Thinking Like a Social Scientist lunchtime lecture series

In this lunchtime series of lectures, a selection of LSE's academics from across the spectrum of the social sciences explain the latest thinking on how social scientists work to address the critical problems of the day. They survey the leading ideas and contributions made by their discipline, explain the types of problems that are addressed and the tools that are used, and explore the kinds of solutions proposed.

All events will take place from 1.05-2pm in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House and are free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For more information, email events@lse.ac.uk|.

The Power of Comparison in History
|Date: Thursday 15 October 2009
Speaker: Dr Kent Deng

In this lecture Dr Kent Deng explains why historical comparison is a powerful tool of thinking and analysis for social scientists.

Risk, Behaviour and Applications to Health Policy|
Date: Thursday 22 October 2009
Speakers: Joan Costa-i-Font, Caroline Rudisill

This lecture will cover the rationale for performing risk and behavioural economics research in health policy and other related policy applications. It will discuss a few recent results in the areas of ageing, genetically modified food and avian flu.

Analysing risk assessment in child protection policy and practice|
Date: Thursday 29 October 2009
Speaker: Professor Eileen Munro

This lecture examines how society's highly emotive response to child deaths from parental abuse has unintended consequences in the child protection system that inadvertently increase risks to children. 

Thinking about Evidence and Risk|
Date: Thursday 5 November 2009
Speaker: Professor John Worrall

If it is to be scientific at all, social science must base its claims and theories on evidence. But what exactly does it take for e to be good evidence for some claim about the world? In particular claims about risk.

Should management be a social science or a design science?|
Date: Thursday 12 November 2009
Speaker: Professor Michael Barzelay

The lecture will consider the argument that management research and teaching should develop as a design science. It explores some of the promise and difficulties of this proposal, from a social science perspective.

Risk Sharing and the Employment Relationship|
Date: Thursday 19 November 2009
Speaker: Professor David Marsden 

The employment relationship is one of the fundamental institutions of advanced industrial societies for sharing the risks of economic life, in this case, between employer and employee. What is the future of the employment relationship, and what the major policy choices that we face in this area? Can it once again become an institutional focus for both economic prosperity and social justice?

Social Science Perspectives on Risk Regulation|
Date: Thursday 26 November 2009
Speaker: Professor Bridget Hutter 

Professor Hutter will outline a social science approach to understanding risk regulation and point to some of the insights it might throw on contemporary events. She will discuss the ways in which the meanings and understandings of risk are influenced by the broader social and cultural contexts within which they are situated and particularly on how these risks are processed and governed within organizations.

Social Theories of Risk and Economic Life| 
Date: Thursday 3 December 2009
Speaker: Dr Nigel Dodd

The lecture explores the role of risk in major social theories such as those of Giddens, Beck and Luhmann, and discusses the impact of risk on our understanding of contemporary society. Dr Dodd will focus on the example of the sociology of economic life in order to illustrate how a sociological interpretation of risk can enhance our understanding of economic institutions, markets and money.