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14 October 2010 |
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 News
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• Nobel Prize for Economics awarded to Christopher Pissarides
LSE professor Christopher Pissarides was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Economic Sciences on Monday (11 October).
He won the 2010 prize jointly for his work on the economics of
unemployment, especially job flows and the effects of being out of work. He
shares the prize with Peter Diamond from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Dale Mortensen from Northwestern University.
Professor Pissarides is professor of economics at LSE and holder of the
Norman Sosnow Chair in Economics. He is also a fellow of the Centre for
Economic Performance at LSE and of the Centre for Economic Policy Research.
He was awarded his PhD at LSE in 1973 and has been on the faculty
for 38 years.
Professor Pissarides said he was initially speechless on winning the
award and would need to time to absorb the news. On Wednesday 13 October,
the Department of Economics organised a celebration
in the Senior Dining Room for Professor Pissarides. The party was
attended by staff and students who toasted his success with bubbly, whilst
Professor Pissarides, who is battling a cold, sipped hot lemon.
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• Safe
landings, Frank
Twin brothers Frank and Ralph Land will be marking their 82nd birthday on
Sunday 24 October, with a skydive to raise money for Cancer Research.
Frank, emeritus professor in the Information Systems and Innovation Group
at LSE, and Ralph (LSE, 1947-52) also wish to commemorate the life of
Jacqueline, Ralph's wife, who died from cancer a year ago.
The brothers will jump with their instructors from 12,000ft. The idea to
do a skydive came to Ralph whilst the brothers were walking amongst the
vineyards in the Dordogne this summer.
‘Having discussed the possibility amongst the vineyards, we quickly
recognised that if we were actually to carry this out, we had to tell people
we are doing it. After that, there was no escape. Now we are part relishing
the thought of the experience and part quaking in our boots. But everybody
who has done it talks of a wonderful experience. Ailsa, my wife, thinks we
should be sectioned!’ said Frank.
When asked if he was feeling nervous, Frank replied: ‘Not half!’
The skydive will take place at the London Parachute School, at Lewknor in
Oxfordshire, and the brothers will receive just 20 minutes of training
before the dive takes place.
Both Frank and Ralph graduated from LSE in 1950 and were then taken on as
research assistants. They both then left to go into industry. Frank came
back to the School in 1968, but Ralph stayed in industry, achieving a CBE
for his services to trade in Eastern Europe.
Frank and Ralph have set an ambitious target to raise at least £7,500. All money raised will be split between Cancer Research UK and the
Hammersmith Clinical Cancer Research and Treatment Fund. So please dig deep
and donate at
www.justgiving.com/Frank-Land
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• It's Time To Change - LSE lecturer fronts campaign to end
mental health discrimination
Dr Erik Baurdoux, a lecturer in statistics at LSE, has become the face
of a new campaign to end discrimination experienced by people with
mental health problems.
Erik, who manages depression to lead a full life, took part in the
campaign, Time to Change, which involved seven people with mental illnesses
taking part in a social experiment by posting ads on dating and flat-share
websites. At first the ads appeared without mention of their mental health
problem, but after some weeks these were taken down and replaced with the
exact same profile but this time with a line disclosing they had a mental
illness.
When the results of the two stages were compared, the experiment showed
an overall drop of 50 per cent in interest in dating and a 68 per cent drop
in interest in living with the participants when their mental illness was
revealed.
Erik, who stars in an online film about his experiences in the social
experiment, was shocked by his results. Between the two stages, interest in
him fell by 81 per cent for dating websites and 76 per cent for flat-share
websites.
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• LSE to buy Land Registry building
Land Registry has confirmed that following an open and fair competition
it has agreed to sell, subject to contract, its Head Office building to
LSE.
Extensive marketing of the property on Lincoln's Inn Fields in London
attracted significant interest from a large number of potential purchasers.
Julian Robinson, director of Estates at LSE, said: 'This is a serious landmark
building for a serious university. The purchase of the Land Registry will
enable LSE to further its objective of creating a world class estate
commensurate with its academic reputation.'
The building will be used for academic, research and teaching purposes.
LSE will take vacant possession in May 2011.
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• The macroeconomic situation and the role of La Caixa
Some years after graduating from LSE with a master's degree in law,
Juan Maria Nin returned to the School last Tuesday (5 October) to share
his thoughts on the macroeconomic crisis. The event was jointly
organised by LSE Enterprise and the Catalan Observatory.
As president and CEO of Spain's largest savings bank, La Caixa, he was
well placed to comment on its role in handling economic problems in Spain.
The talk looked at the origins of the Spanish financial crisis, comparing
it both to other European countries and previous crises. He pointed out that
Spain has never reneged on a debt and that the current problem stems from
illiquidity due to lack of market confidence, rather than insolvency.
For a full write up of the event, visit the
LSE Enterprise website.
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 Notices
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• Staff
Consultative Council elections..... have your say
Following a great response for nominations for new volunteers to serve on
the Staff Consultative Council (SCC), there will now be elections to choose
two new members - one to represent support staff in academic departments and
one to represent support staff in administrative divisions.
The nominations are:
Academic Departments
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Linda Duffy, MPhil/PhD programme administrator, Social Psychology
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Champa Heidbrink, research centre manager, LSE Health
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Hazel Johnstone, departmental manager, Gender Institute
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Terri Natale, postgraduate administrator, Managerial Economics
and Strategy Group
Administration (please note that this does not include finance and
facilities, the Library, or IT Services, as these groups are represented by
other seats on the SCC)
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Simon Beattie, graduate admissions manager
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Annette Haas, administrative officer, Academic Partnerships
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Veronique Mizgailo, PA to Howard Davies
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Rachel Power, careers adviser
Staff in these areas are invited to vote for their preferred candidate.
Voting closes at 4pm on Friday 22 October. Details on how to vote can be
found on the
SCC website.
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• LSE
Research Online has been upgraded
The LSE Research Online team has recently completed work to upgrade LSE
Research Online. The software on which the service runs has been updated,
meaning the service’s web pages run much faster.
And, following focus group feedback from academic colleagues, they have also
updated the service's look and feel. If you have any feedback on any aspect
of the service, or wish to post your research, please get in touch at
LSEResearchOnline@lse.ac.uk.
The upgrade has also coincided with Open Access Week 2010, the global
celebration and week of activism about the Open Access movement. The LSE
Research Online team will be giving out awards to those people and
departments who have made an outstanding contribution to Open Access at LSE
over the last year. The lucky winners will be contacted with prize details
soon.
To mark the occasion, the team has organised an event for academic staff
to find out how LSE Research Online and the LSE Experts services can improve
research visibility. Please join them for coffee and cakes in the Portrait
Room, adjacent to the Senior Common Room, Old Building, at 12-2pm on
Thursday 21 October.
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• AUA
lunchtime networking event
The LSE branch of the AUA, the professional body for university
administrators, is holding a lunchtime networking event on Thursday 21
October, where you can meet colleagues from around the School, find out
about the AUA and its activities, and meet LSE’s UNISON rep.
Refreshments will be provided and the event is open to non-members as
well as existing AUA members. If you would like to attend, or find out more
about the AUA, e-mail aua@lse.ac.uk.
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• National Theatre ticket offer for Blood and Gifts
Afghanistan. 1981. As the Soviet army approaches the Pakistan border, CIA
agent Jim Warnock has an impossible decision to make…
The National Theatre is offering LSE staff the chance to purchase
tickets to Blood and Gifts, a new play by JT Rogers, for just £25. For more
on the production, see
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/59862/productions/blood-and-gifts.html.
The offer is valid for performances until Monday 1 November. Call 020
7452 3000 and quote ‘LSE Staff Offer’ or book online at
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Enter promotional code 3123 then select date and seats.
This offer is subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction
with any other offer or discount. It is not available on tickets already
purchased and proof of eligibility may be required. |
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 Research
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• Research
reveals likely housing winners and losers
There is a great deal of uncertainty and speculation about the direction of
the housing market in the UK and the USA - both for home-owners and renters.
Academics from LSE, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, have
devised a mathematical model to provide some foresight into changes in the
housing market. The model could be beneficial to central banks and
ministries of finance that have an interest in the effects of the housing
market on their economies.
The Financial Markets Group at LSE carried out the research. It developed
a life-cycle model to investigate how prices of housing (purchasing and
renting), the overall economy and wealth distribution react to changes in
technology and financial conditions.
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• Research opportunities
Candidates interested in applying for any research opportunities should
contact Michael Oliver in the
Research Division at
m.oliver@lse.ac.uk or call ext 7962.
The Research Division maintains a regularly updated list of
research funding opportunities for academic colleagues on their website.
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• Research e-Briefing
Click
here
to read the Summer edition of the Research Division newsletter. To sign up for
research news, recent research funding opportunities, research awards that
are about to start, and examples of research outcomes, click
here. The next issue is out
at the end of October 2010.
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• Latest opportunities from LSE Enterprise
LSE Enterprise offers you the opportunity to undertake private teaching
and consultancy work under the LSE brand. We help with bidding, contracts
and other project administration, enabling you to focus on the work itself.
To see the latest opportunities click
here or visit
http://twitter.com/lseenterprise.
If you would like us to look out for consulting opportunities in your
field, email your CV and summary of interests to
lseenterprise.consulting@lse.ac.uk
Email exec.ed@lse.ac.uk to be
added to our Executive Education database. |
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 Events
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• LSE IT Services public lecture series
Interested in staying safe online? Want to know what the risks are in
browsing the internet and what the common Facebook pitfalls are?
LSE IT Services have organised a series of lectures to help promote
information security issues, with speakers including
Rt Hon David Blunkett (pictured).
With the increasing use of computers and information technology in
our everyday lives, the number of threats that people face on the
Internet everyday has also increased. This series aims to show what some
of those threats are, how you can protect yourselves and what other
people are doing to protect us.
These events are free and open to all with no ticket required.
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• Upcoming LSE events include....
A Dialogue with Hernando De Soto
On: Friday 15 October at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Hernando de Soto, president of the ILD.
Europe in the New Energy World Order
On: Tuesday 19 October at 6pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New
Academic Building
Speaker: Lykke Friis, Danish minister for climate and energy and
minister for gender equality.
The New Machiavelli: how to wield power in the modern world
On: Tuesday 19 October at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speaker: Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's chief of staff from 1994-2007.
I Was Not an Untouchable Then
On: Wednesday 20 October at 5pm in the Shaw Library, Old Building
Speakers: S Anand, award-winning publisher and journalist, and
Meena Kandasamy, poet, writer, activist and translator.
Jilted Generation: how Britain bankrupted its youth
On: Wednesday 20 October at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speakers: Ed Howker, associate editor of The Spectator, and
Shiv Malik, a freelance journalist.
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• LSE Sustainability in Practice lecture series
Re-engineering the Economy for Real People
On: Tuesday 26 October at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre,
Clement House
Speaker: Samantha Heath, director of London Sustainability
Exchange.
Sustainability Living in Practice
On: Tuesday 9 November at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speaker: Satish Kumar, visiting fellow at Schumacher College.
Believing Cassandra: how to be an optimist in a pessimist's world
On: Tuesday 23 November at 6.30pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement
House
Speaker: Alan AtKisson, president and CEO of The AtKisson Group.
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• Podcasts of public lectures and events
Seizing the Opportunity of the Cloud: the next wave of business growth
Speaker: Steve Ballmer
Recorded: Tuesday 5 October, approx 61 minutes
Click here to listen
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism
Speaker: Professor Ha-Joon Chang
Recorded: Tuesday 5 October, approx 84 minutes
Click here to listen
Brown at 10
Speaker: Professor Anthony Seldon
Recorded: Thursday 7 October, approx 73 minutes
Click here to listen |
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 60
Second Interview
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• with..... Professor Simon Hix
I’ve been at LSE on and off since
1987. I first came as an undergraduate,
studying for a BSc Econ in
Government and History, then studied
an MSc in West European Politics
part-time between 1990 and 1992.
I then went to the European
University Institute in Florence to
do a PhD.
I got my first academic job at
Brunel University in 1996, and then
took up a lectureship in the
Government Department at LSE in 1997
(and was promoted to professor in
2004).
My wife, Beth, is an American,
and we met when she was a general
course student at LSE. We have two
kids, Ben (aged 9) and Ruth (aged
6), and we live in Wimbledon Park in
South West London.
What advice would you give new
students coming to LSE?
Make the most of the academic
staff here at LSE. Come and see us
in our office hours. Knock on our
doors. Ask us as many questions as
you can. Get to know some of us.
What would we be most surprised
to learn about you?
I used to be the lead singer and
guitarist in a very bad rock band.
What were your best subjects at
school?
Maths and history. A strange mix,
but a good background for political
science.
If it were your last day on
earth, what would you have for
breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Breakfast: a double espresso,
freshly-squeezed orange juice and a
pain-au-chocolat
Lunch: fish tacos (preferably from
Wahoo’s in La Jolla, California)
Dinner: Korean bulgogi (barbequed
beef) and pajeon (seafood pancake)
What would you do if you were LSE
director for a day?
Abolish tenure-track contracts
and replace them with ten year
renewable fixed-term contracts. (My
colleagues will hate me for saying
that!).
What has been your most
embarrassing incident, so far?
Sending an email rubbishing a
colleague’s work that he was
accidently cc’d into. |
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 Training
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• Academic,
personal and professional development courses for staff
Courses on offer next week include:
- Wednesday 20 October
Moodle next steps training
An introduction to copyright
For a full listing of what is available and further details, including
booking information, please see
www.lse.ac.uk/training. |
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 Media
bites
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• Times Higher Education (14 October 2010)
Lord of the Market: let competition and choice drive quality
Nicholas Barr, professor of public economics at LSE, said: 'Market
forces create incentives to quality unless you've got excess demand.
'It is terribly important to set quantity free so that you don't have
excess demand. As somebody who cares passionately about access, I think
this a good plan,' he said.
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• The Daily Telegraph (13 October 2010)
Audit firms face radical overhaul
Professor Michael Power of LSE, who yesterday sat before a House of
Lords' own inquiry into the role of auditors in the financial crisis,
said the failure of one firm would be 'deeply destabilising'.
'It is perfectly conceivable that one of the Big Four accountancy firms
could fail. You can not rule this out from happening, Anderson went that
way, and it could happen again,' he said. 'Such a collapse would send
ripples through all the others firms and create a loss of confidence.'
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• Globe and Mail (9 October 2010)
A cold, hard time for unions in the land of the Union Jack
I asked Tony Travers, LSE, whether
there was a season of unrest ahead: 'These are very different times to
1978-79, the famous winter of discontent,' he said.
'This is a big test for the trades unions. They will want to set up a
reaction to the cuts, but they'll have to bring their members with them,
and their members are much less militant than they used to be.'
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