The Progressive Agenda Now

On Thursday 14 November the BBC will record this LSE event with Professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger for broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

England’s social classes slow to evolve

New research from LSE shows that the class structure in England is evolving far more slowly than previously believed.

Tricia Coyle

Tricia, LSE’s Director of Alumni Relations for North America, names brownies as her personal kryptonite: "I'm helpless in the face of their gooey goodness."

 News

 LSE in pictures

 Notices

 Training and jobs

A ground-breaking new project that will analyse and showcase the policies that can help to drive local economic growth has been launched at a national event with Kris Hopkins MP, Minister for Local Growth, Michael Fallon MP, Minister for Business, and Joanna Killian, Chief Executive of Essex County Council.

The What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, a partnership between LSE, Centre for Cities and Arup, will put evaluations of the policies that matter to growth - skills, regeneration, housing and employment - under the spotlight to give local decision makers the evidence they need about which policies work. It will improve evaluation standards so that we can learn more about what policies are most effective and where, and it will work with local partners to set up a series of demonstrator projects to show how effective evaluation can work in practice.

LSE academic wins the Asia Society Bernard Schwartz book award

Professor Arne Westad (pictured) has won the most prestigious US Asian Studies book prize, the Asia Society’s Bernhard Schwartz Book Award, for his new book on China’s international history.

Professor Westad, Director of LSE IDEAS and Professor of International History, was awarded the $20,000 prize by the Asia Society for his book Restless Empire: China and the World since 1750.

The award recognises the book’s outstanding contribution to the understanding of Asia. Over 100 books were submitted and finalists were selected by a jury composed of a number leading experts in journalism, academia, policy and publishing from Asia and the United States.

Professor Westad said: "I am delighted to have won the Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award for 2013. With Restless Empire I aimed to show how China’s worldview and Chinese attitudes have evolved. It is a great joy to know that the end result is well received." More
 

LSE Cities’ Director Ricky Burdett (pictured) joins former presidents Bill Clinton and Olusegun Obsanjo and Deutsche Bank co-CEO Anshu Jain on the Rockerfeller Foundation’s Resilient Cities judging panel.

The Rockefeller Foundation has announced the names of seven distinguished judges from around the world who will select the first round of cities to join the 100 Resilient Cities network.

Nearly 400 cities across six continents applied to the 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge, which was announced on The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100th anniversary in May 2013.

The judges are:

• President Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States
• President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria
• Ricky Burdett, Director of LSE Cities, LSE
• Dr Peter Head, Chair, Ecological Sequestration Trust
• Dr Helene Gayle, President, CARE USA
• Anshu Jain, Co-CEO, Deutsche Bank
• Dr Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation

Annual Fund support has enabled the LSESU Drama Society, The Revolving Shed, to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it has appeared for the third time.

This year LSE’s talented actors performed Buoy, an East London based comedy, a total of 19 times at Edinburgh’s C Aquila venue, following performances of How To Catch A Rabbit in 2011 and Blake’s Doors in 2012.

"The university’s presence at the festival now rivals other institutions that have had shows there for decades," said project leader Alexander Willett. "The originality of the company, in only presenting new writing informed by the debates presented whilst studying at LSE, has allowed it to be a formidable presence at the Fringe and a favourite amongst critics."

Evidence that Britain tapped the phone calls of American diplomats in the interwar years has been uncovered by an historian at LSE.

While examining newly released materials at the National Archives over the summer, Dr Antony Best, Senior Lecturer in International History, discovered the transcript of a telephone call between an American official in London and the Secretary of State in Washington.

The official, Norman Davis, was the leader of the American delegation to a conference on limiting UK, US and Japanese naval forces which took place in 1934. The transcript had clearly been made without the individuals’ knowledge.

The School is sad to announce the death of Professor Keith Panter-Brick, who passed away on Friday 18 October.

Professor Panter-Brick joined LSE's Department of Government in 1950 and was there until his retirement in 1985. He helped to build the fields of international relations and area studies into one of the foremost programmes in the world, often working closely with Donald Cameron Watt.

His teaching extended to the Department of International Relations, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, and institutions overseas. To students he was helpful and humane, gentle but entirely firm in upholding academic standards. He supervised students from Asia and Africa and helped to bridge departments and disciplines by combining philosophy, politics, and economics.

He devoted most of his life to research on civil war and decolonisation in Africa, spending many periods of sabbatical leave teaching at universities in Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In particular, he was seconded from 1965-67 as Professor of Public Administration at Ahmadu Bello University in northern Nigeria.

Wearing pink and eating cake

Friday 25 October was the annual "Wear it Pink" day in support of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

LSE's Finance Division held a cake sale and raffle organised by their very own pink fundraising team - Linda Sclanders, Carly Wilkinson, Sherry Vaid, Margaret Newson, Margaret Benjamin, Kristy Rottenberry, Rosina Choudhury, Sara Whyte, Bal Bimrah, Katie Irving, Matthew Grierson, Genein Cox-Desuosa, and Naushin Mohamed.

With the help of other colleagues from across the School, the Finance team raised over £300 and would like to thank everyone who contributed.

Congratulations to all other departments and divisions who also held events and raised money for this year's "Wear it Pink" day.
 

Dr Kent Deng (pictured), Reader in Economic History, took part in a panel discussion hosted at the House of Lords by Lord Timothy Clement-Jones on "The China Plan: economics of a superpower" and "China's Investments: who benefits?".

The discussion, which took place on Monday 28 October, marked the release of BN Magazine’s September-October 2013 issue on the same topic.
 

Academic abroad

On Friday 25 October, Dr Katerina Dalacoura (pictured), Associate Professor in International Relations, gave a lecture entitled “The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt: secularism and democracy”, at TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey.

All LSE staff and students, whether or not you’re aware of it, have ethical and legal responsibilities concerning the data you use as part of your everyday work and study activities. These responsibilities include issues to do with the collection, usage and storage of personal data in its various forms.

LSE’s Information Security Policy forms a part of the School’s ongoing commitment to enhance and clarify the measures you can take to meet these responsibilities and make sure you stay within the data protection laws that govern information use within the UK. It will help you become aware of how to classify your data and take steps to protect it, making sure that, as a community, we safeguard information while still making it available to those who have the right to access it.

Everyone at LSE is encouraged to read and abide by the Information Security Policy in the course of their work and study. To view the Information Security Policy, click here.

Just economics and politics? Think again. While LSE does not teach arts or music, there is a vibrant cultural side to the School which includes the LSE Choir and Orchestra, both of which are open to staff and students.

The Choir and Orchestra take part in two official School concerts a year, which take place in the beautiful St Clement Dane's Church in December and March.

The deadline for submitting your entries for the Equality and Diversity Photo Competition is Sunday 3 November.

Applications are invited from LSE PhD students for the one remaining place to visit Sciences Po, Paris, in order to work informally with one or more advisors on their PhD thesis research and/or on related publications and presentations, and to attend conferences and workshops both at the host institution and within the wider regional/national academic community.

LSE will provide financial support in the form of a bursary of £2,500 to one LSE student to visit Sciences Po, for an exchange to conclude no later than the end of July 2014. All other bursaries for 2013-14 have been awarded.

Students registered for PhD studies at any LSE department and who have already been upgraded to full doctoral student status are eligible to apply.

Can you convey your research visually? LSE Research Festival is now accepting submissions from academic and research staff across the School for next year’s Research Festival Exhibition.

Entrants are asked to convey their research through a poster, photograph or short film. A prize will be awarded in each category.

Last year, over 600 people visited the exhibition, including members of the general public. The LSE Research Festival provides a wonderful opportunity to encourage engagement with research being done at the School, as well as offering researchers the chance to gain fresh perspective on their project.

Workshops are being run later this term on making research based posters and films.

Director's Christmas Party for Children

Attention all parents - the invitations for the Director's Christmas Party for Children of LSE Staff will be sent out next week and this year the party will be held on Saturday 7 December from 2-5pm.

Look out for the invitation. If you have not received the invitation by Monday 11 November, email conferences@lse.ac.uk.
 

Computer tip of the week

Save PowerPoint as a slideshow

A common way to run a PowerPoint presentation is in the familiar PowerPoint environment. This is actually the development area and though it does no harm to run a presentation here, it does look unprofessional to an audience when they see the ribbons and other tools you use to create your presentation.

A way to run your PowerPoint presentation and not see these elements is to save it in a slightly different way. First ensure you have saved your presentation in the usual way; it will have .pptx at the end. Then, to save as a slideshow, click File - Save As - PowerPoint Show(*.ppsx). Give your presentation a new name if you wish, but this is not necessary. Then try your show. You will see it open immediately and it will work in just the same way as usual.

The European University Institute (EUI) is organising a presentation on Wednesday 6 November to introduce its Doctoral Programme for the 2014-15 academic year, and LSE staff have been asked to inform any students that they think may be interested.

The meeting, which will take place at 1pm at the Senate House of the University of London, will present PhD programmes in economics, history and civilisation, law and political and social sciences.

The EUI is located in Florence, Italy, and offers a structured doctoral programme with close supervision and opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research. The Institute is looking for highly motivated and qualified researchers to further complement the already outstanding quality of our current scholars. Grants for doctoral candidates are available.

Skip fit lessons

Security officer and former boxer Daniel Beckley is running skip fit lessons for all staff and students at LSE. Build up your fitness, burn calories and increase your stamina, all within an hour.

The next lessons will take place from 1-2pm at the Badminton Court, Old Building, on Tuesday 5 November, Tuesday 19 November, Tuesday 26 November, and Tuesday 10 December.

Just turn up on any of these dates with your own skipping rope. All lessons are free.

For more information, email Daniel at d.beckley@lse.ac.uk.
 

LSE Treatment Clinic

The LSE Treatment Clinic, which welcomes LSE students and staff, is on the first floor of Tower Two (enter from the Tower One/Tower Two reception, first floor and follow the signs to the LSE Treatment Clinic).

The clinic offers professional treatments at reduced rates for LSE including acupuncture, osteopathy and sports massage from practitioners with over 20 years of experience between them. Their combined expertise is effective in the treatment of pain, including musculoskeletal pain, repetitive strain injury, tension headaches, posture advice, sports injuries, anxiety, insomnia, migraine, among many other ailments.

The practitioners are:

• Hanya Chlala
  Acupuncture available in a dual bed setting on Wednesdays and Fridays

• Laura Dent
  Sports massage available on Mondays

• Tim Hanwell
  Osteopathy available on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Appointments are available Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm and can be booked online at lsetreatmentclinic.co.uk. All consultations are strictly confidential and sessions will last between 30 and 60 minutes depending upon the treatment.
 

Staff and students can now get a special discount for Alexander Technique lessons taking place at the Bloomsbury Centre, just a five minute walk from LSE.

If you spend a lot of time sitting or standing, reading or using a computer then how you use yourself in these and many other daily activities can have a profound effect on how well you function.

Lessons can relieve back pain and RSI, help improve posture, lessen depression and anxiety and make you sound better. Improvements in these areas lead to a better general appearance and enhance your confidence.

Lessons cost £35 (when 10 lessons are pre-booked) for LSE staff/students (normal lesson fee £45), or you can take part in a four week, small group, evening course starting on Tuesday 5 November at 7.30pm costing £70 for LSE staff/students (normal price £80).

Single room in SE13 to rent

A single room is available to rent in a flat located on a quiet street, close to Hither Green station, in SE13.

The room is clean and well furnished, with gas central heating, a single bed and broadband. The tenant will share a bathroom (with shower) and a kitchen (with dishwasher) with another person.

The flat is near shops, a café, two parks, and Hither Green rail station. London Charing Cross is a 23 minute train ride from Hither Green and the flat is 40-45 minutes door-to-door from LSE.

The room costs £500 per month inclusive of gas, water, electricity, and council tax. Would suit a mature and responsible student or professional. The room will be available from January to July 2014. For more information, call 07799 803645.

This week's picture features a student checking his smartphone in the lobby of the Old Building.

For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit.

New research from LSE shows that the class structure in England is evolving far more slowly than previously believed.

A study of surname distributions over the past 800 years reveals it takes at least half a millennium for the UK’s elite class to shake off their lineage and converge with the average members of society - at least 400 years slower than economists had earlier predicted.

Dr Neil Cummins, an economic historian at LSE, says that despite significant political, industrial, social and economic changes over the past eight centuries, social mobility in England has been much slower.

There is a strong link between increasing gentrification and the designation of conservation areas, according to research from LSE.

The study, Game of Zones: the economics of conservation areas, by Dr Gabriel Ahlfeldt (LSE), Kristoffer Moeller (TU-Darmstadt, CMS Berlin), Sevrin Waights (LSE, CMS Berlin), and Nicolai Wendland (TU-Damstadt), provides a detailed analysis of restrictive conservation policies within the UK and the associated economic and social costs, and benefits, to local homeowners.

Behavioural Economics and Diet
On: Tuesday 12 November at 5.15pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor George Loewenstein (pictured), Professor of Economics and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Other forthcoming LSE events include....

Only White Men: serial killing in European cinema
On: Monday 4 November at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Richard Dyer (pictured), Professor of Film Studies at King's College London.

On: Thursday 31 October from 6.30-8pm in the Thai Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Professor M Sornarajah (pictured), Professor John Linarelli, and Dr Margot Salomon.

Demands for sovereignty over their natural resources and development as advocated by developing countries under the international law claims of the 60s and 70s for a New International Economic Order (NIEO), could find new possibilities today as the neoliberal tenets that challenged the NIEO retreat.

Changes in the international investment regime - from the influence of the rise of BRICS to developed countries now being sued by TNCs - might see a return to ideas of economic sovereignty and public welfare. Covering international investment and international economic law, human rights, as well as development law, the panellists will consider recent shifts in international law and whether we are moving towards a legal order that serves the interests of humanity.

On: Tuesday 5 November at 2pm in room CLM.3.02, Clement House.
Speaker: Professor John Doris (pictured), Professor of Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology at Washington University in St Louis.

At this event, which is co-organised by the LSESU Philosophy Society and the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, Professor Doris will explore the intricate relationship between philosophical ethics and social psychology.

The event is free and open to all. For more information, email s.a.quail@lse.ac.uk or visit philevents.org/event/show/12278.
 

To mark Trans Day of Remembrance, LSE Equality and Diversity are screening Tomboy on Wednesday 6 November from 12.30-2pm in room B.09, 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Tomboy is a film about a 10 year old girl, settling into her new neighbourhood outside Paris, who is mistaken for a boy and has to live up to this new identity since it’s too late for the mistake to be clarified.

On: Thursday 7 November at 6.30pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Ali Mirsepassi (pictured), Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Sociology and Director of the Iranian Studies Initiative at New York University, and Visiting Professor in the Department of Sociology at LSE during Michaelmas term.

Why the "human sciences" have become the target of a major government crackdown in Iran today. This talk will focus thematically upon a specific conceptual shift.

This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. More
 

On: Thursday 14 November from 6.30-8pm in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Professor Roberto Mangabeira Unger (pictured), Roscoe Pound Professor of Law at Harvard University.

The progressive left lacks the imagination to tackle the fundamental problems of society. Renowned social theorist Roberto Unger calls on fellow progressives in Britain to think beyond current institutional arrangements.

This event will be recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

SCR Event: poetry reading by Roger McGough

On: Tuesday 19 November at 5.30pm.

The SCR committee is pleased to announce the first SCR poetry reading event. Roger McGough (pictured), presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please, will be reading a selection of poetry including verses from his new collection.

All staff members are invited to attend SCR events. For more information, visit the SCR website.
 

On: Monday 25 November from 6.30-8pm in the New Theatre, East Building
Speaker: Professor Calliope Spanou (pictured), The Greek Ombudsman.

This event will focus on the establishment, 15 years ago, of the Ombudsman institution in Greece, highlighting its place and role in the political-administrative system of the country.

Professor Spanou will also present current challenges in the context of economic austerity, lack of trust in institutions, as well as demands for a new relationship between citizens and the state in Greece.

On: Friday 29 November from 9am-5pm in the Shaw Library, Old Building

This one day conference, organised by LSE's Hellenic Observatory and the Open Society European Policy Institute, Brussels, features an ambitious and exciting programme, bringing together eminent speakers to debate and discuss the major challenges facing Greece and all of Europe.

For more information, visit the Hellenic Observatory's event page. Click here for the conference programme.

Podcasts of public lectures and events

Shaping Higher Education Fifty Years After Robbins: what views to the future?
Speakers: Bahram Bekhradnia, Rajay Naik, and David Willetts MP
Recorded: Tuesday 22 October, approx. 111 minutes

Richard Titmuss: forty years on
Speaker: Howard Glennerster
Recorded: Wednesday 23 October, approx. 76 minutes

"Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here": the human rights struggle against Muslim fundamentalism
Speaker: Karima Bennoune
Recorded: Wednesday 23 October, approx. 78 minutes

Courses scheduled for next week include:

• Developing Emotional Resilience in the Workplace
• Starting with Research Funding
• Excel 2010: pivot tables

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

• Application Analyst, Information Management and Technology
• Assistant Professor in Accounting, Accounting
• Assistant Professor in EU Law, Law
• Assistant Professor in Economic Geography/Regional or Urban Economics, Geography and Environment
• Assistant Professor in Law and Anthropology, Law
• Assistant Professor in Management, Management
• Assistant Professorship in Economics, Economics
• Assistant/Associate Professor in Intellectual Property and Trade Mark, Law
• Assistant/Associate Professor in Private Law, Law
• Head of Development Communications (Maternity Cover), ODAR: major gift fundraising
• Head of Health and Safety, Governance, Legal and Planning Division
• Office Coordinator, Management
• Research Assistant (Family Life Courses and Later Life in Europe), Social Policy
• Research Information Analyst and Open Access Officer, Library: academic services
• Research Officer (Environmental, Climate or Energy Economics), Grantham Research Institute
• Research Officer (Family Life Courses and Later Life Health in Europe), Social Policy
• Research Programme Administrator, International Relations
• Senior Project Manager, Information Management and Technology
• Senior Student Services Adviser, Academic Registrar's Division
• Web Developer (.Net), Information Management and Technology