WORLD: we got this

The far-right has seen its popularity grow across Europe in recent years and is expected to gain a quarter of the seats in the European Parliamentary elections this year. In this episode, Dr Georgios Samaras, Assistant Professor in Public Policy at King’s College London’s International School for Government, looks at what is behind the rise of the far-right, its wider implications and what society and individuals can do to halt or reverse this trend.If you are interested in gaining further insights from Dr Samaras and other experts across King’s around this extraordinary year of elections, check out our Poll to Poll 2024 series of comment pieces and events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can feminist movements worldwide learn from Argentina? A lot it seems.In this episode, Lea Happ, PhD student in the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine talks to her supervisor Dominique Béhague about her research on the feminist activist networks in Argentina. She studies how the movement to legalise abortion transformed when that goal was realised in December 2020. Lea shares the insights we can learn from Argentina to inform feminist movements working for reproductive rights in other parts of the world.Learn more about Lea's research. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, there is also ongoing fighting in Gaza, attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea and subsequent US and UK air strikes. This has prompted some to warn we are a moving from a post-war to a pre-war world.In this latest episode, Dr Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, explores whether we are in a time of increased conflicts, what lies behind the current wars, the role of NATO and what we need to do differently if we want a more peaceful future.*Note this episode was recorded prior to the appointment of General O. Syrkyi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, researcher Ol Perkins explores whether land-based carbon dioxide removal schemes such as reforestation can live up to their promises and help us meet global pledges to limit climate change.Ol outlines some of the challenging implications of this approach and why experts and policymakers also need to consider the socio-cultural, environmental, and institutional factors that seem to have been overlooked to date.If you’d like to read the full paper mentioned in the episode, you can find it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What strategic role has Nigeria played on issues of peace and security in West Africa? What do Nigeria's past interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone tell us about its role in the region today? In this episode, Dr Folahanmi Aina, who recently completed his PhD from the African Leadership Centre at King's, talks to Dr Olawale Ismail, Senior Lecturer at ALC, about the findings of his PhD research and how he navigated the ups and downs of the PhD journey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode looks at how colourism affects people and their life chances, plus how research is helping to fill the gaps in our knowledge around this pervasive, but perhaps not widely known form of discrimination.Featuring Dr Aisha Phoenix, a social justice lecturer from the School of Education, Communication & Society at King’s College London, the episode also explores what lies behind colourism and hears about her research that is helping improve understanding around the prevalence and effects of colourism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a movement for social justice transform into a viable political party? How are the ideas of the movement reshaped in the process? In this episode, Dr Vignesh Rajahmani, who completed his PhD from the King's India Institute, speaks to Professor Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor of Indian Politics and Sociology, about his thesis on the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu in southern India. He shares his insights on the movement's journey from being a grassroots social mobilisation into a political party and its impact on Indian politics. He discusses why studying the Dravidian movement offers unique insights into the potential of identity politics to achieve social justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The international community imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in a bid to weaken its economic base and curtail its ability to wage war. However, the war continues. So, what has happened? Have the sanctions not worked as hoped? And if not, why not?In this episode, Dr Alexander Kupatadaze, Senior Lecturer at King’s Russia Institute, shares his new research which reveals how Russia is outmanoeuvring Western sanctions thanks to help from neighbouring countries and the “implicit approval” of producers in the West. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What life skills can one learn from doing a PhD?In this episode, Dr Maísa Edwards who recently completed a joint PhD from the King’s Brazil Institute and the University of São Paulo talks about her research on Brazil’s diplomatic and defence relations in the South Atlantic region. Speaking to Dr Andreza de Souza Santos, Maísa also shares the challenges she faced in completing her PhD during the Covid-19 pandemic and the research skills and life lessons she learnt from the experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Migration is a topic that preoccupies many countries around the world and this new episode looks at some of the current global challenges around migration including exploring what impact immigrants have on jobs and public services, whether politicians are in step with public attitudes towards migrants and refugees, plus what it is like for those trying to move in search of a better life. It features academics from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s College London: Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries, Reader in International Politics in the Department of War Studies and Director of King’s Sanctuary Programme; Professor Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy in the School of Politics & Economics and the Policy Institute; and Dr Mollie Gerver, Lecturer in International Ethics of the School of Politics & Economics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why aren't mainland Chinese films box office hits in the UK? Do Chinese people watch films produced in the UK? PhD student, Giulia D'Aquila researches an agreement between China and the UK on film production and distribution.In this episode, she reflects on how films from mainland China are received in the UK, what is considered propaganda in each country and why other foreign-language exports are popular with Western audiences. She also shares more about her PhD journey with Professor Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is technology really helping people in India to receive their welfare entitlements? Or is digitalisation affecting their agency? And how does it affect local state actors? These are some of the questions PhD student, Vanita Leah Falcao is exploring in her thesis. In this episode, she speaks with Professor Louise Tillin about her time as a policy worker in India, her experiences doing research field work and how her thesis question has shifted over the course of her PhD studies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we recently marked a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, we are sharing an episode of The War Studies Podcast produced by our Department of War Studies looking back at what we have learned over the past year of fighting and what it might mean for the future.It features Dr Marina Miron, who uses her knowledge of Russian military strategy, information warfare, and technology to explore what has happened over the past year and why, as well looking at the implications for future global security.Find out more about the Department of War Studies, which sits within the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King's College London. Find out more about the podcast here or search for "The War Studies Podcast" to listen to more episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This new episode looks at recent large-scale public protests in Russia, China and Iran including what has sparked them and what they tell us about the balance of power of these regimes.The episode, featuring academics from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, looks at the effects of the protests, the response of those in power to the public dissent, and asks whether they are a sign that authoritarian regimes are losing their grip or whether they could use them to justify increasing control.It features Ahou Koutchesfahani, a PhD candidate in our War Studies Department, Dr Jane Hayward, a lecturer in China and Global Affairs at King’s Lau China Institute, and Dr Maxim Alyukov, a postdoctoral fellow at King’s Russia Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Master's alumna Linette Lim's focused her dissertation looked at why some Indian states far out-perform others in the Human Development Index (HDI). In this episode, she shares how she came up with this research puzzle and her journey post-master's degree. This includes her life as a foreign correspondent in China and how her experience with censorship led to her PhD thesis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can the life of sand dunes on Mars tell us about climate change on Earth? In this episode, PhD student Lucie Delobel shares her love of sand dunes and how she went from studying them on Earth to studying them on Mars.Her master's dissertation became a leading article for Nature Climate Change and is shaping the discussion on using wind patterns to examine climate change. Now doing a PhD at King's, she has taken her knowledge of wind patterns to outer space.Hear Lucie share her academic story with Andreas Baas, Reader in Geomorphology in the Department of Geography. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode looks at where we are in the climate crisis, how recent events including war and economic crises have affected the priority of environmental issues and whether we still have time to make a difference.It features two academics from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King’s College London who explore whether we are at a pivotal moment in the climate crisis.Professor Frans Berkhout, from King’s Department of Geography, outlines some of the impacts of global warming that are we already seeing, discusses whether he thinks we will be able to adapt to our new world and assesses where we are on progress against global commitments.Dr Duraid Jalili, from King’s Defence Studies Department and Co-director of its Environmental Security Research group, highlights ways in which environmental issues have already affected the geopolitical, economic and social order of our world, looks at how the war in Ukraine has affected public focus on climate change and discusses whether we are at a critical moment in public and political understanding of the need to take action.They also share their thoughts for the future, including how hopeful they feel about our ability to take the steps needed to address climate change, and what we can all do to play our part. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What shapes and enables women's rights to be fully enacted in a world where sexual reproductive health is politicised? What exactly is the reproductive justice movement? And how important is it to understand our past when it comes to making informed decisions about women's bodies?In this episode, PhD student Annabel Sowemimo shares how she first got into sexual reproductive health, more about her day job as a Community Sexual Reproductive Health Registrar and why she founded the Reproductive Justice initiative. She also talks about a piece called, 'The secret lives of Britain’s first Black physicians', which she wrote for Wellcome Collection and about her great, great grandfather – one of the first West African graduates of medicine in the UK.Hear Annabel explore her findings with Dr Rishitia Nandagiri, Lecturer in Global Health and Social Medicine (Bioethics & Society). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast episode looks at the huge political consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and how its effects are still being felt at every level around the world today.It explores how the pandemic affected the standing of global leadership organisations, as well as challenging previously held ideas about effective leaders and political systems.It also looks at how the pandemic caused the downfall of the British Prime Minister and is still determining key UK government priorities, plus discusses ways in which the far-right exploited the chaos and confusion surrounding COVID-19 to recruit new followers.It features Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, Professor Andrew Blick and Blyth Crawford, who are all based in the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy at King's College London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we do to protect our oceans? Are 'Marine Protected Areas' an effective method of ecosystem management? These are some of the questions that PhD Candidate, Constance Schéré, aims to answer through her research. Hear Constance discuss her research with Kate Schreckenberg, Head of King’s Department of Geography and Professor in Environment and Development.You can find out more about the organisations Constance mentions in the podcast through the links below: Coastwatch: https://coastwatch.org/europe/ Seasearch: https://www.seasearch.org.uk/ORCA: https://www.orcaweb.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.