LSE: Public lectures and events
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
From the Archive: How AI is helping - and harming - animals
This podcast was originally published in September 2025 and is being republished as part of our Summer archive series of LSE's Public Lectures and Events.
The Brexit effect: 2016 – 2026
Britain's decision to leave the European Union was perhaps the most divisive and consequential event of modern British politics.
From the Archive: Rethinking keynesian fiscal stimulus
This podcast was originally published in April 2025 and is being republished as part of our Summer archive series of LSE's Public Lectures and Events.
Can we be rich again? The extraordinary potential of Britain's economy
In this talk by Jeremy Hunt, he will talk about his new book, Can We Be Rich Again? The extraordinary potential of Britain's economy.
From the Archive: Are revolutions justified?
This podcast was originally published in January 2026 and is being republished as part of our Summer archive series of LSE's Public Lectures and Events.
Global trends in climate litigation
This event marks the launch of the Grantham Research Institute’s Global Trends in Climate Change Litigation 2026 Snapshot report, an annual report now in its ninth year. The report presents an overview of the expansion, complexity, and maturity in the global field of climate litigation.
Smarter than the storm
This public event marks the global launch of Smarter Than the Storm, a new book by Amitabh Kant and Siddharth Sinha, and explores its core ideas in conversation with Nicholas Stern.
Can football catalyse climate action
Football is more than a game. It’s a global cultural force with the power to shift norms, inspire communities, and mobilise collective action. As the climate crisis demands transformative change in how we live and consume, the world of sport, and football in particular, faces a critical question: can it become a genuine catalyst for climate action?
Food futures
Our current food system is a leading cause of biodiversity loss and global warming. It is also responsible for increasing the risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, as well as public health threats such as antimicrobial resistance and pandemics emerging from industrial animal agriculture.
Saving our digital world
How can we reduce the inequalities and harms of commercial social media and the online world, while building spaces that better support our human need to connect and communicate?
The power of storytelling and activism
We know the importance of data and evidence in tackling global crises like climate change, but is it stories rather than statistics that will drive change? Our panel discuss how art, literature and performance can be used to connect and inspire people, and how this feeds into activism.
What’s it going to take us to save the planet?
We live in polarised times, when global problems seem to be turning us against each other, not bringing us together. Over Festival week we will explore ways of tackling the enormous challenges we face, but there will be no solutions without cooperation.
Why evidence matters
How can scientific evidence help us in an age of “alternative facts”? As chief data reporter for the Financial Times, John Burn-Murdoch uses statistics and graphics to dig into the most pressing issues of the day, covering everything from the economy to climate change, social issues and healthcare. His high-profile use of visualization and data science helped audiences around the world understan
Will AI secure humanity’s future?
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping our world, transforming economies, societies, daily interactions and the institutions that support them. Many researchers and policymakers view this as a pivotal moment, one that could lead to greater global wellbeing if managed well or to growing instability if risks are left unchecked.
Can we tackle climate change without deepening inequality?
The climate crisis is reshaping economies, societies, and livelihoods—but not everyone bears its costs equally.
Cruising
This event brings together theatre and social science to explore some of the most urgent questions of our time, building on LSE IDEAS’ Geopolitics of Climate Change series.
Global sustainability: in conversation with John Kerry
Join former US Secretary of State John Kerry for a wide-ranging conversation on global sustainability challenges and opportunities, reflecting on leadership, international cooperation, and the evolving intersections between sustainability, diplomacy and public policy.
Saving the planet in an age of geopolitical rivalry
Is the return of great power rivalry and conflict eroding the collective capacity and willingness of the international community to address environmental, trade, and public health crises globally?
The artist formerly known as climate change
Adam Met, climate advocate, educator and member of the multiplatinum band AJR, discusses how we can protect the planet and examines the future of climate communication in an age of political polarization, algorithmic media, and public distrust.
The green shoots of the new economy
We know that governments across the world are acting far too slowly in tackling the ecological crisis across its many dimensions, but can we usefully look elsewhere for radical action? Can we even find new solutions in in the most unexpected places - from innovative firms and financial actors emerging in an otherwise ecologically destructive capitalism?
How the right laws can save the planet
The planet and its inhabitants face critical threats – including climate change, collapse of biodiversity, reverses in progress on global poverty and persistent inequality.
Saving the world one family at a time
With growing tensions between China and the United States, new "third spaces" are emerging beyond great-power competition. Gone South Village is a short documentary film that explores how overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia create social and global orders that are neither wholly Chinese nor Thai.
Surviving extreme times
In their books, both Mishal Husain and Lea Ypi have explored their family histories through periods of authoritarianism, conflict and political upheaval. In this conversation they will explore the resonance with the present of themes from the past, like the rise of fascism, migration, colonialism and inequality. What can history tell us about how to live through difficult political times, and wher
Green industrial policy: balancing national goals and global integration
The fracturing consensus on green growth, shifting trade dynamics, and security concerns are reshaping industrial policy priorities across the UK, Europe and beyond.
Mobilising investment for a sustainable planet
The European Investment Bank Group has, as its top priority, ensuring a green transition that benefits citizens, businesses and the planet. The need to cut dependence on imported fossil fuels and reinforce Europe’s energy security has become even more pressing in today’s geopolitical context.
The cost of growth: rethinking the economic narrative to save the planet
What if the climate crisis requires us to fundamentally transform our economic systems? As global decision makers remain wedded to economic growth at any cost, this event responds to the urgent need to explore alternative approaches to sustaining life on Earth.
Wired to save the planet: rethinking energy in an electrified world
As the world races toward net zero, electricity systems are under pressure like never before. The push for cleaner power collides with soaring demand – driven by electrification, population growth, and energy-hungry technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centres. Can we keep the lights on, cut emissions, and keep energy affordable all at once?
How geoeconomics will affect the green transition
World events have shone a stark light on the vulnerabilities of energy markets, supply chains and global economic security. How will the need to tackle climate change be affected by the geopolitical shocks reshaping trade, production and investment?
The future of refugee integration
As climate disasters intensify worldwide and displacement reaches historic levels, understanding the economic foundations of integration and their fragility in the face of climate shocks, has become critical for policymakers everywhere. Join experts on refugee integration and climate policy leaders for a film screening and conversation on how to promote the integration of refugees in an era of cli
The politics of climate change
The climate crisis is a global challenge requiring global cooperation to tackle it, but the political world seems further than ever from a consensus about how to do that. What explains the rollback of net-zero commitments, and the growing green backlash?
The ecological continuation of empire in the Arab world
This lecture by Marwa Daoudy, held in honour of the renowned scholar Fred Halliday, will explore the entanglement of colonialism, capitalism, and environmental exploitation that has shaped the modern global order in ways that continue to structure global inequality.
The runtime revolution: how generative AI is reshaping value and organisations
Join Youngjin Yoo for his inaugural lecture, where he will set out a new agenda for understanding how this technological and economic shift is reshaping value creation, technological design, and the organisation.
Reading wars: the story (so far) of Western literacy and the future of free speech
Who gets access to books? And, to what extent does the act of reading shape our humanity?
Ten years on: Brexit and Britain’s political future
In June 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum that reshaped British politics, society, and the economy in profound and lasting ways. Ten years on, this event brings together leading voices from politics, journalism, and academia to reflect on how Brexit has transformed political identities, party competition, public trust, and Britain’s place in the world.
How to win a trade war
In this public event, Soumaya Keynes and Chad Bown discuss their new book, How to Win a Trade War.
The everywhere millionaire: who is really rich in America and how they got there
The story of wealth in America isn’t just about Wall Street or Silicon Valley—it’s also about the quiet fortunes of Main Street business owners, whose growing economic and political power often escapes the spotlight.
The halted march of the European left: lessons from history
In the 1970s, the European left was thriving. Across the continent, numerous groups emerged to defend the working‑class in all its diversity. New waves of organising—led by women, migrants, and young workers—pointed to the vitality of the labour movement. And then... the left’s progress came to a sharp halt. What brought about such decline? What lessons must we take away from this historical turni
From citizen to subject: police militarisation and the imperial boomerang
Militarised policing is one of the preconditions for fascist rule, but how and why would police in liberal democracies militarise?
Inheritance, demographics, and economic development
Inheritance institutions shape family structures and demographic decisions, with enduring implications for economic development. This lecture describes how inheritance rules affect fertility, marriage, and migration decisions in historical and development contexts.
Trade under strain: policy challenges in a fractured world
In an increasingly fragmented global order, new forms of geopolitical and economic division are reshaping the world economy. Long‑standing trade partnerships face growing pressure, and rising tensions threaten to unwind decades of cooperation
Economics, ethics, and the role of the state in climate action
Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the defining challenges of our time — but they also open the door to extraordinary possibility. The investments, innovation, and structural change required for climate action can unlock, particularly when combined with AI, far more dynamic and resilient paths of growth and development than anything the past has offered.
Investable transition opportunities: what counts as a climate solution?
As companies in high-emitting sectors move from setting net zero targets to implementing detailed transition plans, investors are demanding greater transparency and fully quantified strategies.
Why populists are winning and how to beat them
In 2024, two billion people went to vote – and populism won big. Donald Trump returned to the White House. Marine Le Pen surged in France. Reform UK became Britain’s most successful far-right party in modern history. Across the West, authoritarian populists now govern one-quarter of the world’s democracies. But is this peak populism – or the populists’ tipping point?
Cooling a warming India: ecology and equity in our time
This talk will examine housing and work, sleep and sociality, as key aspects of everyday life where strategies to create more equitable and sustainable access to cooling must focus.
Development finance after Trump
The Trump Administration has closed the world’s largest bilateral aid programme, USAID and poured scorn on its past effectiveness. Other donors are also cutting their aid programmes at the same time as there is a growing chorus of concern around aid effectiveness. It has created ‘’ a perfect storm” in the world of development finance. Can there be a happy ending or is development another casualty
The foreign policy of Donald Trump in historical perspective
Commentators around the world draw some startling analogies when they seek to assess President Donald Trump, some even likening him to a Roman emperor or an inter-war dictator. In this lecture, Niall Ferguson puts Trump's foreign policy in an Anglo-American historical perspective.
Who is Britain really saving in the fight against modern slavery?
As Black Lives Matter has exposed the legacies of transatlantic slavery and empire, Britain has launched a new moral crusade at home: the fight against “modern slavery.” This panel discussion marks the launch of Drugs, Race and the Politics of Modern Slavery Law by Insa Lee Koch and asks what this crusade is really doing.
The ethics of foreign intervention: philosophical perspectives on Venezuela and Iran
The US capture of President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 and the US–Israeli military campaign against Iran have thrust foreign intervention back to the centre of global debate.
Greek Prime Ministers in the eye of the storm
This public lecture is for the book launch of Greek Prime Ministers in the Eye of the Storm: Crisis Management and Institutional Change, featuring authors Kevin Featherstone and Dimitris Papadimitriou.
Global ideas for global challenges: a panel in honour of Nick Stern
Leaders of the world’s premier economic institutions and a Nobel Prize winning economist discuss how ideas have evolved to shape our world and what is needed for the future.
From curiosity to prosperity: sharing the gains of science
Why should governments back “Big Science” when discoveries are uncertain and the benefits may seem distant from taxpayers’ daily lives? In this public lecture, France A Córdova—astrophysicist and former Director of the US National Science Foundation, NASA Chief Scientist, and President of the Science Philanthropy Alliance—explores how curiosity-driven research and the large infrastructures that en
End of the America era? Looking back, looking forward
At a time of intensifying geopolitical rivalry, economic nationalism, and ideological extremism, this roundtable brings together a group of leading political scientists and historians to take stock of the choices and pathways that have brought America and the world to this unsettled moment.
Mediate the middle: moving with and beyond dichotomies
Join us in celebrating the launch of Bart Cammaerts’ latest textbook, Dichotomies in Media and Communication Theory — a bold and original exploration of the key theoretical tensions that shape our media landscape.
Is a democratic economy possible? Lessons from history, horizons for the future
Fifty years after powerful labour movements launched radical plans to democratise the economy and gain control of large businesses, what is the legacy of these efforts and what are the prospects for economic democracy today?
Assessing risk assessment in cases of domestic abuse
Domestic abuse affects roughly one-third of women worldwide and carries serious consequences for victims, their children, and society at large. This lecture presents findings from three studies examining the risk assessment process which has been used across England since 2009 to help police identify victims at high risk of serious repeat abuse and connect them with protective services.
Animal economics
Humans care about animals, and many would argue that animals are morally relevant. Many of our decisions profoundly affect the welfare of animals and yet welfare economics has not, up to this point, considered animals in its frameworks, theories and cost-benefit calculations.
Mass media, justice and me: a victim’s perspective
Step into the lives of those whose pursuit of justice collided with the power of the press.
Housing supply and the future of our urban planet
Join us for this special Economica Coase lecture which this year will be delivered by Harvard academic Edward Glaeser.
How stories can transcend borders and boxes of identity
By drawing upon multiple disciplines and weaving these threads into the broader practice of literary arts, the Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak offers an inspirational talk about our world today, the stories that bring us together, and the silences that keep us apart.
The geopolitical implications of the Israel-US-Iran war
A panel of academic experts is brought together by the Middle East Centre at LSE to discuss the current Israel-US-Iran war.
The world is your office: AI and the evolution of work from anywhere
During the past decade, technological change and management practices have disrupted how organisations access global talent and organise work. Thousands of employees are now enabled to work from anywhere. Why? Because trailblazing organisations recognise that geographic flexibility offers a competitive edge.
Infinite justice: political cosmologies that protect our future
In her inaugural lecture, Shakuntala Banaji explores how our ethical and political imaginations of love, justice and rights—shaped by education systems, media and technologies under savage capitalism—differ between individuals, communities and geopolitical entities.
Rebalancing the new world order in an age of fragmentation
Join us for this special event with LSE alumnus and President of Finland Alexander Stubb.
Donald Trump and the unmaking of Europe
Join us for this lecture by Nathalie Tocci who will argue that Donald Trump’s foreign policy record has not been very successful so far, as wars continue to rage in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
Gender, culture and equality in today’s Britain
Join us for a timely conversation on equality, gender and culture in contemporary Britain with Sarah Owen MP, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
Invisible inputs: gender bias in AI systems
Behind every algorithm lies a set of choices, some visible, many not. This panel discusses the unseen forces that shape AI, focusing on how gender bias enters systems through data, design, and deployment.
Women’s health matters: science, systems, and global change
The LSE Health and Department of Health Policy Annual Lecture 2026 was delivered by Michelle A Williams, Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University.
Complexity and complicity in social anthropology
Join us for Hans Steinmüller's inaugural lecture.
The politics of world heritage: visions, custodians, and futures of humanity
In this book launch, Elif Kalaycioglu, will present her new book, The Politics of World Heritage: Visions, Custodians, and Futures of Humanity, followed by a discussion and Q&A.
The care economy and social housing
What is the relationship between the care economy and social housing and how do they directly influence each other?
Grassroots: shaping the digital realm and through it – the world
The digital realm today concentrates power and wealth in the hands of the few, excluding most of humanity from equal participation.
Do molecules have structure? The view from quantum physics
Join us for the inaugural BJPS Popper Prize lecture, delivered by philosophers of science Alexander Franklin and Vanessa Seifert.
Creative destruction, AI, and the European recovery
Join us for this special event with LSE's Philippe Aghion, joint recipient of the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
From dialogue to decarbonisation: can investor engagement deliver?
With momentum behind the low-carbon transition faltering and headwinds mounting, investors play an increasingly critical role in in sustaining climate ambition.
American foreign policy in the age of Trump
With the old world order visibly weakening, President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is both consequential and confusing. Does Mr Trump have a strategy and if so, what are its prospects for success?
Eco-social contracts for sustainable and just futures
For changemakers, students, and everyone seeking hope, direction, and clarity during a time of global uncertainty, join us for the launch of a book that serves as both a call to action and a guide for transformation—encouraging readers to imagine and co-create sustainable and just futures.
Balancing economic reform and stability: Paraguayan lessons for policymakers
Join us as we welcome Carlos Gustavo Fernández Valdovinos, Paraguay’s Minister of Economy and Finance, for a lecture on the country’s economic transformation from crisis management to achieving investment grade.
Narratives in policymaking
We all love a good story. Stories provide coherence and help to form our sense of identity. Personal and social narratives fundamentally affect the ways we live, how we interact and what is considered important at all levels of decision-making.
Immigration policy: challenges and options
In this third and final lecture Alan Manning offers solutions to the challenges facing immigration policy, and how to navigate among the often-competing claims of the economy, culture, justice, and democracy.
EdTech at the crossroads of pedagogy vs profit
Education technology (EdTech) is transforming education at a fast pace – but at what cost?
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