LSE: Public lectures and events

Speaker(s): Professor Axel Gosseries | Do the intergenerational issues raised by climate change differ from those raised by the Brexit vote? And what can we do to address these issues? Axel Gosseries is Professor of Economics and Social Ethics at Louvain University. The Ralph Miliband Programme (@RMilibandLSE) is one of LSE's most prestigious lecture series and seeks to advance Ralph Miliband's spirit of free social inquiry. The Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method (@LSEPhilosophy) 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): Dr Erica Lagalisse | Erica Lagalisse explores the relationship of 19th century anarchism with the clandestine fraternity, challenges leftist attachments to atheism, and intervenes in current debates concerning “conspiracy theory”. In the nineteenth century anarchists were accused of conspiracy by governments afraid of revolution, but in the current century various “conspiracy theories” suggest that anarchists are controlled by government itself. The Illuminati were a network of intellectuals who argued for self-government and against private property, yet the public is now often told that they were (and are) the very group that controls governments and defends private property around the world. Intervening in such misinformation, Lagalisse works with primary and secondary sources in multiple languages to set straight the history of the Left and will illustrate the actual relationship between revolutionism, pantheistic occult philosophy, and the clandestine fraternity. Exploring hidden correspondences between anarchism, Renaissance magic, and New Age movements, Erica Lagalisse also advances critical scholarship regarding leftist attachments to secular politics. Inspired by anthropological fieldwork within today’s anarchist movements, challenging anarchist atheism insofar as it poses practical challenges for coalition politics in today’s world. Studying anarchism as a historical object, Lagalisse will show how the development of leftist theory and practice within clandestine masculine public spheres continues to inform contemporary anarchist understandings of the “political,” in which men’s oppression by the state becomes the prototype for power in general, how gender and religion become privatized in radical counterculture, a historical process intimately linked to the privatization of gender and religion by the modern nation-state. Erica Lagalisse, author of Occult Features of Anarchism, is an anthropologist and Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE. Mathijs Pelkmans is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, LSE. The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) at LSE brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

Speaker(s): Dr Andrew Lewis-Pye | Perhaps the most fundamental challenge for the future of cryptocurrencies is the issue of scalability: How can one dramatically increase transaction rates without sacrificing the security of the blockchain? In this talk Andrew Lewis-Pye will start by giving an overview of the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies (a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank), with a focus on analysing protocols from a game theoretic perspective. Then he will go on to discuss possible solutions to the scalability issue. Andrew Lewis-Pye is Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at LSE. Jan van den Heuvel (@JanvadeHe) is Professor of Mathematics at LSE. LSE's Department of Mathematics (@LSEMaths), located within a world-class social science institution, aims to be a leading centre for Mathematics in the Social Sciences. We have a stimulating and active research environment and offer a wide range of degree programmes and courses. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMaths

Speaker(s): Professor Jay Winter | Silence itself is a language of memory. Jay Winter explores the dialectic between silence and sound in the auditory history of the Great War. Jay Winter is Charles J Stille Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University. Robin Archer is Director of the Ralph Miliband Programme at LSE. Robin Archer is Director of the Ralph Miliband Programme at LSE. The Ralph Miliband Programme (@RMilibandLSE) is one of LSE's most prestigious lecture series and seeks to advance Ralph Miliband's spirit of free social inquiry.

Speaker(s): Professor Pat Thane | The social and health needs of older people are not easily separable. But care has been institutionally separate since 1948. Did this help create the current crisis? Pat Thane is Research Professor in Contemporary History, King's College London. Robin Archer is the Director of the Ralph Miliband Programme, LSE. The Ralph Miliband Programme (@RMilibandLSE) is one of LSE's most prestigious lecture series and seeks to advance Ralph Miliband's spirit of free social inquiry. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSESocialCare

Speaker(s): Professor Sir Tim Besley, Professor Amartya Sen | An effective state promotes freedom and the well-being of its citizens. This lecture will discuss the importance of norms, values and institutions in supporting state effectiveness drawing on recent developments in social science. As well as making connections to Amartya Sen's ideas, the lecture will reflect on some of the major policy challenges that the world faces in the turbulent times that we are living through. Tim Besley is School Professor of Economics of Political Science and Sir W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics in the Department of Economics at LSE. He is also a member of the National Infrastructure Commission and was President of the Econometric Society in 2018. He has published widely on a wide variety of topics, mainly with a policy focus. Amartya Sen is Thomas W Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is the recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics and an LSE Honorary Fellow. Minouche Shafik is Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to this she was Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. STICERD (@STICERD_LSE) brings together world-class academics to put economics and related disciplines at the forefront of research and policy. Founded in 1978 by the renowned Japanese economist Michio Morishima, with donations from Suntory and Toyota, we are a thriving research community within the LSE. The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to provide co-ordination and strategic leadership for critical and cutting edge research and inter-disciplinary analysis of inequalities.

Speaker(s): Dr Rachel Harris, Professor Jude Howell, Dr Rian Thum | Large numbers of Uyghurs have been detained by the Chinese government in re-education camps. What do we know about these camps? Rachel Harris specialises in Uyghur culture and religion and is based at SOAS. Jude Howell is an expert on authoritarianism and Professor of International Development at LSE. Rian Thum is a historian of Xinjiang based at the University of Nottingham. Hans Steinmuller is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at LSE. LSE Anthropology (@LSEAnthropology) is world famous and world leading. We are ranked top Anthropology department in the Guardian League Tables 2018. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEXinjiang

Speaker(s): Professor Raghuram Rajan | Lionel Robbins was one of the outstanding men of his time; economist, public servant and supporter of the arts. The lectures, which were established in his name, take place each year and are a major event in the life of the School, featuring eminent economists from around the world. This year Raghuram Rajan, the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth will deliver the Lionel Robbins Lectures. A bank's issuance of short-term demandable or overnight claims in order to finance illiquid loans leads to panics. Since the dawn of banking in Assyria and Sumeria, long before we had central banks, deposit insurance, or a tax advantage to debt, banks have had this structure, and critics have been troubled by it, as they are today. Professor Rajan will argue that this structure of banks - financing illiquid loans with short term or demandable debt - is not just a bug in the system, it is also a feature. This talk will focus on why anticipation of high liquidity can be detrimental for the financial system, increasing leverage, the system's dependence on the liquidity materializing, and lowering good governance practices. Raghuram Rajan was the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between September 2013 and September 2016. Between 2003 and 2006, Dr. Rajan was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund. The first of this years Lionel Robbins Lectures will take place on Monday 11 March. Established at LSE in 1990 CEP is one of Europe's leading economic research centres. It addresses three related questions: How to foster growth? How to share growth? How to make growth sustainable?

Speaker(s): Professor Raghuram Rajan | Lionel Robbins was one of the outstanding men of his time; economist, public servant and supporter of the arts. The lectures, which were established in his name, take place each year and are a major event in the life of the School, featuring eminent economists from around the world. This year Raghuram Rajan, the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth will deliver the Lionel Robbins Lectures. A bank's issuance of short-term demandable or overnight claims in order to finance illiquid loans leads to panics. Since the dawn of banking in Assyria and Sumeria, long before we had central banks, deposit insurance, or a tax advantage to debt, banks have had this structure, and critics have been troubled by it, as they are today. Professor Rajan will argue that this structure of banks - financing illiquid loans with short term or demandable debt - is not just a bug in the system, it is also a feature. This lecture will focus on why banks have the structure they have - long term illiquid assets financed by short term runnable liabilities. It will explain why the risk of runs is inherent in the business of banking and cannot be eliminated without impinging on that business. Raghuram Rajan was the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between September 2013 and September 2016. Between 2003 and 2006, Dr. Rajan was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund. The second of this years Lionel Robbins Lectures will take place on Tuesday 12 March. Established at LSE in 1990 CEP is one of Europe's leading economic research centres. It addresses three related questions: How to foster growth? How to share growth? How to make growth sustainable?

Speaker(s): Pavita Cooper, Bronwyn Curtis, Elisabeth Stheeman | Three female leaders in business and finance share their experiences from their varied careers to mark International Women's Day. Pavita Cooper, Director of More Difference, will talk on women in finance, what has changed and what needs to change, talking in particular about the work of the 30 percent Club encouraging chairmen to appoint more women to their boards. Bronwyn Curtis, a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility, will speak on her career as a global financial economist who has served in senior executive positions in both the financial and media sectors. Elisabeth Stheeman, a member of the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee and LSE Alum, will share her career journey and experience. She has worked in Financial Services and Real Estate for over 25years before moving to a "portfolio career" with a number of non-executive roles, both in the UK and in Continental Europe a few years ago. Grace Lordan is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE. On International Women's Day 2019, LSE Library launches its series of activities around Women at Work to commemorate 100 years since the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act. This Act removed the legal barriers of sex or marriage from official appointments and professional occupations, such as the legal profession. The Women's Library Collection in LSE Library is a rich source of information for and was formed out of the struggles encountered by women working in the professions after 1919. Our Women Work programme begins in Spring 2019 with a focus on areas of work that have only relatively recently appointed women to senior positions. The British Library of Political and Economic Science was founded in 1896, a year after the London School of Economics and Political Science. It has been based in the Lionel Robbins Building since 1978 and houses many world class collections, including The Women's Library.

Speaker(s): Elise Do, Grace Olugbodi, Ana Maria Torres | To mark International Women's Day, join us for a discussion on how female entrepreneurs are using social enterprise to change the world to provide opportunities for women and tackle inequalities. Inspiring female leaders speak frankly about their journey, motivations, purpose and business and share their golden nuggets for success. The last two years have seen women speak up around the world and support each other, resulting in a sense of solidarity that is stronger than ever today. Social enterprises are providing leadership opportunities for women in the UK, India, Pakistan, and the USA. But despite this, gender inequalities still remain among social entrepreneurs. HERA (Her Equality Rights and Autonomy) and LSE team up to present a panel of leaders, entrepreneurs and experts in business who will explore the world of social enterprise and the opportunities it can present. Elise Do is Chair of the Board of Trustees for HERA. Elise is an Associate Director of Merger and Acquisitions at Augusta and Co where she specialises in renewable energy investment banking. She spent 10 years at Rio Tinto as Chief of Staff to the Group CFO. Grace Olugbodi (@BeGenioCity) is founder of BeGenio and Easy Maths Skills, creator of the Race to Infinity Maths game and author of Make Maths Fun. Ana Maria Torres (@anamatorresmon) is co-founder of Hilo Sagrado and has more than 15 years' of experience in social impact working in more than 40 countries. She has been an advisor and consultant to governments, international organisations and NGOs. Nadia Millington is a Senior Lecturer in Practice and Deputy Director of LSE's MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She had over 10 years' experience as a strategy consultant in the UK and Caribbean. The Department of Management (@LSEManagement) is a world class centre for education and research in business and management, ranked number 2 in the world for business and management studies. HERA (@HerEquality) provides entrepreneurship training, professional mentoring and grants to women survivors of human trafficking, violence and exploitation. Their programmes engage the business community to enable vulnerable women to achieve economic independence. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEWomenIn

Speaker(s): Dr Simukai Chigudu, Dr Laura Mann, Dr Lyn Ossome | From Cape Town to Oxford and beyond, student movements across the world calling for education to be decolonised have gained prominence over the past few years. In fact, academics have been raising concerns about the foundation of Africa scholarship as far back as 1969 at an African Studies Association in the United States. Simukai Chigudu (@SimuChigudu) is Associate Professor of African Politics at the University of Oxford. Laura Mann (@balootiful) is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Development at LSE. Lyn Ossome is Senior Research Fellow in the Makerere Institute of Social Research at Makerere University. Alcinda Honwana is Centennial Professor at LSE based in the Firoz Lalji centre for Africa and the Department of International Development. She is also a Visiting Professor of Anthropology and International Development at the Open University, where she held a Chair in International Development. Based at LSE in Pethick-Lawrence House, the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) promotes independent academic research and teaching; open and issue-oriented debate; and evidence-based policy making. The Centre accomplishes this by connecting different social science disciplines and by working in partnership with Africa bringing African voices to the global debate. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECitingAfrica This event forms part of the "New World (Dis)Orders" series, linked to the LSE Festival, a week-long series of events taking place from 25 February to 2 March 2019, free to attend and open to all, exploring how social science can tackle global issues. How did we get here? What are the challenges? And, importantly, how can we address them?

Speaker(s): Dr Yu Jie (Cherry), Dr Parag Khanna, Gideon Rachman | This event marks the launch Parag Khanna's book, The Future is Asian: Global Order in the 21st Century. In the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being irreversibly Asianized. The "Asian Century" is even bigger than you think. Far greater than just China, the new Asian system taking shape is a multi-civilizational order spanning Saudi Arabia to Japan, and Russia to Australia-linking five billion people through trade, finance and infrastructure networks that together represent 40 percent of global GDP. China has taken a lead in building the new Silk Roads across Asia, but it will not lead it alone. Rather, Asia is returning to the stable multipolar order that existed long before European colonialism and American dominance, with India and Southeast Asia coming into their own as economic and strategic hubs. The world has gotten used to hearing "America First" — but is it ready for "Asia First"? Get ready to see the world, and the future, from the Asian point-of-view. Yu Jie (@Yu_JieC) is the China Research Fellow at Chatham House, focusing on the decision-making process of Chinese foreign policy as well as China's economic diplomacy. She speaks and writes frequently at major media outlets such as BBC and Financial Times and regularly briefs senior policy practitioners from the EU institutions, the UK Cabinet Office, and the Silk Road Fund in Beijing, as well as major corporates. Yu Jie has testified at the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and was also head of China Foresight at LSE IDEAS. Prior to LSE, she was a management consultant, specializing in Chinese state-owned enterprises investments in Europe and Chinese market entry strategies for European conglomerates at the London Office of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. Dr Yu has been recognized as a 'Leading Woman' of the London School of Economics, and remains an associate of LSE IDEAS. Parag Khanna (@paragkhanna) is a global strategy advisor and author. He is Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm. He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016). He is also author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). In 2008, Parag was named one of Esquire’s "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century," and featured in WIRED magazine's "Smart List." He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Gideon Rachman (@gideonrachman) is Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator at the Financial Times. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. We connect academic knowledge of diplomacy and strategy with the people who use it Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEAsia

Speaker(s): Dr Liam Kofi Bright, Dr Rebecca Elliott, Dr Barbara Fasolo, Dr Seeta Peña Gangadharan, Dr Ilka Gleibs and Dr George Lawson | What will the world look like in the not too distant future? By 2035 how could the way we live, work, interact with each other and understand ourselves have changed? Join a panel of LSE academics for some informed speculation. Liam Kofi Bright is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method at LSE. Rebecca Elliott is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at LSE. Barbara Fasolo is Associate Professor of Behavioural Science in the Department of Management at LSE. Seeta Pena Gangadharan is Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. Ilka Gleibs is Assistant Professor in Social and Organisational Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE. George Lawson is Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations at LSE. Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #NewWorldDisorders This event is part of the LSE Festival: New World (Dis)Orders running from Monday 25 February to Saturday 2 March 2019, with a series of events exploring how social science can tackle global problems. The full programme will be online in January 2019.

Speaker(s): Dr Elena Barabantseva, Professor Bill Callahan, Xiaolu Guo | A screening and discussion of two short films by Elena Barabantseva, University of Manchester and Bill Callahan, LSE. A discussion will follow with Xiaolu Guo, an award-winning writer and filmmaker. Border People (14 min, 2018) Elena Barabantseva, University of Manchester How does the border enter and shape a family life? What does it mean to the people who cross the border for marriage? This film juxtaposes a personal story of Meihua, a Vietnamese Yao woman who married a Yao man in China, with the stories and ritual practices that the Yao elders pass on to the young generation amidst the Chinese state’s ambitious border development plans and ethnic revival strategies. Great Walls: Journeys from ideology to experience (28 min, 2019) Bill Callahan, London School of Economics and Political Science As Trump’s Wall and the Berlin Wall show, border walls are key sites of ideology: both Cold War ideology, and anti-immigrant ideology. This film uses the Great Wall of China to consider walls as sites of experience in every life. It juxtaposes archive clips of political leaders (JFK, Trump, Merkel) and ethnographic film of ordinary people to show how even US presidents feel something when they go to the Berlin Wall or the Great Wall. The film returns to the Trump Wall and the Great Wall to probe how walls can be sites of spectacular wonder in paradoxical personal experience. Dr Elena Barabantseva is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. Bill Callahan is Professor of International Relations in the Department of International Relations, LSE. Xiaolu Guo is a novelist and film maker. Her most recent film “5 Men and a Caravaggio” premiered at the London Film Festival (2018). Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #NewWorldDisorders This event is part of the LSE Festival: New World (Dis)Orders running from Monday 25 February to Saturday 2 March 2019, with a series of events exploring how social science can tackle global problems.