LSE academic awarded Order of the Phoenix of the Hellenic Republic

Professor Kevin Featherstone was presented the award by H.E. Mr Konstantinos Bikas, Ambassador of Greece.

Learning and development at LSE

HR Organisational and Lifelong Learning has organised its new schedule of courses for 2013-14 - book your places now.

Loukia Vassiliou

Loukia, who works in LSE's European Institute, likes to collect antique furniture - "My partner keeps saying that our house is turning into a small antique/collectables shop."

The "Enhanced Course Guides" developed over the last year are now coming on stream and will replace the course guides currently published in the online Calendar from this term onwards.

The enhanced guides will contain the same information as the current guides, for example, the teacher responsible, availability and content. In addition, they will include course survey results and, for some departments, student performance data. Both of these will be averaged across a three-year period. There is also a section for comments from the teacher(s) on the course. So far around a quarter of the guides have changed, and it is anticipated that others will follow as the three-year data becomes available.

Professor Paul Kelly (pictured above), Pro-Director for Teaching and Learning, said: "I would like to thank all those involved in this project, both in departments and in the Academic Registrar’s Division. The aim is to provide students with as much information as possible about their courses and we are working hard to publicise this initiative to them. My thanks also to those departments that are tweeting about this!"

LSE carries out extensive teaching surveys in the Michaelmas and Lent terms each year. Overall, the surveys have found that over 80 per cent of LSE students are satisfied with the teaching on their courses.

LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun has produced an Interim Report on the Strategic Review. It will be available on the Strategic Review website on Friday.

The report reflects the extensive work that has gone into the Review so far, including the calls for contributions, the focus groups, the work of the advisory groups on operational strategy and academic strategy, as well as the steering committee. It summarises broad strategic directions and sets out a variety of concrete proposals.

Message from Nick Deyes (pictured), Director of Information Management and Technology

As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure the security and resilience of our School-wide network, new web content filters will be launched on Monday 30 September. These will identify web sites that host malicious, destructive or illegal content that can be considered a significant risk to our network or breach the requirements LSE has to maintain as an institution. These requirements are outlined for LSE users in LSE’s IT ‘Conditions of Use’.

LSE’s Information Technology Committee has agreed that we should block a small number of websites from being accessed from School machines. Users will receive a warning when trying to access the sites that have been blocked for security reasons. Some additional websites will not be blocked but their content could still potentially breach the LSE IT ‘Conditions of Use’. Users will receive a warning advising them of the potential threat but will still be allowed to access these sites.

If any user requires access to a website that has been blocked by the web content filters, this will be restored by IMT upon written request to the Service Desk.

LSE has been ranked as the third best university in the UK and the top university in London according to the newly-merged The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014.

Using the old Times Good University Guide as a comparison, this is the third year in a row that LSE has been rated as the top university in the capital.

Individual subjects have also done particularly well in the new league table. LSE tops the social policy subject table, and comes second in anthropology and economics.

The Times and The Sunday Times have produced separate university guides since 1993 and 1998 respectively. This year, the new, combined Good University Guide is intended to "provide the most comprehensive guide to higher education in Britain."

LSE Director Professor Craig Calhoun said: "We are delighted that LSE’s commitment to world-class teaching and research is reflected in this guide as in the full range of university rankings. We continually invest both energy and resources in improving our facilities, our faculty, and the experience of our terrific students."

LSE has been named a Top Employer for Working Families, placing in the top ten organisations chosen to win the award and benchmark, as well as winning one special nomination and being named runner-up in a second special category.

This is the fourth year the School has been recognised for its family friendly policies by Top Employers for Working Families. As well as placing in the top ten, the School was named joint winner of the 'My Family Care Best for all Stages of Motherhood Award', with Barclays. It was also commended for its support for carers in the 'E-ON Best for Carers and Eldercare' category.

The Top Employers for Working Families Benchmark and Awards, founded by Working Families in partnership with the Institute for Employment Studies, recognise employers who support parents, carers and flexible workers with work-life balance and career development.

Professor Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Chair in Contemporary Greek Studies and Director of LSE’s Hellenic Observatory, has been honoured with the award of Commander, Order of the Phoenix of the Hellenic Republic (Ταξιάρχης, Τάγμα του Φοίνικος).

The award was presented to Professor Featherstone by H.E. Mr Konstantinos Bikas, Ambassador of Greece (pictured), on Tuesday 17 September at the Ambassador’s residence in London.

The Order of the Phoenix, which was established in 1926, is awarded to Greeks who have distinguished themselves in the fields of public administration, science, arts and letters, commerce, industry and shipping. It is also conferred on foreigners who have contributed to improving Greece's stature abroad in the above fields.

Professor Featherstone said: "Our work in the Hellenic Observatory has always been a ‘team effort’ and this award is a recognition of our collective performance. I’m honoured to receive it on behalf of my colleagues and me."

LSE academic awarded W.J.M. Mackenzie Book Prize for 2013

Dr Jean-Paul Faguet, Reader in the Political Economy of Development, has been awarded the 2013 W.J.M Mackenzie Book Prize for his book Decentralization and Popular Democracy: governance from below in Bolivia. The prize is awarded annually by the UK’s Political Studies Association to the best book published in political science.

Using the case of Bolivia, Decentralization and Popular Democracy identifies the factors that determine the outcomes of national decentralisation on the local level.

The book was a unanimous choice for the jury of distinguished academics and journalists, who commented: "The book is an outstanding and exemplary piece of research that teaches us how properly devolving power and money leads local government to be more responsive to local interests."

Dr Faguet said: "I am completely surprised and honoured by this award. The jury’s comments show that they read the finalists very carefully indeed. Plus this is the first international development book in a very impressive list, so I feel very fortunate." More
 

Christian Busch (pictured), Associate Director of LSE’s Innovation and Co-Creation Lab, has been named as one of the ‘2013 Top 99 under 33 Foreign Policy Leaders’ by the Diplomatic Courier.

The list includes some of the ‘brightest and most innovative minds of the time’, who prove to the world the power of breaking traditional models and thinking outside the box for new solutions to old problems. Christian, who also teaches several MSc courses at LSE, is listed as an ‘Influencer’; someone who mobilises people in the foreign policy community with bold new ideas.

Christian said: "I’m excited and humbled to be named in this list, and it’s great to see that entrepreneurial approaches to some of our most intractable global problems - particularly, unimaginable poverty at the ‘Base of the Pyramid’ - are being recognised.

Ravindra Ramrattan

It is with great sadness that the School has learnt of the death of alumnus Ravindra Ramrattan (pictured) in the Nairobi shopping mall shootings.

Ravi undertook an MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics in 2009 at LSE.

Ravi was working as a research economist in Kenya when he was killed. Those interested in finding out more about Ravi can read a post from his friend Josh Weinstein on the Africa at LSE blog.
 

A team of students from LSE is among the runners up for the prestigious Hult Prize 2013 for its social enterprise initiative, SokoText. The team, two of whom are recent graduates, conceived of SokoText while studying at LSE.

The LSE team gave its winning pitch to former President Bill Clinton and a panel of judges, including Muhammad Yunus and the head of the World Food Programme, in the framework of the Clinton Global Initiative Summit in New York on Monday (23 September).

The Hult Prize, run in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative, is the largest social enterprise competition in the world. This year, President Clinton challenged students to come up with creative social enterprise solutions to help tackle global food insecurity. The LSE idea, SokoText, aims to help people living in the world’s slums gain access to affordable food through the simple medium of text messages.

The new Student Centre is nearing completion, and the School and the Students’ Union plan to start running events in December.

The new building, which has been rated highly for originality of design and sustainability, will provide an exciting new home for the Students’ Union. It will also house a media centre, LSE Careers Service, and a faith centre as well as a gym and dance studio. In addition it will have an internet café, a pub, landscaped roof terrace, a 1,000 person venue and be home to the School’s Accommodation Office (part of Residential Services).

LSE Careers Service will start operating from the building in late November, and the Centre will be fully operational by the start of Lent term, with the Students’ Union and other services moving in over the Christmas break. We will keep you updated as the term progresses.
 

LSE opened the doors to both the Library and 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields on Sunday 22 September as part of the 2013 Open House London Weekend. Each year, Open House London gives hundreds of thousands of people the chance to explore the City's architecture and urban design free of charge.

LSE's Library welcomed 150 members of the public into the Lionel Robbins Building. Peter Carrol, Martin Reid and Nicola Wright talked about the Library and how the building serves the needs of the people who use it. Visitors enjoyed a guided tour of the building, learning about its former life as a WH Smith warehouse and its celebrated 2001 redesign by Fosters and Partners architects.

Nicola Wright, Deputy Director of Library Services, said: "Open House is a great way to showcase the Library’s unique architecture and we were delighted to be able to open one of LSE’s most famous buildings to such a large and appreciative audience."

Volunteers from the Estates Division provided guided tours of 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, showing around almost 200 people. Visitors received a factsheet containing architectural information and were shown points of interest including the new pavilion, the Harvard lecture theatres, the old Land Registrar’s office, and the original entrance hall. Many were also given the opportunity to view London from the rooftop, as well as seeing the hidden solar panels that have been installed there.

Fiona Kirk (pictured), Director of Development and Alumni Relations, has announced that she is leaving the School to focus on other interests. Fiona has headed ODAR for five years and will remain at LSE until December in order to honour a number of key fundraising commitments.

HR Organisational and Lifelong Learning has organised its new schedule of courses for 2013-14. This builds on a successful year in 2012-13 when 95 training events took place for 850 delegates covering 35 different topics.

Following feedback from staff, new courses have been introduced including:

• Working with Others; Fair Treatment and Respect (one for non-managers and one for managers)
• An Introduction to Marketing
• Advanced Marketing
• An Introduction to Management
• Customer Service Excellence

To book your place on any of the forthcoming courses, please use the links provided in the ‘Training and jobs’ section below. Please also visit the Core Learning and Development Programme where you will find a comprehensive list of other development opportunities this academic year.

The Estates Division produces the Facilities Guide for new staff and students. The guide is full of useful information to help you navigate around the campus. If you would like a hard copy, email Mandy Crane at m.r.crane@lse.ac.uk or visit the LSE Facilities to access the online version.

Campus improvements
It has been a busy summer for the Estates Division. The refurbishment of the ground floor toilets in the Library has been completed. Improvement works continue at most Halls of Residence, including bedroom refurbishments at Grosvenor House, High Holborn and Northumberland; shower refurbishments at Rosebery; boiler replacement works at Butler's Wharf, High Holborn and Passfield; and lift upgrades at Butler’s Wharf and High Holborn.

The Saw Swee Hock Student Centre is progressing well, with completion scheduled for October and occupation in December. See pages 40-41 of the Facilities Guide for more information.

Join LSE Equality and Diversity for film screenings, workshops and much more

LSE Equality and Diversity has plenty on offer for you to get involved in this academic year.

Don’t miss the lunchtime film screenings and staff workshops taking place this term, or the chances to meet people through staff networks.

For more information and to see what’s on, download a copy of the Equality and Diversity flyer.
 

LSE is offering two places on the STELLAR HE Programme to black and minority ethnic (BME) staff on bands seven and above.

STELLAR is a strategic development programme for BME leaders in the higher education sector. To find out more about STELLAR, visit the Diversity Practice website.

Information Management and Technology (IMT) has for a number of years been running a fantasy football league between IMT staff.

From the start of term, they are throwing the challenge out to all LSE staff and invite you to see if you can beat them in a Fantasy Premier League called LSE La Liga.

Joining the league couldn't be easier - simply use the link below and you'll be added automatically after you've entered the game: fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/342961/join/?autojoin-code=1538596-342961. You shouldn't need the league code, but just in case, it is 1538596-342961.

Scoring starts the weekend of Saturday 5 October so have your team ready.
 

Tai Chi at LSE

Regular Tai Chi practice develops robust physical strength, concentration, emotional calm and serenity, and mental clarity.

Classes take place on Tuesdays from 1-2pm in the Old Gym, Old Building, and Thursdays from 8-9am and 5-6pm at the Badminton Court, Old Building. Classes cost £5 per class or £40 for 10 classes. New students are welcome at any time.

For more information, email Inés at i.alonso-garcia@lse.ac.uk.
 

Staff and students can now get a 10 per cent discount with Proviz, a specialist brand for hi-vis sportswear and accessories.

Proviz offers a distinctive and bold range of light-emitting cycling products specifically designed to increase the visibility and therefore safety of cyclists. Whether you are looking for a helmet, rucksack, bike lights, jackets or gloves, Proviz has all your hi-visibility cycling needs covered.

To place an order, visit www.proviz.co.uk and enter discount code LSE10.

Want to run the 2014 Virgin London Marathon?

We know that many LSE staff members are keen marathon runners so if you fancy taking part in the 2014 Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 13 April, Sense is currently recruiting for runners to join its team.

Sense is a national charity that provides support and advice to children and adults who are deafblind or have multi-sensory impairments. Its services enable deafblind people to live fulfilling and aspirational lives as independently as possible.

This week's picture features the exterior of Aldwych House.

For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

How economic interests influenced a change in safety regulations during the volcanic ash crisis

A new analysis of the volcanic ash crisis in 2010 which led to the closure of Europe's airspace for six days and huge financial losses for airlines reveals how powerful economic interests can shape regulation.

It explores how, before the crisis, the airline industry failed to respond to regulators’ calls to discuss modifications to standards and protocols. Then, during the crisis, commercial pressures forced the modification of internationally agreed safety guidelines in a matter of days.

The research from LSE was based on interviews with staff at senior policy level within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Met Office, the Irish Aviation Authority and two airlines, as well as internal documents provided by the CAA. These demonstrated how the pressure to 'open the skies' during a peak holiday period to enable the repatriation of ten million stranded passengers amid mounting costs forced a rethink in the balance between safety and cost. International guidance on ash and aviation had been considered unnecessarily cautious for some years but there had been resistance to change, partly because engine manufacturers had economic interests in optimising the life of their engines. More
 

An LSE economist has sounded a warning to governments not to rely exclusively on community spirit when recruiting people for the civil service.

Professor Oriana Bandiera, speaking at Growth Week 2013 in London on Tuesday, said research from Zambia showed that while community spirit can make people work harder, it can also worsen the selection of applicants to public sector jobs.

The professor, from LSE, was delivering a paper on the selection and performance of health workers in Zambia, using it as a model for other civil service recruitment strategies in sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxation reforms implemented in Pakistan over the past year could be used as a benchmark for other developing countries struggling to collect tax revenues, according to an LSE economist.

The reforms, made possible by collaboration between independent researchers at the International Growth Centre and the Pakistan government, are expected to increase revenue streams to fund basic services for a population of around 180 million people.

Speaking at Growth Week 2013, held at LSE, economist Dr Johannes Spinnewijn outlined the basis for policy changes to Pakistan’s taxation system which are designed to cut down on tax evasion.

Pakistan’s current tax revenue is just 8.5 per cent of its GDP - a "paltry amount" to service the needs of an emerging economy, the LSE researcher said.

Sub-Saharan Africa on cusp of major global economic boom

Sub-Saharan Africa could be on the threshold of becoming a major global economy, according to one of the world’s most respected economic authorities on the region.

Professor John Sutton said that several leading economies in sub-Saharan Africa will become middle income countries if they sustain their rapid growth rates of the past decade.

The Sir John Hicks Professor of Economics at LSE has spent the past few years mapping a detailed economic profile of industries in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique.

"These countries are big news in terms of globalisation. Agriculture has played a large role in their economic growth over the past 10 years, as well as increases in the international price of raw materials, but there has also been a doubling of real growth in their industrial sectors," Professor Sutton said.

To build on this success, however, global companies operating in sub-Saharan Africa need to integrate closely with local firms to bring these economies forward, he added. More

Events Leaflet

The Events Leaflet including events from September-December 2013 is now on campus.

Highlights including Mariana Mazzucato, Sir Philip Craven, Professor Edmund Phelps, Michael Palin, Lionel Barber, and Fatima Bhutto.

Baby Tembo has his copy, collect yours today.
 

Tickets for LSE staff and students

A reminder that for the majority of ticketed LSE events, an allocation of tickets for LSE staff and students is set aside, available for collection from the NAB SU Shop on a first come, first served basis.

Rather than enter the public ballot online, you will usually have a much higher chance of getting a ticket this way. See the individual web listings for full details.
 

On: Thursday 3 October from 6.30-8pm in room NAB.1.04, New Academic Building
Speaker: Richard Nesbitt (pictured)

Richard Nesbitt is chief operating officer at CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce). In this role, he is responsible for the global operations of wholesale banking, technology and operations, strategy and corporate development, CIBC's international operations, including CIBC first Caribbean International Bank and Treasury.

Other forthcoming LSE events include....

Tracking the Gender Politics of the Millennium Development Goals: from the Millennium Declaration to the post-MDG consultations
On: Wednesday 2 October at 6.30pm in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Speaker: Professor Naila Kabeer (pictured), joins LSE's Gender Institute in October 2013 as Professor of Gender and Development.

On: Tuesday 1 October from 6.30-8pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Martin Howe QC, member of the coalition government’s Commission on a Bill of Rights, Professor Philip Leach, professor of human rights law at Middlesex University and director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Caroline Lucas MP (pictured), Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Professor Alan Sked, professor of international history at LSE, and Emily Thornberry MP, Shadow Attorney General.

On the 60th anniversary of the entry into force of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a panel of politicians and experts will ask: what has the ECHR ever done for us? Is it a vital outside check on the way those in power treat the people they govern, or an unwelcome and undemocratic interference in domestic affairs?

This ‘Question Time’ style event will give audience members the chance to grill the panel on whether Churchill’s legacy has passed its use-by date or remains just as vital today as it was sixty years ago.

On: Wednesday 2 October from 6-7.30pm in the Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Chris Schroeder (pictured), internet entrepreneur and venture investor.

Chris Schroeder will discuss the new start-up culture that is burgeoning in the Middle East, and describe the broader ecosystem challenges and opportunities changing in the region.

He will show that as we move to a world, within a decade, of five billion people accessing broadband, the Middle East is a lens into a massive shift we should all be engaging in now.

On: Wednesday 2 October from 6.30-8pm in the New Theatre, East Building
Speakers: Doru Frantescu (pictured), policy director at VoteWatch, Professor Simon Hix, professor of European and comparative politics at LSE, Mats Persson, director of Open Europe.

This event is organised by LSE's European Institute and VoteWatch Europe, in partnership with the European Parliament information office in the UK. The event will start with a welcome by Dr Sara Hagemann, lecturer in EU politics at LSE, before opening up to panel discussion. A reception will follow.

On: Tuesday 8 October from 6.30-8pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP (pictured), former Home Secretary, Richard Gordon QC, barrister at Brick Court Chambers, Carol Harlow, Emeritus Professor of Law at LSE, plus other speakers to be confirmed.

The UK has no constitution written down in one document. Instead it has laws, conventions, practices, activities scattered all over the place that constitutional lawyers gather together and describe as the UK constitution.

In a unique project, LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs and the Department of Law are coming together with the LSE Public Policy Group and LSE Democratic Audit to pioneer the crowdsourcing of a new UK constitution - asking members of the public to participate in, advise on and eventually to draft a new UK constitution.

Podcasts of public lectures and events

The Last Vote: the threats to Western democracy
Speaker: Philip Coggan
Recorded: Monday 9 September, approx. 82 minutes

State of the World Economy: a view from an emerging market
Speaker: Felipe Larraín Bascuñán
Recorded: Wednesday 11 September, approx. 73 minutes

Adjusting to the Changing Dynamics of the World Economy
Speakers: Richard Kozul-Wright and Professor Robert Wade
Recorded: Thursday 12 September, approx. 88 minutes

Applications are invited from members of the professorial staff to fill the vacancy of the Pro Director, Research, to succeed Professor Stuart Corbridge, who completes his term in office on 31 December 2013.

The term of office is from 1 January 2014 for five years. Applications should be made to Sofia Avgerinou, HR Manager, either via post or email (at s.avgerinou@lse.ac.uk) by Monday 30 September.

On: Monday 30 September from 12.30-2pm in room NAB 1.09, New Academic Building

This 90 minute interactive workshop will offer you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the deaf experience and understand the challenges faced by deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff in daily life.

Not only will you experience ‘deafness’ first hand, you will also gain practical information and advice from specialist trainers and will leave the session equipped to communicate and work effectively with your deaf and hard-of-hearing colleagues and students at the School.

HR Organisational and Lifelong Learning

For all staff:

• Advanced Marketing (NEW)
• Assertive Communication Skills
• Balancing Work and Being the Carer of an Adult
• Balancing Work and Being Dad
• Balancing Work and Being Mum
• Creative Problem Solving
• Customer Service Excellence (NEW)
• Dealing with Difficult Situations
• Developing Emotional Resilience in the Workplace
• Effective Writing Skills
• Ensuring Quality in All You Do
• Equality and Inclusion for Non-Managers
• Getting the Most from your Meetings
• Introduction to Management
• Introduction to Marketing (NEW)
• Mindfulness and Stress Management
• Minute Taking
• Overcoming Procrastination
• Planning a Positive Retirement
• Presentation Skills
• Project Management Level One
• Project Management Level Two
• Sleep Well
• Statements Four
• Step up Programme ILM Level Three Award in Leadership and Management
• Time Management
• Working with Others; Fair Treatment and Respect for Non-Managers (NEW)

For managers:

• Advanced Marketing (NEW)
• Advanced Presentation Skills
• Career Development Review for Managers (NEW)
• Developing High Performing Teams
• Developing Yourself as a Manager
• Equality and Inclusion for Managers
• Managing Change
• Manager as a Coach
• Managing Performance Positively
• Recruitment and Selection
• Strategic Thinking
• Working with Others; Fair Treatment and Respect For Managers (NEW)
   

Below are some of the vacancies currently being advertised to internal candidates only, as well as those being advertised externally.

• Assistant Professor in Accounting, Accounting
• Assistant/Associate Professor in International Development, International Development
• Communication and Customer Service Manager, Academic Registrar's Division
• Data Entry Assistant, ODAR: operations
• Data Librarian, Library: academic services
• David Davies of Llandinam Research Fellowship in International Relations, International Relations
• Evaluation and Communications Director, International Growth Centre
• IGC Country Economists, International Growth Centre
• IGC Economist (London based), International Growth Centre
• LSE Fellow in Population Studies, Social Policy
• Department Manager (maternity cover), Law
• Policy Analyst and Research Advisor, Grantham Research Institute
• Research Assistant (Media Policy Project), Media and Communications
• Research Officer in Economic History, Economic History
• Research Officer (Quantitative Social Research), Sociology
• Service Desk Manager, Information Management and Technology
• Technical Specialist, Academic Registrar's Division

Nicole wants to hear from you!

Do you have some news, an achievement, or an aspect of LSE life that you would like to share? If so, then I would love to hear from you, contact me at n.gallivan@lse.ac.uk or on ext 7582.

The next edition of Staff News is on Thursday 3 October. Articles for this should be emailed to me by Tuesday 1 October. Staff News is emailed every Thursday during term time and fortnightly during the holidays.