Date: Thursday 28 January 2010
Time: 1.05pm
Venue: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Professor George Gaskell

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.

Following international agreements food safety is judged solely on the criterion of scientific risks – toxicity, allergenicity and in exceptional circumstances genotoxicity. The example of cloned animals for food products is used to highlight both the limitations of risk based regulation and its potential for creating public outrage. While safe food is an undeniable good, science based regulation cannot entertain or act upon ethical issues and/or public sensitivities. This pits science against everyday life, bringing both science and regulation into question in the public domain. Do we need a new paradigm for the regulation of sensitive technologies?

George Gaskell is a social psychologist and a past director of the Methodology Institute. His interests include economic psychology, science in society and risk. He is an advisor to the European Food Safety Authority on risk communication and one of the School's pro-directors.

This series of lectures is supported by Sage Publications. LSE is grateful for their support.

The next lecture in this series, Online and offline risk – getting young people’s experience of the internet into perspective will take place on Thursday 4 February.

A list of all the lectures in the Thinking Like a Social Scientist lunchtime lecture series can be found here.

This event is 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 or call 020 7955 6043.

Media queries: please contact the Press Office if you would like to reserve a press seat or have a media query about this event, email pressoffice@lse.ac.uk

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