and tech regulation?

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.

Contributor(s): Kofi Mawuli Klu, Lidia Thorpe, Dr Imaobong Umoren | How can we reckon with the complex and painful legacies of the British Empire? What would it mean to create an international truth-telling commission, and why is this conversation so urgent today? This event explores the vision for a Peoples' International Truth-Telling Commission on the British Empire - a platform to uncover historical injustices, amplify voices silenced by colonial histories, and challenge enduring inequalities. The Commission will foster dialogue and accountability that transcends national borders, acknowledging the shared but unequal impacts of empire on the Global South and North alike.