LSE: Public lectures and events

Speaker(s): Professor Robert J Gordon | Professor Gordon will examine the history of economic growth in the USA, and explore solutions needed to overcome the economic challenges of the future. Robert J Gordon is the Stanley G Harris Professor in the Social Sciences at Northwestern University and author of The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2014 he was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association in recognition of a long career of outstanding contributions to scholarship, teaching, public service, and the economics profession. For more than three decades, he has been a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research's Business Cycle Dating Committee, which determines the start and end dates for recessions in the United States. Wouter Den Haan is Professor of Economics at LSE and Co-Director of the Centre for Macroeconomics. 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. 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.

Speaker(s): Professor Susanne Baer | Dynamics of globalisation, which include mass migration, international terrorism, and global trade, as well as the rise of transnational legal regimes, put pressure on national legal systems, the essence of which is to be found in constitutional law. In addition, courts are positioned in time and space, amidst public opinion about "who we are, really"? Can law guarantee liberty and security, guarantee equality and organise solidarity? Or is it, finally, naïve to hope for the civilising forces of constitutionalism, with its promise of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental human rights? Professor Susanne Baer will share her perspective as a Justice on the German Constitutional Court. She also holds the Chair of Public Law and Gender Studies at Humboldt-University Berlin and is a William W. Cook Global Law Professor at Michigan Law School. Her work and publications focus on law against discrimination, critical and feminist legal studies, comparative constitutionalism, and interdisciplinary studies of law. Nicola Lacey is School Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy at LSE. LSE Law (@lselaw) is an integral part of the School's mission, plays a major role in policy debates & in the education of lawyers and law teachers from around the world.

Speaker(s): Professor Danny Dorling | The UK fares unfavourably in relation to other large countries in the EU in terms of health, educational fairness, housing, income distribution and poverty. It was not the EU that made us become less equal and which created all the social problems that resulted from growing inequality. But it helps those who promote inequality to blame our membership of the EU for so much that is wrong in our society. Staying will not necessarily solve those problems, but neither will leaving be a panacea. Danny Dorling (@dannydorling) is Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography and Fellow of St Peter’s College, University of Oxford. Vassilis Monastiriotis is an Associate Professor of Political Economy at the European Institute. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is celebrating its Twenty Fifth Anniversary in 2016. It is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. LEQS (the LSE 'Europe in Question' Discussion Paper Series) was established in May 2009 to publish high quality research on Europe and the European Union from scholars across LSE and beyond.

Speaker(s): Dr Raghuram Rajan | The global financial crisis has shaken up the international financial architecture. Regulatory changes and unconventional monetary policies have mainly served the interests of advanced economies. Raghuram Rajan, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, has been the main voice of emerging economies demanding a more balanced global monetary system. He would like to see more coordination to reduce volatility and a more effective “global safety net” to protect those most vulnerable. Emerging economies must be more involved in rethinking and reshaping the system. Dr Rajan assumed charge as the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on September 4th 2013. Rajan is on leave from the University of Chicago, where he is the Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the Booth School. Between 2003 and 2006, Dr. Rajan was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund. Dr Rajan’s research interests are in banking, corporate finance, and economic development, especially the role finance plays in it. He co-authored Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists with Luigi Zingales in 2003. He then wrote Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World Economy, for which he was awarded the Financial Times-Goldman Sachs prize for best business book in 2010. Erik Berglöf (@ErikBerglof) is the inaugural Director of the Institute of Global Affairs (IGA). This event will include a welcome from LSE Director and President Professor Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) and introductory remarks from HE Mr Navtej Sarna (@NavtejSarna), High Commissioner of India. A vote of thanks will be given by Dr Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB), Director of the South Asia Centre at LSE. The Institute of Global Affairs (IGA) (@LSEIGA) creates a dedicated space for research, policy engagement and teaching across multiple disciplines to pioneer locally-rooted responses to global challenges. This is the inaugural event for the ‘100 Foot Journey Club’, a collaboration between the High Commission of India and the LSE South Asia Centre. This event is organised in partnership with the LSE South Asia Centre (@SAsiaLSE), India Observatory and the High Commission of India.

Speaker(s): Professor Gwen Griffith-Dickson | The uneasy relationship between the state and religion is most sharply seen in the context of security, terrorism and religious violence. Should people of faith serve government strategies on counter-terrorism? Gwen Griffith-Dickson is the Founder and Director of Lokahi and Visiting Professor at King’s College, London. Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) is Director and President of LSE. He is a world-renowned social scientist whose work connects sociology to culture, communication, politics, philosophy and economics.

Speaker(s): Professor Mary Lacity, Professor Leslie Willcocks | It’s predicted that five million jobs will be performed by robots in the next ten years. Contrary to the fears perpetuated by the media that robots will steal your job, Professor Willcocks and Professor Lacity discuss how robotic technologies can facilitate the rise, not the demise, of human productivity and innovation. In presenting a more realistic and balanced view, the fears that surround robotic processing automation are punctured by in-depth research and expel the myths around the benefits and downsides of present and future technologies. Mary Lacity is Curators Professor of Information Systems at the University of Missouri, St Louis. Leslie Willcocks is Professor of Technology Work and Globalisation at LSE. Edgar Whitley is an Associate Professor (Reader) of Information Systems in the Department of Management at LSE. The Department of Management (@LSEManagement) is a globally diverse academic community at the heart of the LSE, taking a unique interdisciplinary, academically in-depth approach to the study of management and organisations.

Speaker(s): Professor Gordon Belot, Professor David Malament | The Lakatos Award is given for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science. This year’s Award winners, Gordon Belot and David Malament, will speak respectively on “Objectivity, Limited” and “On the Concept of “Rotation” in Relativity Theory”. Gordon Belot is a Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Michigan. David Malament is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine. John Worrall is a mainstay of The Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method and the School, and is this year celebrating his 50th year here. The Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method (@LSEPhilosophy) at LSE was founded by Professor Sir Karl Popper in 1946, and remains internationally renowned for a type of philosophy that is both continuous with the sciences and socially relevant.

Speaker(s): Sir David Chipperfield | In this lecture renowned British architect David Chipperfield will discuss the current state of planning in London and the importance of finding a balance between development and conservation. Sir David Chipperfield is a British architect who established the global architectural practice David Chipperfield Architects in 1985. Rowan Moore (@RowanMoore) is Architecture Critic of The Observer. His new book, Slow Burn City, explores the unprecedented transformations of London in the 21st century. Ricky Burdett (@BURDETTR) is Professor of Urban Studies, and Director of LSE Cities and the Urban Age Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science. LSE Cities (@LSECities) is an international centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science that carries out research, conferences, education and outreach activities in London and abroad. Its mission is to study how people and cities interact in a rapidly urbanising world, focussing on how the design of cities impacts on society, culture and the environment.

Speaker(s): Professor Fawaz A Gerges | The Islamic State has stunned the world with its savagery, destructiveness, and military and recruiting successes. What explains the rise of ISIS and what does it portend for the future of the Middle East? One of the world's leading authorities on political Islam and jihadism sheds new light on these questions as he provides a unique history of the rise and growth of ISIS. Fawaz A. Gerges (@FawazGerges) is professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His many books include The New Middle East, Obama and the Middle East, and The Far Enemy. His latest book is Isis: A History. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, Foreign Affairs, and other publications. Chris Hughes is Professor of International Relations and Head of the Department of International Relations at LSE. The Department of International Relations (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 88th year making it one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Speaker(s): Lynsey Hanley | We talk a lot about the role class plays in British society, but how exactly do we move from one 'class' to another - and, if we can do so, what effect does it have on us? In her new book which she will discuss this in lecture, Lynsey Hanley explains that to be 'respectable' is to be neither rough nor posh, neither rich nor especially poor. Drawing on her own experience growing up on the Birmingham estate of Chelmsley Wood - living through the Thatcher years, listening to the Pet Shop Boys and Erasure, reading her parents' Daily Mirror and her grandparents' Sun - Hanley shows how social mobility can be double-edged unless we recognize the psychological impact of class and its creation of self-limiting obstacles. Lynsey Hanley is a Visiting Fellow in Cultural Studies at Liverpool John Moores University and author of Respectable: The Experience of Class. Mike Savage (@MikeSav47032563) is Martin White Professor of Sociology, head of the department of Sociology and Co-Director of the LSE International Inequalities Institute. The Department of Sociology at LSE (@LSEsociology) was established in 1904 and remains committed to top quality teaching and leading research and scholarship today.

Speaker(s): Professor Robert Hall | The annual Phillips Lecture, jointly sponsored by the journal Economica and the Department of Economics in which Professor Hall, one of the world's leading macroeconomists will speak on the macroeconomics of persistent slumps. Robert Hall is Robert and Carole McNeill Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Professor of Economics and Stanford University. Francesco Caselli is the Norman Sosnow Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 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.

Speaker(s): Natalia Gherman | Editor's note: Due to technical difficulties, this podcast does not include the Q and A section. Natalia Gherman is a former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova. She is a career diplomat holding the diplomatic rank of Ambassador. In June-July 2015 she was acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. In February 2016, the Moldovan government formally nominated Ms Gherman as a candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General. In March 2014, Ms. Natalia Gherman was among seven most impressive women leaders in the world, selected by The Guardian UK for the ranking "Seven women to watch in global politics who are leading positive change all over the world". Mark Hoffman is Deputy Head of the Department of International Relations at LSE. The Department of International Relations (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 88th year making it one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Speaker(s): Ben Cobley, Hugo Dixon, Professor Katrin Flikschuh, Dr Gerard Lyons | On June 23, voters in the will make a decision regarding their willingness to share or pool some of the UK’s sovereignty with the twenty-seven other member states of the European Union. This special event, held as part of the Forum’s 20th anniversary, will consider a motion to change the status quo. We will have two teams of speakers, one speaking for the proposition (Gerard Lyons and Ben Cobley), the other against (Hugo Dixon and Katrin Flikschuh). Ben Cobley (@bencobley) is a writer and political blogger. Hugo Dixon (@Hugodixon) is a columnist, author of The In/Out Question and Chairman and Editor-in-chief of InFacts. Katrin Flikschuh is Professor of Political Theory, LSE. Gerard Lyons (@DrGerardLyons) is Chief Economic Advisor to the Mayor of London. Danielle Sands (@DanielleCSands) is a Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Culture at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Forum for European Philosophy Fellow. The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK.

Speaker(s): Peter Gill | In his latest book Peter Gill reveals how the ‘war on terror’ has ravaged the independence and neutrality of humanitarian aid, with serious consequences for relief operations. Focusing on Turkey, Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan he explains how western counter-terror laws are restricting humanitarian relief operations and costing lives. Peter Gill is a current affairs reporter working in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Michiel Hofman is the Senior Humanitarian Specialist for the Humanitarian Innovation Team of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Michiel joined MSF in 1993 and has worked as MSF Country Director in DRC, Bosnia, Burundi, Sri Lanka, Brazil, South Sudan, Kosovo, Chechnya and Afghanistan. He is currently based in Belfast. Craig Calhoun (@craigjcalhoun) is Director and President of LSE. The Department of International Development (@LSE_ID) promotes interdisciplinary post-graduate teaching and research on processes of social, political and economic development and change.

Speaker(s): Angel Gurría, Dr Thomas Sampson | In the run up to the referendum of 23 June on membership of the EU, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria will address one of the most momentous decisions facing Britain in modern times. He will also present new OECD analysis on the economic consequences of Brexit. Angel Gurría (@A_Gurria) was appointed Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2006 following a distinguished career in public service in Mexico. He was previously Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 1994 to January 1998. From January 1998 to December 2000 he was Mexico’s Minister of Finance and Public Credit. Mr Gurría holds a BA in Economics from UNAM (Mexico), and an MA in Economics from the University of Leeds. Thomas Sampson joined the Centre for Economic Performance in 2011. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at LSE. He is co-author of the CEP BREXIT Analysis briefing papers, a series of background briefings on the issues facing the public over the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union. Nick Stern is the IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and Head of the India Observatory at the London School of Economics. He is President of the British Academy (from July 2013), and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society (June 2014). The Centre for Economic Performance (@CEP_LSE) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the LSE Research Laboratory. It was established by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 1990 and is now one of the leading economic research groups in Europe.