LSE: Public lectures and events

Speaker(s): Dr Cristobal Young, Ed Miliband MP, Dr Andrew Summers | If taxes rise, will they leave? In his new book, Cristobal Young publishes the findings from the first-ever large-scale study of migration of the world's richest individuals, drawing on special access to over 45mil US tax returns, together with Forbes rich lists. He shows that contrary to popular opinion, although the rich have the resources and capacity to flee high-tax places, their actual migration is surprisingly limited. Place still matters, even in today’s globalised world. Cristobal Young (@cristobalyoung5) is Assistant Professor of Sociology, Stanford University. Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) is the Member of Parliament for Doncaster North and was leader of the Labour Party from 2010-2015. Andrew Summers (@summers_ad) is Assistant Professor of Law, LSE. His teaching and research specialises in the taxation of wealth. Nicola Lacey is School Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy, LSE. The International Inequalities Institute at LSE (@LSEInequalities) 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. 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): Eric Ries | Discover how to kick-start innovation and deliver sustained growth, even in highly uncertain environments. Join entrepreneur Eric Ries in conversation with Dr Lourdes Sosa as he discusses his new book The Startup Way. Drawing on his experiences of working with iconic organisations following the release of his international bestseller The Lean Start Up, Ries offers a new framework for entrepreneurial management, showing how the startup ethos can breathe new life into companies of all sizes. Eric Ries (@ericries) is an entrepreneur and author of the international bestseller The Lean Startup. He has founded a number of startups including IMVU, where he served as CTO, and is the founder and current CEO of the Long-Term Stock Exchange. Ries has also advised on business and product strategy for startups, venture capital firms, and large companies, including General Electric, where he partnered to create the FastWorks programme. He has served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School, IDEO, and Pivotal. Lourdes Sosa is Associate Professor in LSE’s Department of Management. She researches technological discontinuities, a pervasive phenomenon in which a radical change in technologies disrupts a market. Prior to academia, Dr Sosa worked in R&D management at General Electric and General Motors. 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 Michael Mastanduno, Minouche Shafik | The post-Cold War US-China “grand bargain” in economics and security is now unravelling, and faces new uncertainty in the era of Trump. Michael Mastanduno is Nelson A Rockefeller Professor of Government, Dartmouth College and the inaugural Susan Strange Professor of International Relations at LSE. 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. Peter Trubowitz (@ptrubowitz) is Head of Department and Director of the US Centre at LSE. The Department of International Relations (@LSEIRDept) is now in its 90th year, making it one of the oldest and largest in the world.

Speaker(s): Professor Riccardo Crescenzi, Martin Sandbu | The process of technological development constantly opens windows of opportunity for new innovation centres to emerge around the world. What makes it possible for some cities and regions to join the exclusive ‘world innovation club’? Why are other places persistently excluded or lose their membership? Scholarly and policy debates attempt to identify factors at the national, regional or city level to ‘ignite’ innovation and boost productivity and employment in stagnating areas of the world. Our understanding is more limited of the transformative power of the flows of capital, skills and knowledge bundled into increasingly complex value chains, often controlled by multinational firms. This inaugural lecture by Riccardo Crescenzi will discuss the conceptual foundations and new empirical evidence from across the globe on the link between internationalisation, multinational firms’ strategies and local innovation and prosperity. The lecture will first discuss how multinationals decide where to locate different types of foreign activities along the value chain and how this process leads to ‘matching’ between firms and host regions. The second part will look at the consequences of these decisions and strategies for world cities and regions, drawing upon examples from Europe, the United States, China, India, Russia and Latin America. The final part will address the role of public policies and discuss how mayors, regional governors and national governments can effectively leverage global investment flows and value chains for innovation and recovery after the Great Recession. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union Horizon 2020 Programme H2020/2014-2020) (Grant Agreement n 639633-MASSIVE-ERC-2014-STG). Riccardo Crescenzi (@crescenzi_r ) is a Professor of Economic Geography at LSE. Martin Sandbu (@MESandbu) is an economics commentator at the Financial Times. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose (@rodriguez_pose) is a Professor of Economic Geography at LSE. The LSE Department of Geography & Environment (@LSEGeography) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Speaker(s): Professor Partha Dasgupta | Contemporary economics is mostly unconcerned with distortions to individual incentives that lead to population and consumption overshoots. Currently the overshoot would appear to be in consumption in the rich world and fertility in the poor world. In this lecture Professor Dasgupta will trace those distortions to an absence of adequate property rights to the biosphere and to the fact that human preferences are socially embedded. Those distortions also encourage technological advancements to be rapacious in the use of Nature’s resources, thus exacerbating the problems. Using global assessments of the biosphere’s capacity to provide humanity with the demands we make of it, he will provide crude estimates of the size of the global population that Earth can support in comfort under foreseeable technologies and institutions. Partha Dasgupta, was born in Dhaka (at that time in India) and educated in Varanasi (Matriculation 1958 from Rajghat Besant School), Delhi (B.Sc. Hons, in Physics, 1962, University of Delhi), and Cambridge (B.A. Hons. in Mathematics, 1965, and Ph.D. in Economics, 1968). He is Frank Ramsey Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and Professorial Research Fellow at the Sustainable Consumption Institute, University of Manchester. He taught at the London School of Economics during 1971-1984 and moved to the University of Cambridge in 1985 as Professor of Economics, where he served as Chairman of the Faculty of Economics in 1997-2001. Sam Fankhauser is Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Deputy Director of the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment(@GRI_LSE ) was established by the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 to create a world-leading centre for policy-relevant research and training on climate change and the environment, bringing together international expertise on economics, finance, geography, the environment, international development and political economy.

Speaker(s): Dr Muhammad Yunus | The capitalist system, in its current form, is broken. In this lecture, Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Dr Muhammad Yunus outlines his radical economic vision for fixing it, as explored in his new book A World of Three Zeroes. Muhammad Yunus (@Yunus_Centre) is the economist who invented microcredit, founded Grameen Bank, and earned a Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards alleviating poverty. He was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Economics) by LSE in November 2011. 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. 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): Dr Brian Epstein, Dr Thomas Pradeu | The Lakatos Award is given for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science, widely interpreted, in the form of a book published in English during the previous five years. The 2015 award winner Dr Pradeu will speak on Why Philosophy in Science? Re-Visiting Immunology and Biological Individuality and the 2016 award winner Dr Epstein on Rebuilding the Foundations of the Social Sciences. Brian Epstein is an associate professor of Philosophy at Tufts University. Thomas Pradeu is Research Director in Philosophy of Science, CNRS Immunology Unit and University of Bordeaux.

Speaker(s): Victoria Dutchman-Smith, Emmy Eklundh, Professor Matthew Ratcliffe | At the intersection of the personal and the political, we explore the relationship between mental health and economics, politics, and society at large. Is it even possible to distinguish between mental illness that derives from an individual’s physiology or childhood experience and that which has broader social or political causes? Why do particular mental illnesses appear to characterize certain eras? Could social change limit the spread of mental illness in contemporary society? Victoria Dutchman-Smith (@glosswitch) is a journalist and commentator. Emmy Eklundh is a Teaching Fellow in Spanish and International Politics, King’s College London. Matthew Ratcliffe is Professor for Theoretical Philosophy, University of Vienna. 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): Jane Connors, Professor Aoife O’Donoghue, Rosalyn Park, Navanethem Pillay | The United Nations has developed a strong focus on gender balance and gender sensitivity throughout all of its work. Yet the UN itself has significant problems in relation to gender within its Secretariat, Funds, Programmes and Agencies. Despite the UN Charter arguably setting out legal obligations to ensure gender parity within the UN and initiatives aimed at addressing the lack of gender parity, there have been few concrete changes to the lack of gender parity at senior levels. That impacts on the UN’s work, and on its legitimacy and credibility. This panel discussion will focus on why the UN remains deeply unequal in relation to gender, and suggest methods for addressing this issue. The event is part of the AHRC-funded UN Gender Network, which brings together academics, civil society, member states and UN staff to achieve a deep understanding of the causes and impact of gender inequality within the UN and the impact this has on its global leadership and work. Jane Connors is the inaugural Victims’ Rights Advocate for the United Nations and Assistant Secretary-General and Visiting Professor in Practice at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security. Prior to that she was the International Advocacy Director (Law and Policy) of Amnesty International, based in Geneva. Aoife O’Donoghue is a professor at Durham Law School. Rosalyn Park is Director, Women's Human Rights Program, The Advocates for Human Rights. Navanethem Pillay served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Christine Chinkin is Director of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security. The Centre for Women, Peace and Security (@LSE_WPS) is a leading academic space for scholars, practitioners, activists, policy-makers and students to develop strategies to promote justice, human rights and participation for women in conflict-affected situations around the world.

Speaker(s): Dr John Collins, Misha Glenny, Dr Sasha Jesperson, Tuesday Reitano, Dr Anja Shortland | From the 70 year old "War on Drugs", to the more recent "War on Human Smuggling", politicians use militarised responses to look decisive on crime. The deployment of armies, navies, military assets and militarised approaches can send a powerful message, but have produced mixed results. This debate, co hosted between the LSE US Centre and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime will discuss four different areas of criminality – wildlife crime, piracy, human smuggling and drug trafficking – to see how effective a militarised response can really be, and what might be lost as collateral damage. The International Drug Policy Unit (IDPU) is a cross-regional and multidisciplinary project, designed to establish a global centre for excellence in the study of international drug policy. John Collins (@JCollinsIDPU) is Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Unit and Fellow of the LSE US Centre. Misha Glenny (@MishaGlenny) is an investigative journalist and author of McMafia. Sasha Jesperson (@SashaJesperson) is Director, Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery, St Mary's University Twickenham. Tuesday Reitano (@Tuesdayjaded) is Deputy Director, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. Anja Shortland is Reader in Political Economy, King's College London. Michael Cox is Director of LSE IDEAS and Emeritus Professor of International Relations at LSE.

Speaker(s): Robert Peston | To celebrate the release of his new book WTF: What the F--- Happened and What Happens Next? Robert Peston will be helping us make sense of the significant events which are changing our lives. It has never been a scarier time and never has there been more uncertainty in every arena of public life. Peston will go through it all, answering the questions everyone is asking around their breakfast tables. He will explain what happened, how it happened and where we might be going. Peston will be in conversation with LSE Director Minouche Shafik. Robert Peston (@Peston) is ITV's political editor, presenter of the politics show Peston on Sunday and founder of the education charity, Speakers for Schools. He has written three books, How Do We Fix This Mess?, Who Runs Britain?, and Brown's Britain. For a decade until the end of 2015, he was at the BBC, as economics editor and business editor. Previously he was City editor at the Sunday Telegraph, political editor and financial editor at the FT, a columnist for the New Statesman, and at the Independent in various roles. Peston has won more than 30 awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year from the Royal Television Society. His blog is itv.com/robertpeston. 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. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives.

Speaker(s): Professor Sara Hobolt, Philippe Legrain, John Rentoul | What will a Brexit deal look like? How does the British public view controversies over budget, jurisdiction and immigration? What are the risks of a breakdown of the Brexit negotiations? To address these questions, our panel of leading experts will look at the negotiation stance of the British government and the EU, and present new evidence on British public attitudes towards Brexit. Sara Hobolt (@sarahobolt) is Sutherland Chair in European Institutions at the European Institute, LSE. Philippe Legrain (@plegrain) is former advisor to the European Commission President and Visiting Senior Fellow at the LSE European Institute. John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) is Chief Political Commentator for The Independent and visiting professor at King's College London. James Tilley is Professor of Politics and Fellow of Jesus College at the University of Oxford. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) 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.

Speaker(s): Darren Walker | Philanthropic organisations play a key role in challenging the causes, effects, and consequences of inequality, funding projects that aim to directly and indirectly reduce the inequality gap. However questions have been raised about the approach, direction and priorities of such wealthy organisations when funding projects to tackle inequality, and the effect of these projects on the beneficiaries and the economy as a whole. The Ford Foundation has identified inequality as the central issue of our time. Darren Walker, President of Ford Foundation, will discuss the work and focus of the Ford Foundation, and the greater role of Philanthropy in reducing inequality. Darren Walker (@darrenwalker) is President of the Ford Foundation, the US’s second largest philanthropy. Prior to joining Ford, he was Vice President at the Rockefeller Foundation. Julia Black is Pro Director for Research at LSE. The International Inequalities Institute at LSE (@LSEInequalities) 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): Rolf Dobelli | Editor's note: At time code 11:00 please note ‘about 1400 years old’ should state ‘about 2400 years old’ and research discussed between time codes 34:16 - 37:30 should be attributed to Matthew Syed. Rolf Dobelli, the bestselling author of The Art of Thinking Clearly returns to the UK to discuss his new book The Art of the Good Life. Join us for a talk in which Rolf will provide some surprising and indispensable mental shortcuts for better decision-making in life, work and business. Rolf Dobelli (@dobelli) is a Swiss writer, novelist and entrepreneur. He has an MBA and a PhD in economic philosophy from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and is a co-founder of getAbstract, the world's leading provider of book summaries. Helena Vieira (@helenavieira1) is LSE Business Review’s managing editor. LSE Business Review (@LSEforBusiness) is a blog that promotes the dialogue between researchers and society on topics related to business and economics.

Speaker(s): Frances O'Grady | While the general election result left the Prime Minister significantly weakened, publically the government has stuck to its Brexit negotiating red lines set out in her Lancaster House speech. As the clock ticks on talks, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady argues that it’s time for the government to level with the British public on the realistic trades and compromises that will be needed to reach a new deal with the EU. The TUC is lobbying hard on both sides of the table for a Brexit deal that prioritises jobs, investment, living standards, rights and public services. With the rate of net migration falling but no sign of a wages recovery and growing public alarm about spreading insecurity at work, the government should rethink its negotiating strategy and style. A Brexit deal that’s best for workers will be best for Britain too. This lecture is part of the LSE Programme on Brexit. Frances O’Grady (@FrancesOGrady) is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) since 2013. She has been an active trade unionist and campaigner all her working life. She has been employed in a range of jobs from shop work to the voluntary sector. Tony Travers is Director of LSE London, a research centre at LSE. He is also a Visiting Professor in the LSE’s Government Department. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) 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. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives.