Public Events 2015

Wednesday 2 December, 6:30-8pm

Book Launch: Is Decentralization Good for Development?

Venue: Hong Kong Theatre
Speakers: Professor Jean-Paul Faguet,  Dr Adnan Khan
Chair: Professor John Sidell

About the event:

Is Decentralization Good For Development combines academics of decentralization and policymakers who have implemented reform at the highest levels of administration. The insights presented here will be of interest not only to students and academics, but also to policymakers, public sector managers, and development practitioners.

Find out more about the book here >>

About the speakers:

Jean-Paul Faguet is Professor of the Political Economy of Development at LSE. He is also Chair of the Decentralization Task Force at Columbia University's Initiative for Policy Dialogue.

Dr Adnan Khan is Research and Policy Director at the International Growth Centre, a research centre based the LSE which aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research.

Professor John Sidell is the Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the LSE 

Wednesday 18 November, 6:30-8pm

Africa Talk
"Enough!": Will youth protests drive political change in Africa?

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Alcinda Honwana
Chair: Dr Joseph Hanlon

About the event:

Marginalized young Africans are fighting back. They organize street protests against government, risk their lives to reach Europe, and join radical groups such as Boko Haram. Young Africans are consolidating in many ways, and are making their voices heard. How will they force governments to listen?

About the speaker:

Professor Alcinda Honwana is author of The Time of Youth: Work, Politics, and Social Change in Africa (Kumarian Press, 2012) and Youth and Revolution in Tunisia (Zed Books, 2013). She is Visiting Professor in International Development at the Open University and was Director of the Africa Program of the Social Science Research Council, New York.

Find out more about the event here >>

Monday 16 November, 6:30-8pm

Theatres of Conflict. Can drama build peace?

Venue: Clement House (CLM) 6.02
Speakers: David Lan, Charlotte Onslow, Kushtrim Koliqi
Chair: Dr Mary Martin

About the event:

Peacebuilding and state-building initiatives traditionally bypass the arts in favour of governance and economic reforms. However there is a growing awareness that culture is an important dimension of creating stable, peaceful and democratic societies. To explore the potential of drama in conflict-affected societies, we bring together leading theatre, human rights and peacebuilding professionals. We will also show a short film by INTENT New Theatre entitled Kosovo: Life and Liberty in a Young Country.

About the speakers:

David Lan is Artistic Director of the Young Vic Theatre in London.

Charlotte Onslow is Programme Development Advisor (Art and Peacebuilding) at International Alert.

Kushtrim Koliqi is Artistic Director of INTENT New Theatre, Kosovo.

Mary Martin is a Senior Research Fellow at the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit, LSE.

Wednesday 11 November, 6:30-8pm

Reviving Global Democracy: beyond the 'Western Model'?

Venue: Room 2.06, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor Richard Youngs, Professor Mukulika Banerjee, Professor Senem Aydin-Düzgit
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor

About the event:

The Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit is pleased to invite you to a panel discussion and launch of Richard Youngs' new book, The Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy (Carnegie Europe). The book argues that the international community should be doing more to foster democratic variation that is tailored to the specific conditions of different countries and regions, and maps out the potential for such democratic variation.

About the speakers:

Richard Youngs (@YoungsRichard ) is Professor of International Relations at the University of Warwick.

Mukulika Banerjee (@MukulikaB) is the Director of the South Asia Centre and Associate Professor in Social Anthropology at LSE.

Senem Aydın-Düzgit (@SenemAydnDzgit) is an Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair in the Department of International Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University.

Mary Kaldor is Professor of Global Governance, Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at LSE.

Tuesday 10 November, 6:30-8pm (recording)

Africa Talk
Nigeria's 2015 General Election:  Giving Democracy a Chance

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Attahiru Jega, INEC, Nigeria
Chair: Dr Kate Meagher

About the event:

Nigeria's 2015 general ‎elections were the most contentious and most successful in the nation’s history. The man at the helm of the electoral process tells the inside story of Nigeria’s first successful transfer of power, and draws lessons for democratic transitions in other African countries.

About the speaker:

Professor Attahiru Jega is the erstwhile Chair of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He received his PhD from Northwestern University, Illinois, and has resumed a lecturing position at Bayego University.

Find out more about the event here >>

Monday 12 October, 6:30-8pm (recording)

Is Africa Rising? A Personal Perspective from Winnie Byanyima

Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, Oxfam International
Chair: Dr Duncan Green

About the event:

Winnie will reflect on her own life and experiences growing up in Uganda, and discuss the true nature of Africa's growth story and how we must tackle crisis of inequality in Africa.

About the speaker:

Born in Uganda, Winnie Byanyima (@Winnie_Byanyima) is the Executive Director of Oxfam International. She has been a leader on women’s rights, democratic governance and peace building, spanning the diplomatic, multilateral, legislative and civil society arenas. She founded Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), a leading NGO in Uganda and has served at the African Union Commission and at the United Nations Development Programme as Director of Gender and Development.

This event used the Twitter hashtag #LSEAfrica

A summary of the event and the podcast are available here >>

Tuesday 02 June 2015, 2-3.30pm

Careers in Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investing

Venue: Tower 2, Room 2.04
Speaker: Mario Ferro, CEO, Wedu
Chair: Dr Silvia Masiero

About the event:

Social entrepreneurship and impact investing are spaces growing exponentially and which represent viable career opportunities with personal and financial reward. In this interactive careers workshop for MSc students, Mario Ferro will share his experience starting a social enterprise and suggest how students can join the space by creating jobs.

About the presenter:

Mario Ferro is the CEO and co-founder of Wedu, a social enterprise promoting leadership development for women in Asia through mentorship and innovative educational financing. Previously, Mario was the Senior Advisor for Energy Investments at Greenpeace, the Senior Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Advisory, and an Acumen Global Fellow. He holds an MSc in Development Management from LSE, and has studied and worked in many countries across the world.

Tuesday 13 May 2015, 6:30-8pm

Book Launch: Private Wealth and Public Revenue in Latin America

Venue: 32L.G.03 (Lincolns Inn Fields)
Speakers: Dr Tasha Fairfield, Dr Robert Falkner, Professor David Soskice
Chair: Professor Ken Shadlen

About the event:

The launch event of this exciting new book will see the author, Dr Tasha Fairfield, discuss issues of tax and inequality with Robert Falkner (International Relations) and David Soskice (Government).

For more information about the book and for testimonials, see the dedicated publication page >> 

About the speakers:

Tasha Fairfield is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Development and an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Government.

Robert Falkner is Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

David Soskice is Professor of Political Science and Economics in the Department of Government.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEFairfield

Tuesday 28 April, 2015, 6:30-8pm (recording)

The Power of a Single Number: A Political History of GDP

Venue: Wolfson Theatre
Speaker: Dr Philipp Lepenies, IASS Potsdam
Chair: Professor Robert Wade 

About the event:

As the main indicator for progress, well-being, power and development, GDP has become the most powerful statistic in human history. Any problem that modern governments attempt to solve revert to an approach that revolves around GDP. But why is this so? How could a statistical figure unknown before World War II triumph in this way?

For more information, see the event page here >>

About the speaker:

Philipp Lepenies is an economist and political scientist. He holds a MSc in Development Studies from LSE with distinction (1998), a PhD from the Free University of Berlin, and a "Habilitation" from the Goethe University in Frankfurt. He has managed projects in Asia and Latin America for one of Germany's large bilateral aid agencies, and has led a research department at the Postdam-based Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) since 2012.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEGDPHistory.

Thursday 19 March 2015, 6.30-8pm (recording)

Engaging Citizens MOOC: A Game Changer for Development? 

Venue: New Theatre, East Building
Speaker: Various (LSE, ODI, ONE, World Bank, etc.)
Chair: Abha Joshi-Ghani, World Bank

About the event:

Engaging citizens has a vital role to play in the process of development. It helps to improve transparency and accountability of public policies, to build trust with citizens, to forge consensus around important reforms, and to build the political and public support necessary to sustain them.

A number of institutions, including the London School of Economics, have demonstrated their commitment to this important agenda by developing a MOOC - a free, four-week online course on citizen engagement.

The course examines the role that citizen engagement can play in improving policymaking and public service delivery, and investigates the impact of new technologies in this process. The course is hosted by Coursera and starts on 15 March.

The Department of International Development is hosting a launch event on Thursday 19 March, in which a number of themes related to the MOOC will be discussed with a panel of experts.

Find a report of the event and a recording here >>

Wednesday 11 March 2015, 6.30-8pm

Global Security Policy: A part of the problem or answer?

Venue: 2.06, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor Ken Booth, Àlvaro de Soto, Dr Natasha Marhia, Dr Henry Radice
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor

Hosted by: Civil Society and Human Research Security Research Unit.

About the event:

There is a growing sense of insecurity in many parts of the world, reinforced by policy responses that are ineffective and even counterproductive. Is global security policy failing and what can be done?  What ideas and instruments can help us meet the security challenges we are facing?

This panel brings together academics and practitioners with diverse expertise in the security field and marks the publication of The Handbook of Global Security Policy.

About the speakers:

Ken Booth is President of the David Davies Memorial Institute of International Studies at Aberystwyth University and Fellow of the British Academy.

Àlvaro de Soto held senior positions at the United Nations for 25 years, leading the peace negotiations in El Salvador and Cyprus and serving as the chief envoy for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Natasha Marhia is LSE Teaching Fellow and holds a PhD in Gender Studies from the Gender Institute at LSE.

Henry Radice is Research Fellow and Research Manager of the Justice and Security Research Programme at LSE.

Mary Kaldor is Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at LSE.

Wednesday 5 March 2015, 7-8.30pm

Development in China: A Personal View

Venue: TW1.G.01, Tower 1
Speaker: Dr Tang Lixia
Chair: Professor James Putzel

About the event:

Since rural economic reform in the late 1970s, China's development agenda has become a hot topic in global development discourse. Dr Tang Lixia shares a personal story of how Chinese life has changed over recent decades.

About the speaker:

Dr Tang Lixia is Associate Professor at the China Agricultural University, Beijing, and a visiting research fellow at LSE. She has lived and worked in both rural and urban China, and has travelled extensively throughout Thailand, India, Western Europe and Africa, which has inspired her work on development.

Read more about the event here >>

Thursday 19 February 2015, 6-8pm (report)

'Nowhere to Call Home'

Venue: Graham Wallas Room, Old Building
Speaker: Jocelyn Ford, Director
Chair: Dr Mayling Birney

About the event:

The Department of International Development celebrated Chinese New Year by screening the riveting documentary, 'Nowhere to Call Home: A Tibetan in Beijing', followed by a Q&A session with director Jocelyn Ford.

About the speaker:

Jocelyn Ford is a former Beijing and Tokyo bureau chief for the U.S. public radio show Marketplace. She has been based in Asia for three decades, as a journalist and more recently as a filmmaker. Her ground-breaking reporting on "comfort women" in the 1990s was a catalyst for raising awareness about World War II abuses of women by Japan's military.

Find out more about the screening in our feature article >>

Tuesday 27 January 2015, 6.30-8pm  (podcast)

Sovereigns, Vultures and Ignoble Cowardice

Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Felix Salmon 
Chair: Professor Ken Shadlen

About the event:

Atrocious jurisprudence has plunged Argentina into an unwanted default and upended the world of sovereign debt. Read more >>

About the speaker:

Felix Salmon (@felixsalmon) is a prominent financial journalist. He has been described as "the most read financial blogger of his generation". He has written extensively about sovereign debt restructuring, which is the topic of this lecture.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSESalmon

How the night unfolded on Storify.