What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth launches

A new project that will analyse and showcase the policies that can help to drive local economic growth has launched.

LSE Careers invites you to….

Don't miss the upcoming careers fairs including the Business and Management Fair on Thursday and International Organisations Day in November.

Matthew Taylor

Matthew, who has been conducting LSE's Orchestra regularly since 2003, plays the piano, used to play the oboe and organ, and has continually struggled to play the violin.

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."

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
 

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, Minister for Local Growth, Michael Fallon, 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.

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.

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.

All LSE students and staff, 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.

LSE Annual Fund: deadline for student-led project applications is Friday 1 November

The LSE Annual Fund supports a large variety of projects and initiatives that make a real impact across the School thanks to the unrestricted donations received from alumni and friends.

We invite applications for funding from student-led initiatives including LSE Students’ Union societies and activities. The Michaelmas term round of applications for student-led projects and initiatives closes at 9am on Friday 1 November.

To access the guidance notes for applications, FAQs and the online application forms, click here.
 

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

Green Impact is an excellent opportunity for students to get involved with sustainability here at LSE.

Student Project Assistants help staff teams complete a comprehensive sustainability workbook throughout the academic year. As a voluntary Project Assistant you will gain valuable skills like project management, environmental auditing and boost your awareness and understanding about a wide range of environmental impacts.

LSE's Centre for the Analysis of Time Series is developing a set of online games and a website to communicate the character of climate change uncertainty. This project follows on from the successful exhibit, Confidence from Uncertainty, at the 2011 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

We are looking for an individual to help develop and expand a set of java-script based games which illustrate the type of gamble represented by anthropogenic climate change, and also for web development support. We are also looking for a second project assistant to help with editing a number of short science communication videos.

This is a short term, part-time opportunity (hours will vary, but a rough guide would be approximately 12 hours per month over three to four months) which would suit a student or early post-doctorate with computing skills.

LSE Careers invites you to….

LSE Careers Business and Management Fair
Taking place on Thursday 31 October, this on-campus careers fair offers you the chance to meet a variety of organisations offering roles as varied as general management, internal finance, supply chain management and marketing.

Attending organisations include Amazon UK, Bloomberg LP, British Airways, Dropbox, Lloyds Banking Group, Procter & Gamble, Shell, and many more. Find out more and book on LSE CareerHub.

LSE Careers Law Fair
If you’re interested in taking your career forward in law, come along and discover more about the opportunities available. From top firms to legal training providers, this is a one-stop shop to answer all your questions on training contracts, vacation schemes, first year taster schemes, the LPC and GDL, and much more.

This is a two night fair on Tuesday 5 and Thursday 7 November and different organisations will be attending on each night, so book a place for both nights to make the most of this opportunity. Booking is now open.

International Organisations Day
For more information about the day, the international organisations attending, and the topics they will be discussing, visit the International Organisations Day website.

Courses scheduled for next week include:

• Using EndNote to Manage your References
• English Through Role Play
• Excel 2010: logical and look up functions

Teaching and Learning Centre training events

• Adapting to Life at LSE
  Wednesday 6 November from 12-1.45pm in room CLM 4.02, Clement House
  What were your expectations of life at LSE and how has it worked out so far? This is an opportunity to get together to share experiences and reactions to student life. It will include sharing tips and ideas about how to get the most out of this time.
• Good Writing Psychology
  Friday 8 November from 3-4pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
  This presentation will look at ways of overcoming psychological issues involved in the task of writing, with advice and tips to help manage blocks and unhelpful fears. It will include a range of management techniques for dealing with common writing difficulties, such as procrastination and perfectionism.

All sessions can be booked via the Training and Development System, which is recommend, but if that's not possible or if an event is fully booked, you can just turn up on the day.
 

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.

Sara Masry, Centre Administrator at LSE’s Middle East Centre, will be selling Halloween-themed cupcakes on Thursday 31 October at a stall on Houghton Street, to raise money for Cycle4Schooling.

The European University Institute (EUI) is organising a presentation on Wednesday 6 November to introduce its Doctoral Programme for the 2014-15 academic year.

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 students and staff 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.

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: 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.
 

On Tuesday 5 November from 6-7.30pm in the Cañada Blanch Room, Cowdray House
Speaker: Dr George Kassimeris (pictured), Reader in Terrorism Studies at the University of Wolverhampton.

Greece has one of the most sustained problems of political terrorism anywhere in the world. From the mid-1970s to the present, the country’s political and socio-economic institutions have been confronted by systematic terrorist violence mainly at the hands of revolutionary guerrilla groups.

This seminar will place Greek extremist violence in a broader political and cultural perspective and will explain why it has become a permanent fixture of national public life.

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: 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.