LSE IQ is a monthly podcast from the London School of Economics and Political Science that asks social scientists and other experts to answer intelligent questions about economics, politics, or society. Each episode tackles a specific question, drawing on research and insights from LSE academics and beyond. The podcast aims to make complex social science ideas accessible to a broad audience.
Episodes
How can we stop buying so much stuff?
Why do we buy so much stuff, and what would it take to break the cycle of overconsumption? In this episode of LSE iQ, Sue Windebank explores the social, psychological and economic forces that encourage us to keep buying, when many of the things that we own could be repaired, reused, or shared.Drawing on research in India, Julia Cohen (Corwin) from LSE's Department of Geography shares stories from
Is your phone listening to you?
We all have an anecdote of a time when we’ve had an in-person conversation and then received an online advert about something we discussed. This leads many of us to believe our phones are eavesdropping on our conversations.In this episode of LSE iQ, Charlotte Kelloway asks: Are our phones listening to us? She speaks to Professor Edgar Whitley of LSE’s Department of Management about the dangers of
Should we still care about net zero?
In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to commit in law to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But seven years later, the world looks very different. Since then, we've experienced a global pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy price shocks, US attacks on Iran, more energy price shocks, and growing political opposition to climate policies.As governments face competi
Should we take hypnotherapy more seriously?
From stage-show stereotypes to life-changing treatment, this episode explores the science - and the myths - behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy. We uncover extraordinary stories of addiction recovery, pain relief, and everyday healing from a form of talking therapy that remains widely misunderstood.Asking whether we should take hypnotherapy more seriously, Joanna Bale talks to LSE anthropologist Dr N
Should animals have rights?
From the pets we love to the animals we rarely see, our relationship with non-human life is full of contradictions. In this episode, we explore what it really means to protect animals and whether welfare is enough, or if rights are the way forward.Beginning with a simple question inspired by my own dog, Pip, this episode moves from the personal to the global. Through conversations with experts inc
How can we be more resilient?
We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news.But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investment
Why are we having fewer children?
Fertility rates are at record lows around the world, reshaping communities and even forcing some schools to close. In 1950, the global average was around five live births per woman. Today, that number has more than halved to 2.2, and in England and Wales, it’s closer to 1.4. The UK’s falling birth rate reflects what the United Nations has described as ‘a global fertility slump’.In this episode of
Are jobs getting better?
What does the future of work really look like?
Will the next World War be a cyberwar?
It seems every week we hear a new report of a cyber-attack. What if those attacks were on our critical infrastructure? Our national grid? Our water supply? Is the UK prepared?
Will AI free us from work?
What does artificial intelligence really mean for the future of work?
Do we need to pay our debts?
Amid rising interest rates and inflation, we ask whether debts must always be paid—exploring causes of debt, bankruptcy’s role, and fresh perspectives on repayment.
How is the far right shaping our future?
Far-right ideas once on the fringe now dominate feeds and headlines, reshaping politics and threatening democracy worldwide.
Is AI destroying the planet?
This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem?
How do we avoid falling for online scams?
What type of person falls for an online scam? Who are the fraudsters and how does colonialism motivate them? And what’s the connection between criminality and pop music?
Are we in danger of losing our communities?
With the cost-of-living crisis leading to the closure of community spaces around the UK, and the pressures on urban development projects, this episode of LSE iQ asks, are we in danger of losing our communities?
Do we need to drive?
This episode of LSE iQ looks at whether we should still be driving.
Why are our rivers and seas polluted by sewage?
This episode of LSE iQ explores a national scandal: widespread illegal sewage dumping by our privatised water companies, and why they are all under criminal investigation.
Who owns outer space?
With companies, like SpaceX or Blue Origin, getting into space exploration and the cost of launching rockets dropping, could we see a lot more people heading into space in the future?
What’s it like to win a Nobel Prize?
In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious Nobel Prize and how it changes your life.
How can we solve the gender pay gap?
This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap.
Will the US remain the world’s superpower?
The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat?
China, war and the civilizational state
Why do some countries, such as China and Russia, stand outside of the liberal international order and oppose values that the West takes for granted – values such as liberty and democracy?
Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?
Are weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?
Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class? | Extra iQ
This episode of LSE Extra iQ asks, 'Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class?'.
How can we tackle loneliness?
This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we tackle loneliness?’.
Can we change the world?
This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Can we change the world?’
What’s it like to be criminalised for being gay?
Joanna Bale investigates how gay men living in Dubai create covert communities where they can meet and socialise.
Is AI coming for our jobs?
This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Is AI coming for our jobs?’
What is it like to be an animal?
This month we’re re-running an episode from 2021 which asks, ‘What’s it like to be an animal?’
How can we make homes more affordable?
This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we make homes more affordable?’
How can we solve the refugee crisis?
Joanna Bale talks to Dr Stuart Gordon, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq and Halima, an Afghan refugee living in a hotel, about what it’s like to flee your country and policy ideas to help resolve the situation.
Do we always need to pay our debts?
Exploring the reasons people might find themselves with problematic levels of debt, this month, LSE iQ asks “Do we always need to pay our debts?”
Can gaming make us happier?
This month, LSE iQ asks: Can gaming make us happier?
How does class define us?
This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How does class define us?’
How can we survive the next mass extinction?
This month, LSE iQ asks: How can we survive the next mass extinction?
What’s the future of capitalism?
Capitalism and free markets have lifted billions out of poverty across the globe. But it is also blamed for widening the gap between rich and poor - with increasing numbers of people feeling left behind.
Why do we need foodbanks?
This month we’re re-running an episode from 2019 about an issue which has come back into focus with the cost-of-living crisis.
Do we need the arts to change the world?
This episode of LSE iQ asks do we need the arts to change the world?
Should you follow your passion?
This episode of LSE iQ asks whether the advice to ‘follow you heart’ or to ‘find your calling’, is good advice.
Can mothers do it all?
In this episode, Nathalie Abbott speaks to Shani Orgad (Professor of Media and Communications at LSE) about representations of mothers, and what effects these have on all of us.
Has COVID killed the office?
What does the post-pandemic future hold for office workers?
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
Conspiracy theories fomented by political division and a global pandemic have gained traction in the public consciousness in the last couple of years. Why do people become involved in conspiratorial thinking?
What does it really mean to be a citizen?
Citizenship. What does that word really signify? This episode of LSE IQ takes a look at the issue in all its complexities...
Do algorithms have too much power?
Computer algorithms shape our lives and increasingly control our future, but how much power should we give to them and have we let things go too far?
Scroungers versus Strivers: the myth of the welfare state
This episode is dedicated to social policy giant Professor Sir John Hills, who died in December 2020.
Should we be optimistic?
Despite our growing collective pessimism about the state of the world, when it comes to our own lives, research suggests we are generally optimistic.
What’s the point of social science in a pandemic?
As we embark on 2021 and, hopefully, the latter stages of the pandemic, now is an apt moment to reflect on how we’ve got to where we are.
How can we end child poverty in the UK?
Even before coronavirus, child poverty had been rising for several years. This latest bite-sized episode of LSE iQ explores the question, ‘How can we end child poverty in the UK?’
Bullshit jobs, technology, capitalism
This episode is dedicated to David Graeber, LSE professor of Anthropology, who died unexpectedly in September this year. David was a public intellectual, a best-selling author, an influential activist and anarchist.
Is perfect the enemy of the possible?
Jess Winterstein speaks to Dr Thomas Curran about the potential pitfalls of wanting to be perfect.
Can we afford the super-rich?
In the wake of the coronavirus, this episode of LSE IQ explores whether society can afford the super-rich.
How can we tackle air pollution?
Sue Windebank speaks to Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah about her campaigning work for both clean air and a new inquest into the causes of her daughter’s death
Is big data good for our health?
With more and more information about us available electronically and online, this episode of LSE IQ asks, ‘Is big data good for our health?’
What does gender have to do with pandemics?
Contributor(s): Dr Clare Wenham
Are we doomed, or can the climate crisis be averted?
Contributor(s): Bob Ward, Svenja Surminski, Ivan, XR
LSE IQ Episode 31 | Is corruption inevitable?
Contributor(s): Professor Michael Muthukrishna, Professor Sandra Sequeira
LSE IQ Episode 30 | How do we stop knife crime?
Contributor(s): Yvonne Lawson, Tom Kirchmaier, Carmen Vila-Llera, Janet Foster, Kerris Cooper
LSE IQ Episode 29 | What's the secret to happiness?
Contributor(s): Professor Paul Dolan, Professor Lord Richard Layard, Liz Zeidler
LSE IQ Episode 28 | Is the 21st Century the Chinese century?
Contributor(s): Professor Christopher Coker, Dr Debin Ma, Dr Yu Jie
LSE IQ Episode 27 | What can we learn from the 2011 riots?
Contributor(s): Professor Tim Newburn, Paul Lewis, Professor John Drury
LSE IQ Episode 26 | Why do we need food banks?
Contributor(s): Professor Aaron Reeves, Laura Lane, Daphine Aikens
LSE IQ Episode 25 | Is gender equality possible?
Contributor(s): Professor Sarah-Banet-Weiser, Dr Grace Lordan, Professor Shani Orgad
LSE IQ Episode 24 | How can we age better?
Contributor(s): Professor Hiroko Akiyama, Kath Scanlon, Dr Thijs Van Den Broek, Professor Alan Walker
LSE IQ Episode 23 | How does the modern world affect relationships?
Contributor(s): Brett Heasman, Paula Kiel, Brian D. Earp
LSE IQ Episode 22 | Should we fear the rise of the far right?
Contributor(s): Professor Simon Hix, Dr Marta Lorimer, Matthew Feldman, Sara Khan
LSE IQ Episode 21 | Can we afford our consumer society?
Contributor(s): Dr Rebecca Elliott, Professor Ian Gough, Dr Rodolfo Leyva
LSE IQ Episode 20 | Can activism really change the world?
Contributor(s): Dr Ayça Çubukçu, Professor Armine Ishkanian, Dr Chris Rossdale
LSE IQ Episode 19 | Is the gentrification of our global cities inevitable?
Contributor(s): Professor Suzanne Hall, Alan Mace, Dr David Madden, Emad Megahed, Dr Patria Roman-Velazquez
LSE IQ Episode 18 | How do stories help us understand the world?
Contributor(s): Richard Bronk, Professor Lib Taylor, Professor Mary Morgan
LSE IQ Episode 17 | Are we entering a new Cold War?
Contributor(s): Anne Applebaum, Dr Cristian Nitoiu, Peter Pomerantsev
LSE IQ Episode 16 | Do we need to rethink foreign aid?
Contributor(s): Dr Grace Akello, Rafat Ali Al-Akhali, Dr Duncan Green, Dr Ryan Jablonski
LSE IQ Episode 15 | Are cryptocurrencies the future of money?
Contributor(s): Dr Tatiana Cutts, Professor Nigel Dodd, Dr Garrick Hileman, Dr Natacha Postel-Vinay
LSE IQ Episode 14 | How do you win an argument?
Contributor(s): Dr Owen Griffiths, Professor Bryan W Roberts, Professor Bart Cammaerts, Professor Martin W Bauer, Dr Alexandru Marcoci
LSE IQ Episode 13 | Are we seeing a new gender equality revolution?
Contributor(s): Professor Jennifer Brown, Winnie Li, Professor Beverley Skeggs
LSE IQ Episode 12 | Why is democracy declining?
Contributor(s): Professor Jonathan Hopkin, Dr Brian Klass, Professor Tomila Lankina
LSE IQ Episode 11 | What's the future of the welfare state?
Contributor(s): Professor Sir John Hills, Professor Lucinda Platt, OBE, Dr Malcolm Torry
LSE IQ Episode 10 | What makes a great leader?
Contributor(s): Professor Connson Locke, Professor Elizabeth Samet, Professor Ben Voyer
LSE IQ Episode 9 | Why is social mobility declining?
Contributor(s): Professor Mike Savage, Dr Abigail McKnight, Professor Sam Friedman
LSE IQ Episode 8 | Is our prison system broken?
Contributor(s): Dr Simon Bastow, Professor Nicola Lacey, Dr Sharon Shalev
LSE IQ Episode 7 | Could social entrepreneurship be the answer to world poverty?
Contributor(s): Professor Stephan Chambers, Dr Christian Busch
