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Public Lectures and Events: podcasts

Browse and download LSE's podcasts below, listed by month.
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The views expressed by speakers at LSE events are their personal views and do not represent the views of the School. See LSE's 'Terms of Use' for more information, particularly point 4: 'Contributing to the website '

See also:

Live webcasts of events: we broadcast a selection of LSE's public lectures and events live, you can view the live webcasts and a list of forthcoming live webcasts on the LSE Live page.
Videos of selected events: you can view these after the event on the Videos page.
LSE research: a new series of videos of short interviews with LSE experts is carried on a new website Video and audio.
Transcripts: if a transcript is available it is shown in the listings. For transcripts from before we began podcasts (ie 1999 to end of 2006) see full list of transcripts available.
LSE has joined UChannel where podcasts of lectures, panels and events from academic institutions all over the world can be accessed.
List of forthcoming Public Lectures and Events.
LSE Experts Directory to find expertise on a particular topic.

Developments are underway to bring LSE's videos and podcasts into one website, we are also working on making downloadable videos available in ipod/iphone compatible mp4 video format.

February

Freefall
Speaker: Professor Joseph Stiglitz
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 8 February 2010 in Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street
Stiglitz lays out not only the course of the financial crisis which began in 2007, but its underlying causes, and shows why much more radical reforms are needed than are currently being contemplated if we are to avoid similar 'systemic' crises in the future. Showing why the bailout has been only marginally effective and how it could have been much more so, and outlines the enormous opportunity - not yet taken - to design a new global financial architecture.
Available as: mp3 (31 MB; approx 67 minutes)
Event Posting: Freefall
Europe – the traitor's kiss
Speaker: Chris Bryant MP
This event was recorded on 4 February 2010 in New Theatre, East Building
After the recent focus on internal issues, the EU is now turning its attention to global matters. What impact will the emerging economic powerhouses of India, China and Brazil have on Europe's revitalised outward-looking perspective? Chris Bryant MP is UK Minister for Europe.
Available as: mp3 (29 MB; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: Europe – the traitor's kiss

Economics 0-Reality 1
Speaker: John Lanchester
Chair: Professor Alan Manning
This event was recorded on 4 February 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Has the credit crunch exposed the futility of academic economics? Should LSE be closed down and converted into something more socially productive? In this lecture John Lanchester challenges the profession of economics with fundamental questions about its purpose and direction.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Economics 0-Reality 1

Climate Crunch: making the economics fit
Speaker: Jonathon Porritt
Chair: Professor Eric Neumayer
This event was recorded on 4 February 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
At the beginning of this new decade more people in the US and UK remain unpersuaded by the science of climate change than this time last year. Could it be that people have spotted the yawning gap between the politicians' apocalyptic rhetoric and the bland lifestyle advice to change your light bulbs or drive more slowly? What if there's no solution to climate change without freeing ourselves from our obsession with economic growth?
Available as: mp3 (25 MB; approx 55 minutes)
Editors note: The last few minutes of the lecture are missing.
Event Posting: Climate Crunch: making the economics fit

Online and offline risk - getting young people's experience of the internet into perspective
Speaker: Professor Sonia Livingstone
This event was recorded on 4 February 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (26 MB; approx 57 minutes)
Editors note: The last few minutes of the Q&A session are missing.
Event Posting: Online and offline risk - getting young people's experience of the internet into perspective
Eastern Europe and the Balkans: what now?
Speaker: Tim Judah, Nick Thorpe
This event was recorded on 3 February 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
After months of renewed celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, has a new malaise taken over? Are there any indicators of hope in the shadow of the unfinished project? Tim Judah is Balkans correspondent for The Economist. Nick Thorpe is Eastern Europe correspondent for the BBC.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Eastern Europe and the Balkans: what now?

Doldrums to Downing Street? The Conservative Party's long journey from opposition to the brink of office
Speaker: Tim Bale
Chair: Jonathan Isaby
This event was recorded on 3 February 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Why did the world's oldest and most successful political party dump Margaret Thatcher only to commit electoral suicide under John Major? Just as importantly, what stopped the Tories getting their act together until David Cameron came along? The answers, Tim Bale shows, are as provocative as the questions.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Doldrums to Downing Street? The Conservative Party's long journey from opposition to the brink of office

You are not a gadget
Speaker: Jaron Lanier
Chair: Jerry Fishenden
This event was recorded on 2 February 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Something started to go wrong with the digital revolution at the start of the 21st century. Individual creativity has begun to go out of fashion and people are being restricted to what can be represented on a computer. Are we deadening the human experience? Jaron Lanier delivers a call to arms in support of the human and reflects on the good and bad developments in design 20 years after the invention of the web.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: You are not a gadget

Secularisms in crisis
Speaker: Professor John Bowen
Chair: Dr Simon Glendinning
This event was recorded on 2 February 2010 in New Theatre, East Building
During the 1980s people living in Europe and North America took cognizance of two major developments in religion and public life. Islam assumed a more prominent role both in majority Muslim societies and in societies of relatively recent residence. And forms of Christianity took on greater public roles in much of the West. These parallel developments have given rise to interrogations on many fronts: concerning the nature of secularism, the proper role of religious commitments in liberal democracies, and the accommodations required for Islam to assume its new role in those democracies. Confusion reigns over how to understand claims made in the name of Islam, or for that matter those made in the name of laïcité, toleration, or multiculturalism. This series of three lectures attempts to address some of these issues from a perspective that is anthropological, political-theoretic, and comparative.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Secularisms in crisis

Delivering a Low Carbon London
Speaker: Isabel Dedring
Chair: Professor Anne Power
This event was recorded on 2 February 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Isabel Dedring will discuss developing and implementing a vision for a low carbon London. Isabel Dedring is environment adviser to the Mayor of London. She has also been director of the policy unit at Transport for London.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: Delivering a Low Carbon London

Uninhibited, Robust and Wide-Open: a free press for a new century
Speaker: Lee Bollinger
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 1 February 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Bollinger explores the meaning of freedom of the press in our globalised, internet-dominated era. Lee C. Bollinger became the nineteenth President of Columbia University on June 1, 2002. A prominent advocate of affirmative action, he played a leading role in the twin Supreme Court cases—Grutter v Bollinger and Gratz v Bollinger—that upheld and clarified the importance of diversity as a compelling justification for affirmative action in higher education. A leading First Amendment scholar, he is widely published on freedom of speech and press, and currently serves on the faculty of Columbia Law School.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Uninhibited, Robust and Wide-Open: a free press for a new century

January 2010

New Economics
Speaker: Andrew Simms
Chair: Professor George Gaskell
This event was recorded on 28 January 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Andrew Simms considers the development of a new sustainable economic model, looking at environmental, social and economic aspects. Andrew Simms is an author and a policy director at the New Economics Foundation. His most recent work is Ecological Debt: global warming and the wealth of nations.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: New Economics
Electoral Reform in the Wake of the Economic Crisis
Speaker: Dr Vincent Cable MP
Chair: Rudolf Fara
This event was recorded on 28 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Following the most devastating economic crisis since the Great Depression, electoral and institutional governance reform is high on the agenda of all political parties. Dr Cable identifies major targets for reform. Vince Cable is deputy leader and shadow chancellor of the Liberal Democrats. He is MP for Twickenham.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 77 minutes)
Editors note: Due to technical difficulties there may be some inaudible sections for a few seconds at the beginning and end.
Available as: video
Event Posting: Electoral Reform in the Wake of the Economic Crisis

Risk, ethics and public sensitivities
Speaker: Professor George Gaskell
This event was recorded on 28 January 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (25 MB; approx 54 minutes)
Event Posting: Risk, ethics and public sensitivities

Not By Reason Alone
Speaker: Dr Montek Ahluwalia, Mukesh Ambani, Shobhana Bhartia, Professor Lord Desai, Shekhar Gupta, Ed Luce, Lord Patten, Nand Kishore Singh, Professor Lord Stern
This event was recorded on 26 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Not by Reason Alone, written by Nand Kishore Singh a member of parliament in the Upper House in India is a comment on the past and present politics of change. This insightful analysis of the political economy of reform is coupled with the understanding that we need to be compassionate, passionate, creative, hopeful, and more. This book and discussion will give the audience an unusual window into the Indian political economy.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 74 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Not By Reason Alone

Speaking with the Speaker
Speaker: John Bercow, Tony Travers
This event was recorded on 25 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
John Bercow was elected to the post of speaker in June 2009. It followed the resignation of the previous speaker in the wake of the controversy over MP's expenses. Speaker Bercow will discuss his views on parliamentary reform with Tony Travers. Tony Travers is director of LSE London.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: Speaking with the Speaker

The Future of Internet Rights: A Conversation with Industry's Leaders
Speaker: Richard Allan, Kasey Chappelle, Alma Whitten, Usama M. Fayyad
Chair: Gus Hosein
This event was recorded on 25 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Will the market and innovation decide the future of the internet, or will the future be led by law and policy? The Internet is rapidly evolving and has mutated in the space of a decade from a static information source to a dynamic organism. In the future its shape will be dramatically different, as the online space moves even further to the centre of almost every aspect of our lives.
Available as: mp3 (43 MB; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: The Future of Internet Rights: A Conversation with Industry's Leaders

Why should social scientists be interested in the Cold War?
Speaker: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 21 January 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 51 minutes)
Event Posting: Why should social scientists be interested in the Cold War?

What kind of economics should we teach?
Speaker: Professor Geoffrey Hodgson, Professor Albert Marcet, Paul Ormerod, Professor John Sutton
Chair: Professor Tim Besley
This event was recorded on 20 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The recent global crisis has lead to questions being asked about whether the kind of economics being taught to students in leading economics departments was responsible for the widespread failure to predict the timing and magnitude of the events that unfolded in 2008. Critiques range from an absence of historical context in mainstream teaching of economics to excessive reliance on mathematical models. This panel brings together four leading economists to debate this issue and to discuss what changes in the economics curriculum and the way that it is delivered are desirable.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: What kind of economics should we teach?

Europe after the European Age: historical reflections
Speaker: Professor Mark Mazower
This event was recorded on 20 January 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
What forces have shaped Europe's place in the world over the past two centuries? And how do the challenges of the two 'post-European' epochs – after 1945 and 1989 – compare? Mark Mazower is Ira D Wallach Professor of History at Columbia University.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 74 minutes)
Event Posting: Europe after the European Age: historical reflections

Beyond the "Berlusconi Common Sense". A New Model of Politics for the 21st Century
Speaker: Professor Paolo Mancini
Chair: Professor Terhi Rantanen
This event was recorded on 19 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Mostly outside Italy, there is a widespread common sense about Berlusconi and his political adventure: he has been able to enter successfully the political arena because of his television empire and because of his unclear links with illegal groups and business. This interpretation is undoubtedly true but it is also a limited one as it is not able to point out all the novelties that Berlusconi may represent. Indeed, the paper argues that the political adventure of the Italian tycoon may be interpreted as a signal of the end of the forms of politics that featured the last two centuries in Europe and that was constructed on the role of the mass parties and their ideological nature. This is not just an Italian phenomenon as many other European leaders underline striking similarities with the Italian Prime Minister. In particular three main features of the new forms of politics that these leaders represent are discussed: 1) commodification of politics; 2) life style politics; 3) televised politics. Examples from other political leaders and theoretical frameworks are provided.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: Beyond the "Berlusconi Common Sense". A New Model of Politics for the 21st Century

Child Under-nourishment as a Social Predicament
Speaker: Professor Amartya Sen
Chair: Professor Lord Stern
This event was recorded on 19 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This lecture is in honour of Dr Indraprastha Gordhanbhai (I.G) Patel who was the ninth director of the London School of Economics from 1984 to 1990. Amartya Sen is Thomas W. Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics and Philosophy, at Harvard University and was until recently the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has served as President of the Econometric Society, the Indian Economic Association, the American Economic Association and the International Economic Association. He was formerly Honorary President of OXFAM and is now its Honorary Advisor.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 81 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Child Under-nourishment as a Social Predicament

The War on Drugs: an upper or downer for development?
Speaker: Misha Glenny, Michael Hartmann
Chair: Professor James Putzel
This event was recorded on 18 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The panel will discuss the impact of legalising and regulating the international trade in illegal drugs. They will look at whether it would curb crime and war financing, and if it would promote development in fragile states. Misha Glenny is a journalist and author of McMafia: seriously organised crime. Michael Hartmann is manager and senior adviser of the Criminal Justice Programme at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: The War on Drugs: an upper or downer for development?

Modernity and the Meaning of Life
Speaker: Dr Simon Glendinning, Dr Edward Skidelsky
This event was recorded on 18 January 2010 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
This dialogue will examine the resources left to us to find meaning in our modern day lives. Simon Glendinning is a reader in European philosophy at the European Institute, LSE, and director of the Forum for European Philosophy. Edward Skidelsky is a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Exeter.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Modernity and the Meaning of Life

Crisis as Motivation? The Challenges of Sustaining Growth in Southeast Asia
Speaker: Professor Richard Doner
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 14 January 2010 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Can the dynamic, export-oriented economies of Southeast Asia sustain their growth in light of the global economic crisis? Professor Doner will consider the questions economists typically overlook. Richard Doner is professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Available as: video
mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: Crisis as Motivation? The Challenges of Sustaining Growth in Southeast Asia

Positive Deviance: the only strategy left for sustainability leadership?
Speaker: Sara Parkin
Chair: Andy Farrell
This event was recorded on 14 January 2010 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In the absence of an adequate response to unsustainability by political leaders, it is up to the rest of us to lead the way. Sara Parkin is a founder director of Forum for the Future.
Available as: mp3 (32 MB; approx 69 minutes)
Event Posting: Positive Deviance: the only strategy left for sustainability leadership?

Getting fiscal consolidation right: Lessons from Sweden
Speaker: Anders Borg
Respondent: George Osborne MP
This event was recorded on 14 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Faced with a record deficit and an accelerating debt, the UK will have to embark on a process of massive fiscal consolidation in order to bring public finances back to sustainability. How is this best done and what lessons can be learned from the Swedish experience of fiscal consolidation in the 1990s? Anders Borg is Minister for Finance in Sweden and has chaired the ECOFIN Council during the 2009 Swedish EU Presidency. He has previously worked as an advisor on monetary policy issues at the Swedish Central Bank and as chief economist at several Swedish banks.
Available as: mp3 (29 MB; approx 61 minutes)
Event Posting: Getting fiscal consolidation right: Lessons from Sweden

When China Rules the World
Speaker: Martin Jacques
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 13 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The years immediately following the end of the Cold War gave rise to the notion that the world was entering yet another American Century. But the next century will be decidedly Chinese and the rest of the world needs to adjust to this fact fast. Martin Jacques is a visiting senior fellow at LSE IDEAS. This event celebrates the publication of his book When China Rules the World: the rise of the middle kingdom and the end of the western world.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: When China Rules the World

Muslims in Modern Europe
Speaker: Professor Gilles Kepel
Chair: Professor Fawaz Gerges
This event was recorded on 12 January 2010 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This lecture will look at the complex character of the Muslim population in Europe and explain the many different ways in which they see the world around them. Gilles Kepel is the Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE IDEAS.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Muslims in Modern Europe

December 2009

Broke: voices from the edge
Speaker: Ice and Fire, Actors for Human Rights
This event was recorded on 10 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Throughout his long life Professor Peter Townsend - a great friend of the Centre, advocate of human rights, and emeritus professor at LSE - worked hard first to prove the existence of poverty in Britain and then to persuade our society not to take such deprivation for granted. Peter Townsend died in June this year and this performance of 'Broke' by Ice and Fire, Actors for Human Rights, is dedicated to his memory. Using dialogue from real-life interviews with people living in poverty in the UK, the actors explore the dismal side-effects of such gross disadvantage - the homelessness, the lack of affordable housing, the unemployment, the debt, and much else besides. The plight of the poor on its own doorstep mocks Britain's aspiration to be an ethical force in the world and a beacon of human rights standards at home. Often unseen and unheard, this performance gives the poor a voice.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: Broke: voices from the edge

The Financial Crisis: How Europe can save the world
Speaker: George Soros, Guy Verhofstadt
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 09 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This public discussion marks the publication of Guy Verhofstadt's latest book The Financial Crisis: How Europe can Save the World. George Soros is Chairman of Soros Fund Management, LLC. He was born in Budapest in 1930. He survived the Nazi occupation and fled communist Hungary in 1947 for England, where he graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He then settled in the United States, where he accumulated a large fortune through an international investment fund he founded and managed. Mr Soros has been active as a philanthropist since 1979, when he began providing funds to help black students attend Capetown University in apartheid South Africa. He has established a network of philanthropic organisations active in more than 50 countries around the world. These organisations are dedicated to promoting the values of democracy and an open society. The foundation network spends about $400 million annually. Mr Soros is the author of ten books. His articles and essays on politics, society, and economics regularly appear in major newspapers and magazines around the world.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: The Financial Crisis: How Europe can save the world

The End of Lawyers?
Speaker: Richard Susskind
This event was recorded on 08 December 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Public figures who were once lawyers or law students will speak about how, if at all, their experience of studying, teaching or practising law has been of value to them in their other careers. Richard Susskind is an independent adviser on information technology.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: The End of Lawyers?

Cyprus: The Settlement Process
Speaker: Mehmet Ali Talat
Chair: Professor Sevket Pamuk
This event was recorded on 07 December 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Mehmet Ali Talat is the Turkish Cypriot Leader. Mehmet Ali Talat was born in Kyrenia on July 6, 1952. Completing his primary and secondary education in Cyprus, Talat graduated from the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Turkey with an M.Sc.degree in Electrical Engineering.
Available as: mp3 (43 MB; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: Cyprus: The Settlement Process

Happiness around the World: the paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires
Speaker: Professor Carol Graham
This event was recorded on 03 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The determinants of happiness are remarkably similar around the world, in countries as different as Afghanistan, the U.S, and Chile. Income matters to happiness but only so much; friends, freedom, and employment are good for happiness, while crime, poor health, and divorce are bad. Paradoxically, however, people in places like Afghanistan can be as happy as those in much wealthier and safer ones like Chile. One explanation is the remarkable human capacity to adapt to adversity and hardship. While adaptation may be a good thing for individual wellbeing, it can also result in collective tolerance for bad equilibrium which are difficult for societies to escape from.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Happiness around the World: the paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires

Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for Christmas
Speaker: Professor Joel Waldfogel
Chair: Martin Lewis
This event was recorded on 03 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and-gift giving. BUT – How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Waldfogel illustrates how our consumer spending generates vast amounts of economic waste—over £50 billion each winter. He provides solid explanations to show us why it's time to stop the madness and think twice before we start on our Christmas shopping extravaganza. When we buy for ourselves, every pound we spend produces at least a pound in satisfaction, we shop carefully and purchase items that are worth more than they cost. Gift giving is different. We make less-informed choices, max out on credit to buy gifts worth less than the money spent, and leave recipients less than satisfied, creating what Waldfogel calls "deadweight loss." Whilst recognizing the difficulties of altering current trends, Waldfogel offers some alternative gift-giving suggestions.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for Christmas

Social Theories of Risk and Economic Life
Speaker: Dr Nigel Dodd
This event was recorded on 03 December 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Social Theories of Risk and Economic Life

Can Europe Pay its People?: policy options for a continent in transition
Speaker: David Willetts
This event was recorded on 02 December 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Demographic change, migration and the fiscal crisis threaten a perfect storm. What are the indicators telling us about the choices we need to make? Can we see gain as well as pain ahead? David Willetts is Conservative MP for Havant and shadow minister for universities and skills.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: Can Europe Pay its People?: policy options for a continent in transition

The Future of Global Capitalism, Convergence or Divergence Across the World
Speaker: Professor Michael Cox, Martin Jacques, Professor Robert Wade
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 02 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This event brings together Martin Jacques, Professor Michael Cox, and Professor Robert Wade to debate the changing nature and form of modern capitalism and to explore some of the challenges that will confront capitalism in the years ahead. Martin Jacques is the author of When China Rules the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World, and a Senior Visiting Fellow at LSE IDEAS. Michael Cox is professor of international relations and co-director of LSE IDEAS. Robert Wade is Professor of International Political Economy at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Future of Global Capitalism, Convergence or Divergence Across the World

How China Tackles Climate Change in its Wider Development Agenda
Speaker: Madam Fu Ying
Chair: Professor Stuart Corbridge
This event was recorded on 02 December 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
What is China doing to combat climate change? What challenges are China confronted with in addressing climate change? How China is tackling climate change through international cooperation? Chinese Ambassador Mme FU Ying will share with us China's perspectives on climate change.
Available as: mp3 (13 MB; approx 29 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: How China Tackles Climate Change in its Wider Development Agenda

Belonging, Diaspora and Community
Speaker: Amitav Ghosh
Chair: Sarfraz Manzoor
This event was recorded on 01 December 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Amitav Ghosh is one of India's most acclaimed authors and cultural commentators. His novels include 'The Glass Palace', 'The Hungry Tide' and his most recent 'Sea of Poppies', the first volume of the Ibis Trilogy. He is also a celebrated travel and non-fiction writer, including such works as 'In an Antique Land' and 'Incendiary Circumstances'.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Belonging, Diaspora and Community

Deciding our Future in Copenhagen: will the world rise to the challenge of climate change?
Speaker: Professor Lord Stern
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 01 December 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Nick Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at LSE and chairman of LSE's new Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. He also directs the Asia Research Centre and the India Observatory at LSE. He was Chief Economist of the World Bank (2000-2003), then Head of the UK Government Economic Service and led a Review of the Economics of Climate Change which was published in October 2006. In October 2007 he was appointed to the House of Lords as a non-party political peer.
Available as: mp3 (34 MB; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Deciding our Future in Copenhagen: will the world rise to the challenge of climate change?

The Value of Nothing
Speaker: Raj Patel
This event was recorded on 01 December 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." Credit has crunched, debt has turned toxic, the gears of the world economy have ground to a halt. It's now clear that the market doesn't only get it wrong about sub-prime mortgages; it gets it wrong about everything. We need to ask again one of the most fundamental questions a society ever addresses: why do things cost what they do?
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: The Value of Nothing

After the Economic Crisis in South East Europe: Back to Business as Usual?
Speaker: Vladimir Gligorov, Laza Kekic, Peter Sanfey
Chair: Professor Sevket Pamuk
This event was recorded on 01 December 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Accdemic Building
Vladimir Gligorov is Senior Economist at the Vienna Institute of International Economic Studies. Laza Kekic is Regional Director of Central & Eastern Europe & Director of Country Forecasting Services at the Economist Intelligence Unit. Peter Sanfey is Lead Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist, EBRD.
Available as: mp3 (46 MB; approx 100 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the podcast are missing
Event Posting: After the Economic Crisis in South East Europe: Back to Business as Usual?

November 2009

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
Speaker: Alain de Botton
This event was recorded on 26 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This talk will raise a host of questions about the meaning and purpose of work - in particular investigating the effects of industrialisation and modernisation on the individual worker. Alain de Botton is a philosopher, author and entrepreneur.
Available as: mp3 (31 MB; approx 66 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Creating the Organisms that Evolution Forgot: an 'any questions?' debate on synthetic biology
Speaker: Dr Phillip Campbell; Professor Paul Freemont; Professor Richard Kitney; Professor Nikolas Rose; Hugh Whittall; Dr James Wilsdon
This event was recorded on 26 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Bioengineers are trying to create synthetic organisms that do not occur naturally. Is this an amazing scientific feat or something we should be worried about? Phillip Campbell is editor in chief of Nature. Paul Freemont and Richard Kitney are co-directors of the EPSRC Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College. Nikolas Rose is director of the BIOS Centre at LSE. Hugh Whittall is director of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. James Wilsdon is director of the Science Policy Centre at the Royal Society.
Available as: mp3 (44 MB; approx 94 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Creating the Organisms that Evolution Forgot: an 'any questions?' debate on synthetic biology

Social Science Perspectives on Risk Regulation
Speaker: Professor Bridget Hutter
This event was recorded on 26 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Event Posting: Social Science Perspectives on Risk Regulation

Managing Risk and Behaviour in Financial Markets
Speaker: Professor Julia Black, Professor Charles Goodhart, Professor Michael Power, Dr Paul Woolley
Chair: Professor Roger McCormick
This event was recorded on 25 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The consequences of banks' risk taking behaviour will be felt by the public finances of many countries for at least another generation. Risk taking behaviour is the lifeblood of financial markets. How can, and should, it be managed? Julia Black is professor of law at LSE. Charles Goodhart is professor emeritus of banking and finance at LSE. Michael Power is professor of accounting at LSE. Paul Woolley is senior fellow at LSE's Paul Woolley Centre for the Study of Capital Market Dysfunctionality.
Available as: mp3 (45 MB; approx 96 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Managing Risk and Behaviour in Financial Markets

Sociology and the Financial Crisis: which crisis, and which sociology?
Speaker: Professor Michel Wieviorka
This event was recorded on 25 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Sociologists have published very little on the present economic crisis. But sociology is not lacking in ways and means to study the crisis in a more general framework of a global mutation over the past 35 years. Michel Wieviorka is professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Sociology and the Financial Crisis: which crisis, and which sociology?

First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: The Double Death of Neoliberalism and the Idea of Communism
Speaker: Slavoj Zizek
This event was recorded on 25 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Slavoj Zizek argues that the neoliberalism died twice: first as a political doctrine in the tragedy of the attacks of 9/11; then its farcical collapse as an economic theory when the meltdown at the end of 2008 brought an end to the utopia of global market capitalism. Has this crisis now offered a vital opening for the left to seize the reins of politics and the state?
Available as: mp3 (29 MB; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: First as Tragedy, Then as Farce: The Double Death of Neoliberalism and the Idea of Communism

The Silverstone Panel on Digital Natives: A Lost Tribe?
Speaker: Professor David Buckingham, Ranjana Das, Dr Chris Davies, Professor Sonia Livingstone, Dr Rebecca Willet
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 24 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Enabling media literacy for ‘digital natives’ – a contradiction in terms? - Professor Sonia Livingstone, Department of Media and Communications, LSE. Talking about their generation: constructions of the digital learner - Professor David Buckingham, Institute of Education. -Q and A- Teenagers using the internet: riders, drivers, dabblers and outsiders - Dr Chris Davies, University of Oxford. Power relations, play and boredom in teens’ online interactions - Dr Rebekah Willet, Institute of Education. Panel Reflections - Ranjana Das, POLIS Silverstone Scholar 2009
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: The Silverstone Panel on Digital Natives: A Lost Tribe?

Jihad: the trail of Political Islam
Speaker: Professor Gilles Kepel
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 24 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Political Islam has emerged as one of the great ideologies of the modern world. How did this occur? Will it inevitably lead to conflict with the West? Is a clash of civilizations avoidable? And where is Political Islam heading? Gilles Kepel is Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs for 2009-10. Professor Kepel is best known for his books on the Middle East and North Africa, and for his work on Islamism, including Islamism in Europe.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 80 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Jihad: the trail of Political Islam

Arbitration's Fluid Universe
Speaker: Professor Jan Paulsson
Chair: Michael Bridge
This event was recorded on 24 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The rise of international arbitration for commercial and investment related disputes has spurred the emergence of a new body of transnational rules that cut across the traditional concepts of legal regulation. Jan Paulsson is centennial professor of law at LSE and co-head of Freshfields' international arbitration and public international law groups.
Available as: mp3 (34 MB; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Arbitration's Fluid Universe

Climb the Green Ladder: how sustainability can make you and your company more successful
Speaker: Ed Gillespie, Jo Confino
Chair: Dr Richard Perkins
This event was recorded on 23 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
What strategies can individuals within organisations use to make their organisation more successful and sustainable? Ed Gillespie is the co-founder and creative director of Futerra Sustainability Communications. Futerra arose from the frustration of its co-founders, in the late 1990’s, with the unsophisticated communications around sustainable development, and the dull and worthy messaging of corporate social responsibility. Supported by a grant from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, they started a major research programme to develop guidelines for sustainability communications, now known as their popular 10 Rules. Ed Gillespie guards against green-wash while putting some fun and passion into sometimes complex messages. His interesting career history includes working for the Natural History Film Unit, as a marine biologist in Australia, New Caledonia and Orkney and on environmental issues for Transport for London. Ed has Masters degrees in both Marine Conservation and Sustainable Development, is a Trustee of Anti-Apathy and writes regularly for The Guardian.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Climb the Green Ladder: how sustainability can make you and your company more successful

How Markets Fail: The Problem of Rational Irrationality
Speaker: John Cassidy
Chair: Dr Paul Woolley
This event was recorded on 23 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
What caused the recent global financial crisis? Some analysts blame greed, others stupidity, yet others myopia. The real problem is more fundamental, and it relates to the inner logic of a financially driven economy that generates perverse incentives and rewards damaging behaviour.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: How Markets Fail: The Problem of Rational Irrationality

Can we eliminate nuclear weapons?
Speaker: Ambassador Richard Burt, Kate Hudson, Professor Mary Kaldor, HM Queen Noor
This event was recorded on 20 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall is the time finally right to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons? Leading proponents of nuclear disarmament discuss why achieving Global Zero – a world without nuclear weapons – is both necessary and realistic.
Available as: mp3 (43 MB; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Can we eliminate nuclear weapons?

In Conversation with Amartya Sen
Speaker: Professor Amartya Sen, Professor Richard Sennett
This event was recorded on 20 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Nobel Prize winner Professor Amartya Sen will discuss his latest book The Idea of Justice with LSE's Professor Richard Sennett. This major philosophical work by one of the world's leading public intellectuals constructs a new theory of justice, not from abstract ideals or notions of what perfect institutions and rules might be, but from what the results of a system are practically, in the world. It highlights the importance of public reasoning and argues that a system of justice should require the agreement not just of the community which is making laws, but of outsiders who might be affected, or who might have valuable perspectives to offer. The methods and conclusions of the book have implications for many different fields of intellectual activity, not only those connected with justice. It is the most ambitious and wide-ranging book Amartya Sen has yet written.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: In Conversation with Amartya Sen

A Lecture by Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway
Speaker: Jens Stoltenberg
Chair: Professor Damian Chalmers
This event was recorded on 20 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Jens Stoltenberg’s Second Government was appointed on 17 October 2005. It is a majority government representing the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party. It was re-elected in a general election earlier this year. Mr. Stoltenberg was Prime Minister 2000-2001, Minister of Finance 1996-1997 in Thorbjørn Jagland’s Government, Minister of Trade and Energy 1993-1996 in Gro Harlem Brundtland’s Third Government, and state secretary at the Ministry of the Environment 1990-1991 under Gro Harlem Brundtland’s Third Government.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Event Posting: A Lecture by Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway

The Road to Copenhagen: a global deal on climate change
Speaker: Ed Miliband
Chair: Professor Lord Stern
This event was recorded on 19 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Ed Miliband is Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. He was previously Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, where he was responsible for helping to coordinate work across Government, and leading the Government's efforts to tackle social exclusion, support the Third Sector and coordinate the improvement of public services. From 2006 to 2007, he was Minister for the Third Sector, supporting charities, social enterprises and community organisations.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Road to Copenhagen: a global deal on climate change

Risk Sharing and the Employment Relationship
Speaker: Professor David Marsden
This event was recorded on 19 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (25 MB; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Risk Sharing and the Employment Relationship

Are Europeans Heading Toward the Same Economy?
Speaker: Professor Yann Algan
This event was recorded on 18 November 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Can Europe's variety of economic systems be explained by differences in culture and values? And can such differences survive the homogenising impact of globalisation? Yann Algan is professor of economics at Sciences Po, Paris.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Are Europeans Heading Toward the Same Economy?

What Next? Surviving the 21st Century
Speaker: Professor David Held, Lord Patten
This event was recorded on 18 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The list of challenges facing the world is proliferating rapidly from climate change to nuclear proliferation and nobody seems to have much of a grip on what is going on. In this public dialogue hosted by Global Policy, a new innovative and interdisciplinary journal, Chris Patten and Professor David Held will discuss what we know in each of these areas and how progress can be made.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: What Next? Surviving the 21st Century

The Future of Christianity
Speaker: Diarmaid MacCulloch
This event was recorded on 18 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Diarmaid MacCulloch examines the history of Christianity, showing what an unexpected product modern Western Christianity is from an Eastern religion whose centre might easily have been Baghdad rather than Rome. Diarmaid MacCulloch is professor of the history of the church at Oxford. His BBC TV series A History with Christianity will appear this autumn.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: The Future of Christianity

Obama and the Arabs: the historical context
Speaker: Dr Eugene Rogan
This event was recorded on 17 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Barack Obama came to office determined to change America's relations with the Arab and Islamic worlds. The Arab world has responded to his message of "mutual interest and mutual respect" with enthusiasm and conviction. Part of the success of Obama as a communicator lies in the sensitivity he shows to recent Arab history. This lecture will examine the Obama factor in addressing the many challenges facing US policy towards the Mid East, and Arab relations with the world's sole superpower.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Obama and the Arabs: the historical context

Cities, Design and Climate Change
Speaker: Professor Saskia Sassen, Professor Richard Sennett
Chair: Jonathon Porritt
This event was recorded on 17 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
With cities contributing upwards of 75 per cent of global carbon emissions, urban design is increasingly important when planning for climate change. This discussion examines the creative urban design solutions coming out of the world's cities. Saskia Sassen is Robert S Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. Richard Sennett is professor of sociology at LSE and NYU. Jonathon Porritt is the chair of the sustainable development commission and founder and director of Forum for the Future.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Cities, Design and Climate Change

Digital Britain
Speaker: Jeremy Hunt MP, Peter Bazalgette, Professor Robin Mansell, Sacha Deshmukh
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 17 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Jeremy Hunt MP is the Shadow Communications Minister. Peter Bazalgette is a media entrepreneur. Robin Mansell is a professor of new media and the internet and head of the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE. Sacha Deshmukh is CEO of Mandate Communications. Charlie Beckett is Direcor of Polis. Jeremy Hunt will be joined by Professor Robin Mansell and Peter Bazalgette in a panel discussion about the future of Digital Britain.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: Digital Britain

Bodies
Speaker: Susie Orbach
This event was recorded on 16 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
In the past decades the pressure to perfect and redesign our bodies has been unprecedented. Susie Orbach discusses how for many, the body has become the measure of our worth. Susie Orbach is a psychoanalyst and author of Bodies and Fat is a Feminist Issue.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Bodies

People Power and the End of the Cold War
Speaker: Professor Sir Adam Roberts
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 16 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Was the end of the Cold War a victory for power politics, or for people power? Twenty years after the opening of the Berlin Wall, debate continues about what factors sealed the fate of the Soviet system in eastern and central Europe, and eventually in the Soviet Union itself. Non-violent popular movements -- especially in Poland, East Germany and Czechoslovakia -- played a significant part in the events. How did they relate to other forms of power, and what was their effect on the shaping of the post-Cold War world?
Available as: mp3
(42 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: People Power and the End of the Cold War

Research for a World in Transition
Speaker: Professor Detlof von Winterfeldt
This event was recorded on 12 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This presentation provides an overview of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis' (IIASA) accomplishments and its new strategy, focussing on policy relevant research on three global problem areas: food and water; energy and climate change; and poverty and equity. Detlof von Winterfeldt is director of IIASA and centennial professor of operational research at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: Research for a World in Transition

The Future of Greek Banks: a regional strategy
Speaker: Takis Arapoglou
This event was recorded on 12 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
How has the banking crisis affected South East Europe? What are the prospects there for foreign banks? What are the implications for the future adaptation of the region into the EU? Takis Arapoglou is chairman and CEO of the National Bank of Greece.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: The Future of Greek Banks: a regional strategy

Should management be a social science or a design science?
Speaker: Professor Michael Barzelay
This event was recorded on 12 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Editors note: The first few minutes of this podcast are missing
Event Posting: Should management be a social science or a design science?

Them and Us: how capitalism without fairness is capitalism without a future
Speaker: Will Hutton
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 11 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Will Hutton is executive vice chair of the Work Foundation taking up this position in mid 2008 having served as chief executive since 2000. He began his career as a stockbroker and investment analyst, before working in BBC TV and radio as a producer and reporter. Prior to joining The Work Foundation, Will spent four years as editor in chief of the Observer and he continues to write a weekly column for the paper.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Them and Us: how capitalism without fairness is capitalism without a future

Rules of Evidence
Speaker: Hilary Mantel
This event was recorded on 10 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Public figures who were once lawyers or law students will speak about how, if at all, their experience of studying, teaching or practising law has been of value to them in their other careers. Hilary Mantel is an award winning novelist and an LSE alumnus.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Rules of Evidence

The Reform of the International Financial System: a proposal with the lessons from the crisis
Speaker: José María Aznar
Chair: Professor Luis Garicano
This event was recorded on 10 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A crisis that has impoverished the world has shown the need for an enhanced rules-based framework for the international financial system. More transparency, better regulation, incentives and oversight and a more in depth understanding of the implications of increased financial interdependence in a globalized world are the basis for the reforms needed.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 46 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Reform of the International Financial System: a proposal with the lessons from the crisis

The First Legacy Games: the physical and socio-economic transformation of East London
Speaker: Andrew Altman, Councillor Paul Brickell, Professor Ricky Burdett, Roger Taylor
This event was recorded on 10 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
This event explores the planning and physical development of the Olympic Park after the 2012 games as well as the wider socio-economic benefits the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are bringing. Andrew Altman is chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Paul Brickell is executive member for Olympics and public affairs at Newham council and chief executive of Leaside Regeneration. Ricky Burdett is director of Urban Age at LSE and principal design advisor to the London 2012 Olympics. Roger Taylor is director of the Host Boroughs Unit.
Available as: mp3 (51 MB; approx 109 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: The First Legacy Games: the physical and socio-economic transformation of East London

Learning How to Cite Judith Butler
Speaker: Professor Robyn Wiegman
This event was recorded on 9 November 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
This lecture explores the production of critical value and competency in contemporary feminist theory. Robyn Wiegman is Professor of Women's Studies and Literature and former Director of the Women's Studies Program at Duke from 2001-2007. Her publications include American Anatomies: Theorizing Race and Gender (1995), Who Can Speak: Identity and Critical Authority (1995), Feminism Beside Itself (1995), AIDS and the National Body (1997), The Futures of American Studies (2002), and Women's Studies on Its Own (2002). Professor Wiegman's research interests include feminist theory, queer theory, American Studies, critical race theory, and film and media studies. She is currently working on two manuscripts: Being in Time With Feminism focuses on the institutionalization of feminism in the U.S. academy; Object Lessons: The U.S. Knowledge Politics of Identity pays attention to relations of identification and affect in the constitution of identity as an academic object of study.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: Learning How to Cite Judith Butler

Superfreakonomics
Speaker: Stephen J Dubner, Professor Steven D Levitt
This event was recorded on 9 November 2009 in Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street
Freakonomics was a worldwide sensation, selling 4 million copies in 35 languages. Now, four years in the making, arrives the follow up: SuperFreakonomics|. Steve Levitt and Stephen Dubner return with a book that is even bolder, funnier, and more surprising than the first. Freakonomics made the world safe to discuss the economics of crack cocaine and the impact of baby names. SuperFreakonomics| retains that off-kilter sensibility (comparing, for instance, the relative dangers of driving while drunk versus walking while drunk) but also tackles a host of issues at the very centre of modern society: terrorism, global warming, altruism, and more.
Available as: mp3 (19 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Superfreakonomics

Sexuality and Empire 150 Years On: the Delhi High Court and Macaulay's sodomy offence
Speaker: Michael Kirby
This event was recorded on 6 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In 2009, the Delhi High Court in India upheld a challenge to the constitutional validity of s377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized homosexuality. Michael Kirby will explain why UK lawyers should be engaged in the reform movement as a matter of basic human rights.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately, owing to a technical fault, some of the audio cuts out during the Question and Answers section
Available as: video
Event Posting: Sexuality and Empire 150 Years On: the Delhi High Court and Macaulay's sodomy offence

Fiction and Reality: writing novels in a world weirder than anything you could make up
Speaker: Daniel Johnson, Lionel Shriver
This event was recorded on 5 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Lionel Shriver in conversation with Daniel Johnson. Daniel Johnson is editor of Standpoint. Lionel Shriver is a novelist. Her seventh novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin, won the Orange prize.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Fiction and Reality: writing novels in a world weirder than anything you could make up

The Long and the Short of It
Speaker: Professor John Kay
This event was recorded on 5 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
It is time for the public to take control of the financial system from the people who have paid themselves so much money to lose so much of ours. John Kay is a visiting professor at LSE and columnist with the Financial Times.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Long and the Short of It

China in the Global Economic Crisis
Speaker: Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 5 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Through the stress test of this global economic crisis, it is China's performance that has continued to drive the global economy forwards. Is this likely to continue or will the sceptics of China's so-far enduring economic success be finally proven right? Danny Quah is professor of economics at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: China in the Global Economic Crisis

Too Big to Fail
Speaker: Andrew Ross Sorkin
Chair: Dr Tom Kirchmaier
This event was recorded on 5 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Andrew Ross Sorkin will take the audience behind the financial crisis and inside various secret meetings and never-before revealed conversations between regulators in Washington DC and London as well as on Wall Street. Sorkin will describe the reporting process of this painstakingly reported narrative; how he was able to gain access to the key players and how they provided him with hundreds of hundreds of pages of internal documents and notes that were the basis of the narrative in Too Big To Fail.
Available as: mp3 (12 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Event Posting: Too Big to Fail

Thinking about Evidence and Risk
Speaker: Professor John Worrall
This event was recorded on 5 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (12 MB; approx 50 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking about Evidence and Risk

A Discussion with Janet Napolitano, US Homeland Security Secretary
Speaker: Janet Napolitano
This event was recorded on 4 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Janet Napolitano is the third Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security. Prior to becoming Secretary, Napolitano was in her second term as Governor of Arizona and was recognized as a national leader on homeland security, border security and immigration. She was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association and was named one of the top five governors in the country by Time Magazine. Napolitano was also the first female Attorney General of Arizona and served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.
Available as: mp3 (10 MB; approx 40 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: A Discussion with Janet Napolitano, US Homeland Security Secretary

India and the US in the age of global warming
Speaker: Edward Luce
Chair: Creon Butler
This event was recorded on 3 November 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Edward Luce will explore the shared challenges and opportunities facing India and the USA in an age of globalisation. Edward Luce is Washington Bureau Chief of the Financial Times and author of In Spite of the Gods: the strange rise of modern India. Creon Butler works for HM Treasury as Senior Adviser in the International and Finance Directorate. He was the British Deputy High Commissioner in Delhi from 2006 to 2009.
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: India and the US in the age of global warming

The Roller-coaster Reputation of John Maynard Keynes
Speaker: Professor Peter Clarke
Chair: Professor Lord Layard
This event was recorded on 3 November 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Keynes is simultaneously the twentieth century's most influential and itsmost controversial economist. Why has his reputation fluctuated in such an extraordinary way? How much relevance do his ideas, formed in the context of the 1920s and 1930s, still have for the problems faced today, particularly by the British and American economies.
Available as: mp3 (17 MB; approx 72 minutes)
Event Posting: The Roller-coaster Reputation of John Maynard Keynes

Torture and Accountability: where does President Obama go from here?
Speaker: Karen Greenberg, Professor Philippe Sands
This event was recorded on 3 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Karen Greenberg and Philippe Sands discuss the issues facing the Obama Administration as it grapples with the consequences of President Bush's 'global war on terror', interrogation practises and other detainee issues, including issues of investigation and criminal liability.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Torture and Accountability: where does President Obama go from here?

20 Years After the Collapse of the Iron Curtain: have our dreams come true?
Speaker: Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, Jn Carnogursk, Vclav Havel, Gza Jeszenszky, Markus Meckel
This event was recorded on 2 November 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Key political leaders from Central Europe will assess whether the hopes and expectations generated by the Iron Curtain's collapse have been fulfilled. Jan Krzysztof Bielecki was prime minister of Poland in 1991. Ján Carnogurský was prime minister of the Slovak Republic. Václav Havel was the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic. Géza Jeszenszky is a politician, diplomat and professor, he has been minister of foreign affairs and ambassador to the United States. Markus Meckel was co-founder of the Social Democratic Party in East Germany and foreign minister of the German Democratic Republic.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: 20 Years After the Collapse of the Iron Curtain: have our dreams come true?

October 2009

Human Rights in the 21st Century
Speaker: Professor Noam Chomsky
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 29 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Leading thinker Professor Noam Chomsky considers the state and future of human rights. Noam Chomsky is professor of linguistics at MIT.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 94 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Human Rights in the 21st Century

Can the Accession Magic Work Again?: the limits to the EU's transformative power in South-Eastern Europe
Speaker: Heather Grabbe
This event was recorded on 28 October 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
The prospect of EU membership during post-communist transition worked wonders in many countries. What is different about the process in South-Eastern Europe? Heather Grabbe is director of the Open Society Institute-Brussels and former adviser to EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Can the Accession Magic Work Again?: the limits to the EU's transformative power in South-Eastern Europe

The way forward: building a sustainable recovery and driving growth
Speaker: Xavier Rolet
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 28 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The last 18 months have seen unprecedented shocks to the financial system which have had significant implications for the wider economy. As we recover, financial services and the stock markets can and should play a vital role in funding a sustainable economic recovery and social development in the UK and worldwide.
Available as: mp3 (16 MB; approx 69 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The way forward: building a sustainable recovery and driving growth

The Politics of Media and Cultural Policy
Speaker: Professor Philip Schlesinger
This event was recorded on 28 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Media and cultural policies are shaped by the few with access to political power. What role can academics play in current policy debates? Philip Schlesinger is director of the Centre for Cultural Policy Research at the University of Glasgow.
Available as: mp3 (2 MB; approx 96 minutes)
Event Posting: The Politics of Media and Cultural Policy

The International economy, and the process of the citizen's revolution in Ecuador
Speaker: President Rafael Correa Delgado
This event was recorded on 27 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado is the current President of the Republic of Ecuador after being re-elected for a second consecutive term in April 2009, he was first elected in late 2006. He served as Minister of Economy from April 2005- August 2005. President Correa Delgado has a Phd in Economics and a Masters in Economic Sciences both from the University of Illinois as well as a Master of Arts in Economía from the Catholic University of Lovaina the New in Belgium. From 1993 – April 2005 he was Principal Professor of the Department of Economics, "San Francisco de Quito" University, Quito – Ecuador.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The International economy, and the process of the citizen's revolution in Ecuador

Building the Centre-right in Europe: impressions from a lifetime's experience
Speaker: Wilfried Martens
Chair: Professor Damian Chalmers
This event was recorded on 27 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Centre-right parties dominate at national and European levels. To what do they owe their success - even during this so-called 'crisis of capitalism'? Wilfried Martens is president of the European People's Party and former prime minister of Belgium. This lecture marks the release of his memoirs, I Struggle, I Overcome. Damian Chalmers is Professor of European Union Law based in the Law Department and the European Institute, LSE.
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 77 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Building the Centre-right in Europe: impressions from a lifetime's experience

The Situation in the Middle East: the view from Israel
Speaker: Daniel Ayalon
This event was recorded on 26 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Daniel Ayalon is the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel. He was born in Israel in 1955. He completed his army service in the Armoured Corps with the rank of Captain (res.). He has a B.A. degree in Economics as well as an M.B.A. Daniel Ayalon served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, from March 2001 through July 2002, and as Israel's Ambassador to the United States, from July 2002 through November 2006. He has also served as a Member of the Executive Board, University Center, Ariel; Vice Chair of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, and a Board Member of the America-Israel Friendship League. He received the Brandeis Award of the Jewish Community of Baltimore in 2005 and the Builder of Jerusalem Award of Aish Hatorah in 2008. Daniel Ayalon was elected to the 18th Knesset in February 2009 on the Yisrael Beitenu list and in April 2009 was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Available as: mp3 (12 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Editors note: There was a limited amount of barricking of the speaker during this event, we apologise if this spoils your enjoyment of the recording.
Event Posting: The Situation in the Middle East: the view from Israel

How to Control and Change Individual Behaviour: the world as installation
Speaker: Professor Saadi Lahlou
This event was recorded on 26 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Changing individual behavior is a major stake for policies and management, but humans think and act as social beings rather than rational agents. The lecture will introduce Installation Theory, the principles of which can be used for governance. Saadi Lahlou is director of the Institute of Social Psychology at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 78 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: How to Control and Change Individual Behaviour: the world as installation

Risk, Behaviour and Applications to Health Policy
Speaker: Dr Joan Costa-i-Font, Dr Caroline Rudisill
This event was recorded on 22 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
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.
Available as: mp3 (12 MB; approx 51 minutes)
Event Posting: Risk, Behaviour and Applications to Health Policy

The Red Flag: Communism and the Making of the Modern World
Speaker: Dr David Priestland
Chair: Dr Vesselin Dimitrov
This event was recorded on 22 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Communism was one of the most powerful political and intellectual movements of the modern world, and its collapse in 1989 had an enormous impact on our views of international affairs and economics. David Priestland argues that we have found it difficult to understand Communism, and the lessons we have learnt have contributed to many recent policy failures, from the 'War on Terror' to extreme neo-liberal economic policies. He revisits the history of Communism, explaining the reasons for its rise and fall, and argues that we need to learn a new set of lessons if we are to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: The Red Flag: Communism and the Making of the Modern World

Stuff White People Like - How to find social success with the urban-dwelling middle classes
Speaker: Christian Lander
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 22 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
When Christian Lander started a blog as a joke he never imagined that his inside joke would turn into a New York Times Bestseller and a piece of internet history with more than 60 million hits to his site. Here Lander investigates, explains and offers advice for anyone wanting to interact with the caucasian persuasion and needing to understand their ways.
Available as: mp3 (19 MB; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Stuff White People Like - How to find social success with the urban-dwelling middle classes

A Year after the Collapse of Lehmans: where does global capitalism go now?
Speaker: Professor Andrew Gamble, Will Hutton, Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 22 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The collapse of Lehman Brothers on September 15, 2008 set off the most acute crisis in the history of capitalism since 1929. Why was Lehmans not saved? Why did its collapse have the massive impact it did? And a year on, how is the capitalist world coping?" Andrew Gamble is a professor at Cambridge University. Will Hutton is chief executive of the Work Foundation. Danny Quah is professor of Economics at LSE. This event is organised in association with the European Consortium for Political Research.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: A Year after the Collapse of Lehmans: where does global capitalism go now?

The Crisis of Global Capitalism: ten years on
Speaker: Professor John Gray
Chair: Martin Jacques
This event was recorded on 21 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The financial upheavals of the past two years have occurred against the background of a decade of crisis in global capitalism. The neo-liberal model has collapsed. What comes next, and what are the geopolitical implications? John Gray is emeritus professor at LSE and author of Gray's Anatomy: selected writings and False Dawn: delusions of global capitalism. This event is supported by the LSE Annual Fund.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Crisis of Global Capitalism: ten years on

Revolution 1989: what exactly happened?
Speaker: Victor Sebestyen
This event was recorded on 21 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
How did the mighty Soviet empire collapse so quickly, so completely - and so peacefully? Victor Sebestyen is an author and journalist. This lecture marks the launch of his latest book, Revolution 1989: the fall of the Soviet Empire.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Revolution 1989: what exactly happened?

Predictioneer: How to predict the future with game-theory
Speaker: Professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
Chair: Professor Richard Steinberg
This event was recorded on 21 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Hailed as 'the new Nostradamus', Bruce Bueno de Mesquita has been shaking the world of political science to its foundations with his predictions of world events. His systems based on game theory have an astonishing 90%+ ratio of accuracy and are frequently used to shape US foreign-policy decisions on issues such as the terrorist threat to America to the peace process in Northern Ireland. Considered by many to be the most important foreign-policy analyst there is, it is no surprise that he is regularly consulted by the CIA and US Department of Defence. In this lecture Professor Bueno de Mesquita will look at what is needed to reliably anticipate and even alter events in any situation involving negotiation in the shadow of the threat of coercion. He will demonstrate how to bring science to decision making in any situation from personal to professional.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Predictioneer: How to predict the future with game-theory

Why I Grew to Love America and You Should Too
Speaker: Justin Webb
Chair: Kirsty Young
This event was recorded on 20 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Justin Webb will discuss America politics in the context of British media reporting, particularly in the Bush period and coverage of the recent US elections. Justin Webb is North American editor at the BBC.
Available as: mp3 (17 MB; approx 71 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Why I Grew to Love America and You Should Too

UN Ideas that Changed the World
Speaker: Louis Emmerij and Sir Richard Jolly
This event was recorded on 20 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
UN ideas have more influence and impact than is generally realized, on economic and social development and environment as well as on human rights and peacekeeping. In this well-illustrated lecture, two of the co-directors of the UN Intellectual History Project will present the findings of a ten-year project and launch the summary volume, UN Ideas That Changed the World.
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the first few minutes of the lecture are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: UN Ideas that Changed the World

What is Europe? Where is Europe?
Speaker: Professor Lord Wallace
This event was recorded on 19 October 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Article 233 of the Treaty of Rome declared that 'any European state may apply to join the European Economic Community'. In the 1950s, only West European states were free to make that choice. Since 1989, ten states from what was the former socialist bloc have joined the EU, as well as two Mediterranian island states. Nevertheless, politicians and publics in the 'old' Western Europe still see their region as the core of Europe, and worry about further enlargement of both the EU and NATO. So where does 'Europe' stop? Are there boundaries to future enlargement?
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: What is Europe? Where is Europe?

Beijing Inside Out: Caochangdi
Speaker: Robert Mangurian, Mary-Ann Ray
This event was recorded on 19 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The speakers examine the problems and possibilities of one of many dynamic new urban villages redefining the city of Beijing. Robert Mangurian and Mary-Ann Ray are both Stirling Lecture Prize-winners and principals of StudioWorks Architects in Caochangdi.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Beijing Inside Out: Caochangdi

The Future of Banking and Financial Regulation
Speaker: Eric Chaney, Professor Charles Goodhart
This event was recorded on 19 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Chair: Professor David Webb
What is the future of banking and financial regulation following the global financial crisis? Eric Chaney is chief economist for the AXA group. Charles Goodhart is emeritus professor of economics at LSE. David Webb is professor of finance at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 96 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Future of Banking and Financial Regulation

The Government of Uncertainty: how to follow the politics of oil
Speaker: Professor Tim Mitchell
Chair: Dr Sam Ashenden
This event was recorded on 15 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
This lecture explores the politics of oil and how we can seek to understand it, at a time when uncertainty is presenting new challenges to the claims of objective knowledge. Tim Mitchell is professor of Arab studies at Columbia University, New York. Sam Ashenden is managing editor of Economy and Society and senior lecturer in Sociology, Birkbeck College.
Available as: mp3 (55 MB; approx 120 minutes)
Event Posting: The Government of Uncertainty: how to follow the politics of oil

The Cocaine Wars: The Mess We're in and How to Get Out of it
Speaker: Tom Feiling
Chair: Professor Paul Kelly
This event was recorded on 15 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Tom Feiling analyses the thinking behind drug prohibition and how and why the strategies embarked on to date have failed so spectacularly. His critique draws on research and interviews he conducted with those with first-hand experience of cocaine and the campaign to prohibit cocaine, for his new book The Candy Machine: How Cocaine Took Over the World. He then looks at the advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives to current anti-drugs policies. Finally, he discusses how a legal, regulated market for cocaine might work in practice.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: The Cocaine Wars: The Mess We're in and How to Get Out of it

The Defence of the Realm
Speaker: Professor Christopher Andrew
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 15 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
For the first time, the British Security Service to mark the centenary of its foundation has opened its archives to an independent historian - Christopher Andrew. He will be at LSE to speak about his book, The Defence of the Realm. The book reveals the precise role of the Security Service in twentieth-century British history, from its foundation by Captain Kell of the British Army in October 1909, through two world wars, up to and including its present roles in counter-espionage and counter-terrorism. The book describes how MI5 has been managed, what its relationship has been with government, where it has triumphed and where it has failed. In all of this no restriction has been placed on the judgements made by the author.
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: The Defence of the Realm

China - EU Relations in a Changing New World
Speaker: Ambassador Ma Zhengang
This event was recorded on 15 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The world today is undergoing tremendous development, changes and adjustments. The international community is facing increasing opportunities and challenges. The present international system and structure are not able to cope with this new situation fully and effectively, and reform is the general demand of the world people at large. Both China and UK are global actors of significant importance. How the two countries should behave in handling the situation? It is a fact that China and UK are different in many aspects. Is it possible for the two countries to join hands in perfecting global governance for the general benefits of the whole world as well as their own? The answer should be, yes, we can.
Available as: mp3 (11 MB; approx 50 minutes)
Event Posting: China - EU Relations in a Changing New World

Islam: what I believe
Speaker: Professor Tariq Ramadan
Chair: Dr Effie Fokas
This event was recorded on 14 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Tariq Ramadan's latest book, What I Believe, lays out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalist and others who are curious (or sceptical) about his positions. Aware that that he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 97 minutes)
Event Posting: Islam: what I believe

Cities and the Environment
Speaker: Peter Head
Chair: Ricky Burdett
This event was recorded on 14 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
By changing patterns of urban behaviour, cities can meet the challenges of climate change. How can advanced technologies help create sustainable cities and self-sufficient urban form?
Available as: mp3 (21 MB; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Cities and the Environment

Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: the future of the Middle East
Speaker: Professor Gilles Kepel
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 13 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
9/11 set off a major conflict between the United States and Al Qaeda. How and why did the Bush administration define the issue of terrorism in terms of a 'war on terror' and with what consequences for the stability of a region containing 60% of the world's oil reserves and several of America's more important global allies?
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: the future of the Middle East

China and Financial Reform
Speaker: Howard Davies
Chair: Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 13 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Howard Davies sits on the International advisory councils of the China banking and securities regulatory commissions. In the fifth lecture of an annual series he reviews the progress of reform in china's financial markets, and the implications for the rest of the world.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: China and Financial Reform

Optimal Financial Structure and Economic Development
Speaker: Dr Justin Yifu Lin
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 12 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The Optimal Financial Structure of a specific stage of development in an economy is determined by the structures of industries and firm sizes in the economy. These, in turn, are determined by the economy's factor endowments at that stage. This lecture will discuss the existence on an endogenously determined optimal composition of various financial arrangements, that is, optimal financial structure, for an economy at different stages of development.
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Optimal Financial Structure and Economic Development

Justice and the Moral Limits of Markets
Speaker: Professor Michael J. Sandel
Chair: Professor Julian Le Grand
This event was recorded on 12 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The financial crisis raises hard questions about justice, ethics, and the role of markets. In this lecture, Michael Sandel will examine the moral limits of markets, one of the themes of his new book, Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 78 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Justice and the Moral Limits of Markets

Building windmills not walls – Hungary's approach in the economic storm
Speaker: Gordon Bajnai
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 9 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Gordon Bajnai has been the Prime Minister of Hungary since 14 April 2009. Prior to this between 2008-2009 he was a Minister in the Ministry for National Development and Economy. Between 2007-2008 he was a Minister for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. Prior to this he was CEO of Wallis Rt., an investment company from 2000-2005.
Available as: mp3 (23 MB; approx 51 minutes)
Event Posting: Building windmills not walls – Hungary's approach in the economic storm

Terrorism: How to Respond
Speaker: Professor Richard English
Chair: Shami Chakrabarti
This event was recorded on 8 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Drawing on a wide range of case studies, Richard English argues that we have as yet failed to understand terrorism properly, and that this is at the root of our disastrous failure to respond effectively to terrorism in the post-9/11 crisis.Richard English is professor of politics, director of research and chair of the Irish Studies International Research Initiative at Queens University Belfast. His latest book is entitled Terrorism: how to respond.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Terrorism: How to Respond

The Tsar Liberates Europe? Russia against Napoleon, 1807-1814
Speaker: Professor Dominic Lieven
This event was recorded on 8 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
In 1812-14 Alexander I defeated Napoleon's invasion of Russia and then created and led a European alliance all the way to Paris. This lecture explains why and how he did this. It discusses Russian grand strategy, diplomacy and espionage, as well as the tsarist military machine, and the mobilisation of the home front. In both Western and Russian historiography the Russian achievement in 1813-14 is greatly underestimated, which seriously distorts understanding of European power politics and the causes of Napoleon's demise. The lecture explains this underestimate partly as a legacy of Leo Tolstoy but also because while 1812 was traditionally seen by Russians as a national war, the victories of 1813-14 were interpreted as the triumph of the dynasty and empire.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Tsar Liberates Europe? Russia against Napoleon, 1807-1814

The current state of the economy
Speaker: Professor Edward C. Prescott
This event was recorded on 8 October 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
The recent collapse of financial markets plunged economies around the world into recession. The series of events following the downfall of Lehman Brothers last September scripted an unprecedented chapter in economic history. Whether it was enormous bail-out packages, monetary policy or quantitative easing, economies around the world took expansive steps to stay afloat. This leaves us in a very sensitive and interesting position today. Is the worst over? With US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke declaring the end of the recession, will we see dissipating unemployment, growing GDPs and bullish stock markets? And most importantly, what changes, if any, will we see in economic policy? American economist and Nobel laureate, Edward Prescott, answers such imminent questions in his talk 'The current state of the economy' at the LSE.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The current state of the economy

Keynes and the Crisis of Capitalism
Speaker: Professor Lord Skidelsky
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 7 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Robert Skidelsky is Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. His three-volume biography of the economist John Maynard Keynes (1983, 1992, 2000) received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize for International Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations. He is the author of The World After Communism (1995) (American edition called The Road from Serfdom). He was made a life peer in 1991, and was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1994. This event celebrates his latest book, Keynes: The Return of the Master.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 98 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Keynes and the Crisis of Capitalism

How to be Humanitarian? UN Intervention in Post-Conflict Societies
Speaker: Lise Grande
Chair: Professor James Putzel
This event was recorded on 7 October 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This lecture will examine the challenges of humanitarian intervention in post-conflict societies, focusing specifically on the experience of the UN in Southern Sudan. Lise Grande is deputy resident and humanitarian coordinator of the United Nations, Southern Sudan.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 96 minutes)
Event Posting: How to be Humanitarian? UN Intervention in Post-Conflict Societies

The Strange Friendship of Pauli and Jung: when physics met psychology
Speaker: Professor Arthur I Miller
This event was recorded on 7 October 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
At a key time in his scientific development, Pauli was undergoing analysis by Jung. What can we learn about Pauli and his scientific discoveries from Jung's analysis of his dreams? Arthur I Miller is emeritus professor of history and philosophy of science at University College London.
Available as: mp3 (19 MB; approx 73 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately, owing to a technical fault, the last few minutes of the lecture are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: The Strange Friendship of Pauli and Jung: when physics met psychology

Bringing the Penal State Back In
Speaker: Professor Loïc Wacquant
Respondent: Professor Nicola Lacey
This event was recorded on 6 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
We need to bring the penal state back to the centre of the sociology of social inequality, public policy, and citizenship. Loïc Wacquant is professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley and Centre de Sociologie Européenne, Paris. Nicola Lacey is a professor of criminal law at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (49 MB; approx 107 minutes)
Available as: video
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: Bringing the Penal State Back In

The Consolations of Economics
Speaker: Tim Harford
Chair: Professor Alan Manning
This event was recorded on 6 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
For six years, Tim Harford has been answering readers' personal problems in the pages of The Financial Times, using the latest economic research to provide advice on dating, etiquette, parenting and even personal hygiene. In a light-hearted but thoughtful lecture, Tim explains what he has learned about whether economics really can bring us personal happiness. Tim Harford is a columnist for the Financial Times, presenter of Radio 4's More or Less, and author of The Undercover Economist and The Logic of Life. His new book is Dear Undercover Economist.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Consolations of Economics

The Global Emerging Market and its role in a time of crisis
Speaker: Dr Vladimir Kvint
Chair: Professor Saul Estrin
This event was recorded on 5 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global emerging market, which did not exist 25 years ago, now has an input of about 50% into the world economy and attracts more than 40% of foreign direct investment. The economic dynamic of emerging market countries has a strong and positive influence on the world economy and, as such, has to be re-evaluated during this development of a new global order. Dr. Vladimir Kvint, economist and strategist, is the President of the International Academy of Emerging Markets and Chairman of the Russia and CIS division of international architecture firm RMJM.
Available as: mp3 (16 MB; approx 69 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Global Emerging Market and its role in a time of crisis

An Alternative to Statecraft: should diplomacy adapt to a new world environment?
Speakers: His Excellency Georg Boomgaarden, Dr Mary Martin, Her Excellency Pilar Saborio
Chair: Brendan Donnelly
This event was recorded on 1 October 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The European Union is designing a new external action service as part of the changes to foreign policy proposed under the Lisbon Treaty. This lecture examines the contemporary demands on diplomatic missions. Pilar Saborio is the ambassador of Costa Rica to the UK. Georg Boomgaarden is the ambassador of Germany to the UK. Nick Mabey is chief executive of E3G Third Generation Environmentalism. Mary Martin is a research fellow at LSE's Centre for the Study of Global Governance.
Available as: mp3 (43 MB; approx 95 minutes)
Event Posting: An Alternative to Statecraft: should diplomacy adapt to a new world environment?

Climate Change: Are We Heading for a New Cold War?
Speaker: Professor Graciela Chichilnisky
Chair: Bob Ward
This event was recorded on 1 October 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
There is an historic standoff between China and the US on the issue of global warming. Neither wants to limit emissions unless the other does so first. In Copenhagen December 2009 the nations of the world will decide whether to resolve the Global Warming problem extending Kyoto after 2012 - or to start a new Cold War of escalating emissions - the outcome of which may determine the fate of humankind. Professor Graciela Chichilnisky suggests two modest improvements to the Kyoto Protocol that could resolve the impasse and literally save the day. These unique proposals have received positive attention in China and in the US. But will they be adopted in Copenhagen?
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Climate Change: Are We Heading for a New Cold War?

September 2009

Militarism and Underdevelopment
Speaker: Professor Amina Mama
Discussant: Dr Marsha Henry
Chair: Professor Kimberly Hutchings
This event was recorded on 30 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This lecture will explore what a feminist perspective on militarism offers the theorisation of development and underdevelopment. It will highlight some of the ways in which the heavily gendered and hierarchical technologies of power that are the defining features of militarism and military rule have sabotaged longstanding struggles for democratisation and development. It is argued that where contemporary conflicts have been characterised by high levels of civilian casualties and abuse of women, so provoking new levels of gender consciousness and women's more visible involvement in peace activism. The challenges of strengthening women's peace activism into more concerted feminist anti-militarist activism are considered in the context of current policy discourses.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: Militarism and Underdevelopment

Climate Change: India policies and perspectives
Speaker: RK Pachauri
Discussants: Naina Lal Kidwai, Urjit Patel, Minouche Shafik
Chair: Professor Lord Stern
This event was recorded on 30 September 2009 in Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street
India is the world's fifth largest emitter of CO2, after China, the USA, the EU and Russia. But in relative terms, India is a low carbon economy, with per capita emissions about a quarter of the global average. In spite of projected growth in emissions, these are likely to remain below the developed country average. India is also one of the countries most exposed to the projected impacts of climate change, particularly on food production, water availability and coastal cities. Already 2.6% of GDP is spent each year on adapting to climate change. Compared with the industrialised world, India has a 'wider spectrum of choices' as it confronts the global threat of climate change, with a large potential for technological developments. This event brings together experts to discuss the business and policy initiatives in India on climate change.
Available as: mp3 (44 MB; approx 95 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Climate Change: India policies and perspectives

Developing Rural Areas
Speaker: Professor Esther Duflo
Chair: Chris Udry
This event was recorded on 24 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
What are the constraints that prevent rural societies in developing countries from raising their standards of living? This event also explores the potential for policy change and new technologies to remove these constraints. Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at MIT and a founder and director of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a research network specializing in randomized evaluations of social programs, which won the BBVA Foundation "Frontier of Knowledge" award in the development cooperation category.
Available as: mp3 (45 MB; approx 94 minutes)
Available as: video
Editors note: We apologise for the poor sound quality of this podcast
Event Posting: Developing Rural Areas

Green Growth
Speaker: Professor Lord Stern
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 23 September 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Over the next few years, we have a real chance to set a path towards a low-carbon future. It is the only realistic future for growth and for overcoming world poverty. The global economic downturn is an opportunity to invest in green technology while costs are lower. Nick Stern is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at LSE and chairman of LSE's new Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
Available as: mp3 (14 MB; approx 61 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Green Growth

The Political Economy of Development
Speaker: Professor Tim Besley
Chair: Robin Burgess
This event was recorded on 23 September 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
It is widely recognised that the interplay of political and economic forces has a major bearing on the path of development. How do the developments in the recent political economy literature bear on the practical problems that some countries face in achieving sustainable development paths? Tim Besley is Professor of Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics, and served on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from September 2006 until August 2009.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Political Economy of Development

Natural Resource Management
Speaker: Professor Paul Collier
Chair: Robin Burgess
This event was recorded on 22 September 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The natural assets of the poorest countries constitute the biggest single opportunity for transformative development. Paul Collier is a professor of economics at Oxford University and co-director of the International Growth Centre. The author of The Bottom Billion, which won the 2008 Lionel Gelber Prize for the world's best book on international affairs, he has lectured widely on the subjects of economics and international relations. He was the senior advisor to Tony Blair's Commission on Africa, and was Director of the Development Research group at the World Bank for five years.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Natural Resource Management

Turkey's Economy and the Global Economic Crisis
Speaker: Ali Babacan
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 17 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Ali Babacan will discuss the impact of the global economic crisis and Turkey's policy response. Ali Babacan is Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, a position he has held since May 2009. Prior to this he served as Turkish Foreign Minister from 2007-2009. He has been a member of parliament since 2002, serving as Minister of the Economy from 2002-2007, and was also appointed chief negotiator in Turkey's accession talks with the European Union in 2005. He is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University in the USA.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Turkey's Economy and the Global Economic Crisis

Looking Beyond the Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for Africa
Speaker: Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
This event was recorded on 15 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Managing Director of the World Bank. From June to August 2006, she was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, overseeing Nigeria's External Relations. From July 2003 to June 2006 she served as Minister of Finance and Economy of Nigeria and Head of Nigeria's Presidential Economic team.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Looking Beyond the Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities for Africa

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ - the path to an Islamic Democracy
Speaker: Hooman Majd
Chair: Dr Katerina Dalacoura
This event was recorded on 14 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
A brief summary of how Iran's political system works, examples of what is most misunderstood about Iran, its leadership and the events leading up to the election (describing some of Hooman's own experiences since he was there). Majd will explain why the election and its aftermath may actually be the best thing to happen to Iran in a very long time, and why the vision of an "Islamic Democracy" which some Iranian leaders have, may come about sooner now than if there had been no crisis at all.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ - the path to an Islamic Democracy

Progressive state reformers v ideological state retrenchers: framing the electoral choice between Labour and Conservative
Speaker: Lord Mandelson
This event was recorded on 14 September 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
With less than a year to go before the next general election there is an urgent need for progressive policy debate and discussion in the Labour party to show it has the ideas necessary to meet the social, economic and political challenges of the next decade. Peter Mandelson, one of the government's key figures, will launch Progress's autumn lecture series by setting out how he sees the political divide between the main parties. Lord Mandelson is First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, and Lord President of the Council. He was previously European Commissioner for Trade, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Secretary of State for Trade & Industry.
Available as: mp3 (25 MB; approx 56 minutes)
Event Posting: Progressive state reformers v ideological state retrenchers: framing the electoral choice between Labour and Conservative

'Responding to the Global Crisis' and 'Climate Change Mitigation and Development' - Launch Lecture of UNCTAD Trade and Development Report
Speaker: Heiner Flassbeck
Discussants: Radhika Desai, Dr Robert Falkner
Chair: Dr Ken Shadlen
This event was recorded on 1 September 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Heiner Flassbeck presents The Trade and Development Report 2009, subtitled "Responding to the Global Crisis and Climate Change Mitigation and Development." The worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is having a serious impact on developing countries, and at this point UNCTAD economists estimate that it will be virtually impossible for sub-Saharan African nations to achieve such United Nations Millennium Development Goals as halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. The report recommends increased development assistance and the granting of moratoria on debt for hard-hit developing countries to limit further damage and to prepare the way for eventual recovery.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: 'Responding to the Global Crisis' and 'Climate Change Mitigation and Development' - Launch Lecture of UNCTAD Trade and Development Report

August 2009

Barack Obama and the World: Saviour or Lame Duck
Speaker: Professor Mick Cox
This event was recorded on 3 August 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
November 4th 2008 marked one of the great political moments in American history when the first black man was elected to the White House. Immensely charismatic and politically astute, Barack Obama immediately raised US standing around the world. However he also confronted the most daunting set of challenges. Catapulted into office as America's answer to George W. Bush and the near collapse of the world financial system following the fall of Lehman Brothers, President Obama faced at least six big tests when he took up office. How to bring order to the Middle East? How to repair America's bridges with the Moslem world? How to deal with a newly assertive Russia? How to work with communist China? How to save capitalism? And how to ensure America's continued position at the head of the international table. Professor Mick Cox of the LSE - one of Europe's leading commentators on the United States – will seek to answer these and any other questions in this wide-ranging address.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: Barack Obama and the World: Saviour or Lame Duck

July 2009

The Spectre at the Feast: Capitalist Crisis and the Politics of Recession
Speaker: Professor Andrew Gamble
This event was recorded on 30 July 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Professor Andrew Gamble made his early reputation writing on British decline, the theory of Marxism and the rise and fall of that long-debated and most controversial political phenomenon in Britain: Margaret Thatcher and 'Thatcherism'. One of the most incisive analysts of British politics with over twenty books - and a raft of prizes to his name – he reflects here on the deeper causes of the current world economic crisis and why the crisis has been especially acute in the Anglo-American world. This public lecture is timed to coincide with the publication of his long-waited new book – The Spectre at the Feast: Capitalist Crisis and the Politics of Recession - and promises to be a memorable one.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: The Spectre at the Feast: Capitalist Crisis and the Politics of Recession

In Search of Islam's Civilization
Speaker: Ali A. Allawi
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 28 July 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The increasing religiosity of Muslim societies and the spectacular rise of political Islam have served to mask the seeping of vitality from Islamic civilization. If Muslims do not muster the inner resources of their faith to fashion a civilising outer presence, then Islam as a civilisation may indeed disappear. Ali A. Allawi has served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance in the Iraqi postwar governments. A graduate of Harvard University and MIT, he is Senior Associate Member of St Antony's College, Oxford. He has written two books: The Crisis of Islamic Civilization (Yale 2009) and The Occupation of Iraq (Yale 2007).
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 78 minutes)
Event Posting: In Search of Islam's Civilization

The Idea of Justice
Speaker: Professor Amartya Sen
Chair: Professor Lord Stern
This event was recorded on 27 July 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Amartya Sen explores the ways in which, and the degree to which, justice is a matter of reason, and of different kinds of reason. This event marks the launch of Professor Sen's new book The Idea of Justice. Amartya Sen is Lamont University Professor at Harvard and an honorary fellow of LSE. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998 and was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge 1998-2004. His books include Development as Freedom (OUP), The Argumentative Indian (Allen Lane/Penguin) and Identity and Violence (Allen Lane/Penguin), and have been translated into more than thirty languages.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Idea of Justice

Human Security in an Age of Turbulence
Speakers: Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 20 July 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Mary Kaldor is a prolific author who has written widely on a range of key issues over the years ranging from the 'Baroque Arsenal' (1982) a study that challenged the logic of militarism and the belief that more weapons meant more security, through to her groundbreaking 'New Wars'(1999) a book that reveals the new forms that organized violence will take in the 21st century. Mary Kaldor today is one of the most influential and respected alternative voices in the field of applied international politics who over the last few years has forced the wider policy community to rethink the meaning of war and the foundations of what she has called 'human security'. An immensely influential figure who has shaped debates at both the United Nations and in the European Union, in this long awaited public lecture she will reflect on what it means to be secure and how security can be achieved in an age of increasing turbulence.
Available as: mp3 (33 MB; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: Human Security in an Age of Turbulence

Housing Markets and the Global Financial Crisis
Speakers: Dr André Broome, Professor Herman Schwartz, Professor Leonard Seabrooke, Professor Mat Watson
Chair: Dr Jeffrey Chwieroth
This event was recorded on 13 July 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Residential property is the single largest asset in people's everyday lives and its associated mortgage debt constitutes one of the biggest financial assets in most economies. Yet political economy largely ignores both. We know that the kind of housing people occupy and their level of debt affects their preferences for the level of public spending, taxation, and inflation. Housing is intimately tied to welfare systems and can be seen as a social right or as a means to acquire wealth over one's life. Housing systems are built from political struggles over the distribution of welfare and wealth. The organization and transformation of housing finance systems affects both national economies and international financial stability. This public event provides a brief presentation and a discussion of these concerns.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Housing Markets and the Global Financial Crisis

The Museum of the 21st Century
Speakers: Neil MacGregor, Nicholas Serota
This event was recorded on 7 July 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
In this 60th anniversary year of publishers Thames & Hudson, Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, and Nicholas Serota, director of Tate, will be in conversation exploring the various roles of national, and other, collections in the 21st century. This rare joint appearance by two of today's most influential figures in the international world of arts and culture promises to provide a stimulating discussion touching on topics of contemporary global significance.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Museum of the 21st Century

LSE Director’s Dialogue with Stephen Green
Speakers: Howard Davies; Stephen Green
This event was recorded on 2 July 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
As the world's financial order is in a state of flux, how do we align our desire to improve material human wealth, and capitalism, with our spiritual and psychological needs? Do businesses and banks in particular have a duty to society that goes beyond the creation of profit? Does open market capitalism remain our best hope for creating wealth that benefits all of society? Green and Davies discuss history, politics, religion and economics. This event marks the launch of Stephen Green's book Good Value.
Available as: mp3 (15 MB; approx 33 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Director’s Dialogue with Stephen Green

June 2009

The Post-American World and the Rise of the Rest
Speaker: Fareed Zakaria
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 30 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
In this lecture, Fareed Zakaria will expound on the The Post-American World; a world in which the United States no longer dominates the global economy, orchestrates geopolitics or overwhelms cultures. He will explain how the 'rise of the rest' – the growth of countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, and many others – is the great story of our time. He will also explain how economic growth in any given country produces political confidence, national pride, and international problems. What does it mean to live in a truly global era? Zakaria will answer this question with his customary lucidity, insight, and imagination.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Post-American World and the Rise of the Rest

Is America in Decline?
Speaker: Walter Russell Mead
Chair: Professor Chris Brown
This event was recorded on 29 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The rise of China and the global economic crisis have led many observers to speculate about whether the decline of American power, often predicted in the past, has now finally begun. The picture is more complex; a survey of world conditions suggests that while the American role is changing, the U.S. will continue to be a unique force in the international arena.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Is America in Decline?

Darwin and Philosophy
Speakers: Dr Tim Lewens; Professor David Papineau
Chair: Dr Simon Glendinning
This event was recorded on 25 June 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
The speakers will discuss the importance of Darwin’s thinking to central philosophical issues, including creationism, the human mind, and the nature of morality.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Darwin and Philosophy

Surviving the global economic crisis – perspectives from Africa and Asia
Speakers: Ernest Aryeetey; Surjit Bhalla; Richard Portes; Yu Yongding
Chair: Gobind Nankani
This event was recorded on 18 June 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A meeting that will present perspectives on the global crisis from leading figures in the field of growth and international development. Presentations will focus on the effects of the global economic downturn on developing countries, how those countries are managing the impact of the crisis, and what more might be done to assist them. This event is being organized in cooperation with the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
Available as: mp3 (61 MB; approx 134 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Surviving the global economic crisis – perspectives from Africa and Asia

Capitalism 3.0
Speaker: Professor Dani Rodrik
Chair: Professor Stuart Corbridge
This event was recorded on 16 June 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Capitalism needs to be reinvented for a new century in which the forces of economic globalization are much more powerful than before. Just as Adam Smith’s minimal capitalism was transformed into Keynes’ mixed economy, we need to contemplate a transition from the national version of the mixed economy to its global counterpart. We have to imagine a better balance between markets and their supporting institutions at the global level. Sometimes, this will require extending institutions outward from nation states and strengthening global governance. At other times, it will mean preventing markets from expanding too much and going beyond the reach of institutions that must remain perforce national. Dani Rodrik is Rafiq Hariri Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard University and teaches in the School's MPA/ID Program.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Capitalism 3.0

The Lebanese Elections and Middle Eastern Democracy
Speaker: Hussain Abdul Hussain
Chair: Dr Katerina Dalacoura
This event was recorded on 11 June 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
From military intervention in Iraq, to supporting an uprising in Lebanon, forcing elections in the Palestinian Territories and imposing international isolation on Syria, the world has tried several scenarios to spread democracy in Middle Eastern countries. In light of the Lebanese elections on June 7, Hussain Abdul-Hussain will explore the status of democracy in the Middle East as well as look at broader impact of these elections on the regional balance of power between Iran and the US. Hussain Abdul Hussain is a visiting fellow at Chatham House, and author of the forthcoming paper Confrontation through the Ballot Box: Middle East Elections and the US-Iranian Relationship. An Iraqi-born journalist, Hussain is the former managing editor of Beirut’s Daily Star and an expert on the Levant region of the Middle East.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: The Lebanese Elections and Middle Eastern Democracy

The Return of Depression Economics Part 3: The night they reread Minsky
Speaker: Professor Paul Krugman
Chair: Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 10 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global economic crisis has shaken a lot of what we thought we knew about economics. Over three consecutive evenings, Professor Krugman will cover the causes of the crisis; the deeply vexed question of how and when the world economy can recover; and the implications of the whole mess for economics and economists. Paul Krugman is centenary professor at LSE and professor of economics and international affairs at Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. In 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Return of Depression Economics Part 3: The night they reread Minsky

The Return of Depression Economics Part 2: The eschatology of lost decades
Speaker: Professor Paul Krugman
Chair: Professor Lord Richard Layard
This event was recorded on 9 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global economic crisis has shaken a lot of what we thought we knew about economics. Over three consecutive evenings, Professor Krugman will cover the causes of the crisis; the deeply vexed question of how and when the world economy can recover; and the implications of the whole mess for economics and economists. Paul Krugman is centenary professor at LSE and professor of economics and international affairs at Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. In 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Return of Depression Economics Part 2: The eschatology of lost decades

The Return of Depression Economics Part 1: The sum of all fears
Speaker: Professor Paul Krugman
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 8 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global economic crisis has shaken a lot of what we thought we knew about economics. Over three consecutive evenings, Professor Krugman will cover the causes of the crisis; the deeply vexed question of how and when the world economy can recover; and the implications of the whole mess for economics and economists. Paul Krugman is centenary professor at LSE and professor of economics and international affairs at Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. In 2008 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Return of Depression Economics Part 1: The sum of all fears

'Enjoy Poverty'
Speakers: Renzo Martens
This event was recorded on 4 June 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Renzo Martens will present a special screening of his film Episode III, (88 minutes). Episode III – ‘Enjoy Poverty’ investigates the emotional and economic value of Africa’s most lucrative export: filmed poverty. As with more traditional African exports such as cocoa and gold, the suppliers of this new African commodity hardly benefit from it at all. Deep in the interiors of the Congo, Dutch artist Renzo Martens launches an emancipatory programme that helps the poor become aware of their primary capital resource: poverty. Over several years, Martens single handedly undertakes an epic journey. Combining investigative journalism, satire and self awareness in a deeply singular view, Episode III – ‘Enjoy Poverty’ is ingeniously provocative and ironic, despite the sad reflection staring back in the mirror that he holds up.
Available as: mp3 (53 MB; approx 115 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: 'Enjoy Poverty'

A Conversation between Bill Gates Sr. and Howard Davies
Speaker: Bill Gates Sr.; Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 4 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Bill Gates Sr., is a prominent lawyer, civil activist, and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is the author of Showing Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime, a memoir that shares reflections on lessons from a lifetime of “showing up” – lessons he learned growing up during the Great Depression, and that he instilled in his children and continues to practice on the world stage as co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Available as: mp3 (26 MB; approx 56 minutes)
Event Posting: A Conversation between Bill Gates Sr. and Howard Davies

The Future of Picturing the World: filming and imaging in a global era
Speakers: Professor Lilie Chouliaraki; Max Houghton; Renzo Martens; Dr Julian Stallabrass
Chair: Dr Paul Lowe
This event was recorded on 3 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Faced with 'compassion fatigue', how is the practice of filmmakers and photojournalists changing and what are the implications for those who rely on photography and film? How will the internet open up new spaces and change the way in which images are used? Lilie Chouliaraki is a professor in the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. Max Houghton is Editor of Foto 8 and course leader, MA in Photojournalism, Westminster University. Renzo Martens is an artist. Julian Stallabrass is a reader at The Courtauld Institute.
Available as: mp3 (50 MB; approx 110 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast owing. We apologise for the poor audio quality.
Event Posting: The Future of Picturing the World: filming and imaging in a global era

Religion and the Market: are they in conflict?
Speaker: John Micklethwait
Discussant: Professor John Gray
Chair: Dr Simon Glendinning
This event was recorded on 1 June 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global revival of religion has been predominantly fuelled by the creation of a religious free market defined by entrepreneurship, choice and personal revelation. So can religion and the market sit together and what can economics teach us about religion? John Gray is emeritus professor of European thought at LSE and author of Gray’s Anatomy. John Micklethwait is editor of The Economist and co-author of God is Back.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Religion and the Market: are they in conflict?

May 2009

The Fog of Games: Legacy, Land Grabs and Liberty. Reporting the London Olympics
Speakers: Mark Saunders; Martin Slavin
This event was recorded on 28 May 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
The Olympics are brief and transitory television events that disguise and justify mega projects of vast urban restructuring that permanently distort our cities for the benefit of a few business interests. The common features of these mega projects are unprecedented land grabs, the peddling of myths of 'regeneration' and 'legacy' benefits, the sweeping away of democratic structures and planning restraints, the transfer of public money into private hands, and 'information management' to hide truths and silence critics.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: The Fog of Games: Legacy, Land Grabs and Liberty. Reporting the London Olympics

Picturing Poverty: London past and present
Speakers: Sue Donnelly; Mishka Henner; Professor Gillian Rose; Dr Mike Seaborne
This event was recorded on 27 May 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
From Charles Booth’s 19th century maps and early photographs of East End tenements, to rich-poor divides in Hackney, this discussion will consider old and new ways of seeing poverty – understanding the underlying political processes that serve to reproduce and reduce it. Sue Donnelly is head of Archives at LSE. Mishka Henner is a photographic artist. Gillian Rose is professor of cultural geography at the Open University. Mike Seaborne is senior curator of photographs at the Museum of London.
Available as: mp3 (44 MB; approx 97 minutes)
Event Posting: Picturing Poverty: London past and present

All That Life Can Afford
Speakers: Mishka Henner
This event was recorded on 26 May 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
What does poverty in London look like? And can photography expose the often hidden mechanisms that keep the rich divided from the poor? Mishka Henner discusses the making of his photographic essay, All That Life Can Afford, deconstructing its production to reveal the negotiations and obstacles involved in visualising poverty. Mishka Henner is a photographic artist based in Manchester, England.
Available as: mp3 (29 MB; approx 63 minutes)
Event Posting: All That Life Can Afford

The Winning Side of an Image
Speakers: Adam Broomberg; Oliver Chanarin
This event was recorded on 21 May 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Documentary photography is problematic. Without a witness, a victim is alone and de-humanised. We also know that victims are made for, or even by, the camera. In presenting their work produced in Afghanistan, while embedded with the British Army last June, Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin attempt to highlight and compensate for these blind spots. In addition to showing The Day Nobody Died, they also present extracts from The Red House, produced in Iraq and Chicago, produced in Israel.
Available as: mp3 (34 MB; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: The Winning Side of an Image

The Failure of both Multiculturalism and Assimilation, and the New Path of Omniculturalism
Speaker: Professor Fathali M Moghaddam
Chair: Dr Sandra Jovchelovitch
This event was recorded on 21 May 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The two traditional policies for managing cultural diversity, multiculturalism and assimilation, are based on incorrect psychological assumptions, resulting in collective identity threats for both minority and majority groups, destructive intergroup conflicts, and the marginalisation of minorities. Omniculturalism represents a constructive third path.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: The Failure of both Multiculturalism and Assimilation, and the New Path of Omniculturalism

Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why it Matters for Global Capitalism
Speaker: Professor Robert J. Shiller
Chair: Professor David Webb
This event was recorded on 20 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The global financial crisis has made it painfully clear that powerful psychological forces are imperiling the wealth of nations today. From blind faith in ever-rising housing prices to plummeting confidence in capital markets, "animal spirits" are driving financial events worldwide. Robert Shiller will put forward a bold new vision that will transform economics and restore prosperity.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why it Matters for Global Capitalism

Opening up 'Illiberal' Regimes: do media and communications matter?
Speakers: Professor Mary Kaldor, Dr Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Rita Payne, Dr Maung Zarni
Chair: Professor Lord Giddens
This event was recorded on 19 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Even in closed authoritarian systems, or ‘illiberal’ regimes, spaces exist for civil society activity, debate, and networking. Accelerated by globalisation, this process is enabled by diverse actors using traditional and new communications tools, often challenging the status quo.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Opening up ‘Illiberal’ Regimes: do media and communications matter?

Bulls or Bears in the China Shop? Global Crises, Global Linkages and Asian Manufacturing
Speaker: Professor Andrew Bernard
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 18 May 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
This annual Sir Patrick Gillam Lecture examines the impact of the global economic downturn on East Asia and the prospects for East Asian manufacturing in its aftermath. Andrew Bernard is Jack Byrne Professor of International Economics and director of the Center for International Business at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, USA.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: Bulls or Bears in the China Shop? Global Crises, Global Linkages and Asian Manufacturing

How did HIV/AIDS affect rural communities in Africa? The answer to the question
Speakers: Professor Stefan Dercon; Dr Janet Seeley
Chair: Professor Tony Barnett
This event was recorded on 14 May 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa is almost 30 years old yet a number of the worst-case scenarios on the impact of AIDS in Africa have not come to pass. What did happen? The speakers give their answers using data from recent research in Tanzania and Uganda. Stefan Dercon is a quantitative economist, University of Oxford. Janet Seeley is an anthropologist at the School of International Development, University of East Anglia.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: How did HIV/AIDS affect rural communities in Africa? The answer to the question

A World without Particles or Forces
Speaker: Professor Richard Healey
Chair: Professor John Worrall
This event was recorded on 14 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Physicists talk about 'elementary particles'. But do particles exist? The Newtonian world depended on forces between particles, but the real world may be much stranger. Richard Healey is professor of philosophy at the University of Arizona.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 80 minutes)
Event Posting: A World without Particles or Forces

Declining Hegemon? The United States and the World of Crisis
Speakers: Professor Michael Cox; Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor Lord Wallace
This event was recorded on 13 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
How will the world economic crisis impact the United States? Are we now witnessing the end of the American era? Michael Cox is professor of international relations and co-director of IDEAS at LSE. Danny Quah is head of department and professor of economics at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 83 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Declining Hegemon? The United States and the World of Crisis

Consolidating Kosovo's European Future: tracing next steps
Speaker: Peter Feith
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 13 May 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A look at Kosovo's achievements and challenges over the past year, highlighting the current state of play and the priorities and vision of the Kosovo government and its international partners as the country prepares for European Union membership.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: Consolidating Kosovo's European Future: tracing next steps

Urban Nomads
Speaker: Sharron Lovell
This event was recorded on 11 May 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
China is a country in superlative transition. Media attention focuses primarily on the economic miracle and burgeoning political power, while the interwoven and critically important story of mass human migration remains a postscript. Driven from crumbling countryside economics, 200 million Chinese have moved to the cities, serving as cogs in an engine powering unprecedented growth. Though they are changing every facet of Chinese life, these internal migrants are, by law and practice, second-class citizens in their own land. They gamble everything - health, safety and family - to grab a piece of the modern Chinese life.
Available as: mp3 (28 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: Urban Nomads

The Global Financial Crisis Revisited
Speaker: Will Hutton; Martin Wolf
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 11 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Journalists Will Hutton and Martin Wolf discuss the global financial crisis. What are its dimensions? Have governments done enough to avoid the worst economic outcomes? And is the global economy teetering on the edge of depression?
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Global Financial Crisis Revisited

A Billion People Decide their Future - a panel discussion on Indian Elections
Speaker: Lord Professor Meghand Desai; Dr Sharmila Bose
Chair: Dr Ruth Kattumuri
This event was recorded on 8 May 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The fifteenth General Election in India, the world’s largest democracy, with currently 714 million registered voters, is happening in five phases between 16 April and 13 May. The panel will discuss the most exciting election in India since Independence.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast owing to technical difficulties.
Event Posting: A Billion People Decide their Future - a panel discussion on Indian Elections

Documentary Photography: the long term project
Speaker: Jessica Dimmock
This event was recorded on 7 May 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Jessica Dimmock outlines the issues and obstacles relating to documentary photography, and the value of the long term project. She explores the process of engaging with subjects and the stories resulting from such sustained focus. This talk also considers the development of story ideas for the freelance photographer.
Available as: mp3 (34 MB; approx 74 minutes)
Event Posting: Documentary Photography: the long term project

Voodoo Histories: from the Protocols to 9/11
Speaker: David Aaronovitch
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 7 May 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Why are people attracted to conspiracy theories and why are those theories are so damaging? David Aaronovitch is an award-winning journalist, who has worked in radio, television and newspapers in the UK since the early 1980s. This event marks the launch of his new book Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Voodoo Histories: from the Protocols to 9/11

Human Rights after Darwin: is a general theory of human rights now possible?
Speaker: Professor Conor Gearty
Chair: Dr Sigrid Rausing
This event was recorded on 7 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Conor Gearty speculates about the ongoing search for truth in human rights and reflects on his seven years as director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Human Rights after Darwin: is a general theory of human rights now possible?

The Tycoon and the Tough: towards a comparative anthropology of urban marginality
Speaker: Dr Joshua Barker
Chair: Professor Chris Fuller
This event was recorded on 7 May 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Anthropologists often use key figures, such as the street tough, the child witch, and the flâneur, as a means to elucidate, personify, and critique underlying dynamics of social and cultural transformation. It is a method that is widely used, but seldom scrutinised. In this lecture Joshua Barker uses examples from his research in the slums of Bandung, Indonesia, to argue that this method can make a powerful contribution to a comparative anthropology of urban marginality.
Available as: mp3 (27 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: The Tycoon and the Tough: towards a comparative anthropology of urban marginality

The Saudi-U.S. Relationship; Past Developments and Future Prospects
Speaker: Prince Turki Al-Faisal
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 7 May 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The Saudi-U.S relationship has always faced challenges that constantly test its strength. However, recent events in the region, such as the Iraq war, the 2006 war in Lebanon and the war in Gaza, have strained this relationship further. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, with his long and extensive experience in this area, gives his personal insight into this important relationship, its historical development and future challenges and prospects.
Available as: mp3 (24 MB; approx 51 minutes)
Event Posting: The Saudi-U.S. Relationship; Past Developments and Future Prospects

How the 'Poor' Become 'Poor' - Debating Global Civil Society and Constructions of Poverty
Speaker: Professor David Campbell; Teresa Hanley; Dr Ruth Kattumuri; Dr Sally Stares
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 6 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This diverse panel explores global civil society approaches to the social problem of poverty. The ways in which poverty are articulated, how poverty is represented, and how ‘the poor’ are designated are important political processes with implications for people’s agency, our perceptions of impoverishment, and policies to alleviate it.
Available as: mp3 (37 MB; approx 80 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: How the 'Poor' Become 'Poor' - Debating Global Civil Society and Constructions of Poverty

The role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide
Speaker: Linda Melvern
This event was recorded on 6 May 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Linda Melvern is an investigative journalist and author. A world expert on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, she was a consultant to the prosecution team at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in the military one case. She is an Honorary Professor of the Department of International Politics (University of Wales - Aberystwyth).
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide

Controversies in the Economics of Climate Change
Speaker: Professor Geoffrey Heal
Chair: Dr Simon Dietz
This event was recorded on 6 May 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The Stern Review stirred up the controversy surrounding the economics of climate change. This lecture will review these issues and give an assessment of the debate – where it is leading and what issues remain open.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Controversies in the Economics of Climate Change

Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: can Europe be the same with different people in it?
Speaker: Christopher Caldwell
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 5 May 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
After a half-century of mass immigration, has Europe overestimated the need for immigrant labour and underestimated the culture shaping potential of religion? Christopher Caldwell is a senior editor at the Weekly Standard, and a regular contributor to the Financial Times. His new book is entitled Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Islam, immigration and the west.
Available as: mp3 (36 MB; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: can Europe be the same with different people in it?

Rising Asia in the World Crisis
Speaker: Professor Athar Hussain; Professor Chen Jian; Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 5 May 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Asia's rise has brought about profound changes to the international system and the current world crisis presents the continent with both opportunities and challenges. The initiatives and responses by Asian countries, China and India in particular, have the potential to define the world's path of development now and in the future.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Rising Asia in the World Crisis

April 2009

Do Tax Havens Cause Poverty?
Speaker: John Christensen; Felicity Lawrence; Nick Mathiason; Dr Attiya Waris
Chair: Professor Martin Albrow
This event was recorded on 30 April 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Defenders of tax havens argue they provide vital financial services for international trade, and that most comply with money-laundering regulations and have juridical co-operation treaties. This panel will explore the issues surrounding tax havens, in particular their impacts on poor people.
Available as: mp3 (52 MB; approx 114 minutes)
Event Posting: Do Tax Havens Cause Poverty?
Editors note: We apologise for the poor sound quality of this podcast. Unfortunately the last few minutes of this event are missing from the podcast owing to technical difficulties.

Gray's Anatomy: Thoughts on Politics, Religion and the Meaning of life
Speaker: Professor John Gray
Chair: Richard Reeves
This event was recorded on 30 April 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The world has entered a period of crisis and upheaval in which the ideologies of the past give little guidance. How did it reach its present condition? Is there a pattern of thinking that has led governments to make systematic errors? In conversation with Richard Reeves, John Gray will ask what went wrong and what we can expect in future. John Gray is emeritus professor of European thought at the LSE and author of Gray's Anatomy. Richard Reeves is Director of the think-tank Demos.
Available as: mp3 (42 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Gray's Anatomy: Thoughts on Politics, Religion and the Meaning of life

Fool's Gold
Speaker: Gillian Tett
Chair: Professor Willem Buiter
This event was recorded on 30 April 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Gillian Tett takes us inside the shadowy world of complex finance and derivatives and explains how the business of slicing and dicing debt led us to the devastating global credit crunch. Gillian Tett has worked as a journalist for the Financial Times for fifteen years. In 2008 she won the British Press Award for the Financial Journalist of the Year. This event marks the publication of her latest book Fool's Gold :How Unrestrained Greed Corrupted a Dream, Shattered Global Markets and Unleashed a Catastrophe.
Available as: mp3 (38 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: Fool's Gold

Friedrich Engels: the man who made Marxism
Speaker: Dr Tristram Hunt
Chair: Professor Kenneth Minogue
This event was recorded on 29 April 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
With capitalism in crisis, the shadow of Karl Marx is looming large. But what about the co-author of The Communist Manifesto? In advance of a major new biography, The Frock-Coated Communist, Tristram Hunt explores the life and work, the personal contradictions and ideological breakthroughs, of Friedrich Engels. Cotton-lord and communist, Engels was the man who turned Marxism into a political force – and whose vision was then brutally betrayed in the 20th century. Tristram Hunt is an historian, broadcaster and a lecturer in British history at Queen Mary, University of London.
Available as: mp3 (39 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Friedrich Engels: the man who made Marxism

Wars, Guns and Votes: democracy in dangerous places
Speaker: Professor Paul Collier
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 29 April 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Award-winning author Paul Collier investigates the violence and poverty in the countries at the bottom of the world economy that are home to a billion people and asks why the democratic process in these countries so often fails.
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 88 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Wars, Guns and Votes: democracy in dangerous places

Future Directions in the Law Regulating Weaponry in Armed Conflict
Speaker: Group Captain Bill Boothby
Respondent: Tom Porteus
Chair: Dr Louise Arimatsu
This event was recorded on 28 April 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
A discussion on future directions in the law regulating weaponry in armed conflict to mark the release of Bill Boothby's new book Weapons and the Law of Armed Conflict. Bill Boothby has served for 27 years as an officer in the Royal Air Force legal branch. He developed and implemented the British system for the legal review of new weapons, and formed and led the team charged with conducting these reviews. Tom Porteus is London director of Human Rights Watch.
Available as: mp3 (44 MB; approx 96 minutes)
Event Posting: Future Directions in the Law Regulating Weaponry in Armed Conflict

The State between Migration and Sojourning: the China difference
Speaker: Professor Wang Gungwu
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 28 April 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
At the end of the 19th century, the Qing court described all Chinese living overseas as sojourners. Under the Republic, overseas Chinese were enjoined to be patriotic. After 1949, migration policies changed several times. Why did three different Chinese states pay so much attention to this subject?
Available as: mp3 (41 MB; approx 89 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The State between Migration and Sojourning: the China difference

The Fall of the Berlin Wall: twenty years on
Speaker: Nick Cohen
Discussant: Daniel Johnson
Chair: Dr Simon Glendinning
This event was recorded on 28 April 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, socialism has been in hibernation – yet Britain has lived through its longest period of left-wing government. What is the future of the Left?
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: The Fall of the Berlin Wall: twenty years on

Progressive Governance: Greece and the New International Order
Speaker: George Papandreou
Chair: Professor Kevin Featherstone
This event was recorded on 27 April 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The challenge to provide affordable housing is a global issue. At a time when market forces are eclipsing architecture’s social value, Elemental’s pioneering housing is transforming urban communities in Latin America.
Available as: mp3 (40 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Progressive Governance: Greece and the New International Order

Architecture as Investment: New Forms of Social Equity
Speaker: Professor Alejandro Aravena, Professor Ricky Burdett
Chair: Tyler Brûlé
This event was recorded on 27 April 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The challenge to provide affordable housing is a global issue. At a time when market forces are eclipsing architecture’s social value, Elemental’s pioneering housing is transforming urban communities in Latin America.
Available as: mp3 (50 MB; approx 115 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Architecture as Investment: New Forms of Social Equity

Imagining a Humanist Europe
Speaker: François Bayrou
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 27 April 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
François Bayrou will address the theme of humanism. He will outline how he believes that Europe needs a new set of values and specially humanism after the failures of capitalism. François Bayrou is the leader of the French centre party called Mouvement Democrate (Democratic Mouvement) and former presidential candidate. Mr Bayrou entered politics in the early 1980s and joined the centre right party called UDF. He served as education minister in centre-right governments between 1993 and 1997. He ran for the presidency in 2002 and 2007 and in 2007 polled almost seven million votes. He is the son of a farmer in south-western France and studied literature, and worked as a teacher while continuing to help his mother on the farm. He is still a part-time farmer.
Available as: mp3 (35 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: Imagining a Humanist Europe

Imagining India: ideas for the new century
Speaker: Nandan Nilekani
Discussant: Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor Lord Desai
This event was recorded on 22 April 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, who has been a key player in India's growth story, argues that the country's future rests on more than simply economic growth. Only a safety net of ideas - from genuinely inclusive democracy to social security, from public health to sustainable energy - will enable the country to continue to grow and support the young people who have become one of its greatest assets.
Available as: mp3 (19 MB; approx 82 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Imagining India: ideas for the new century

A Blueprint for a Safer Planet
Speaker: Professor Lord Stern of Brentford
This event was recorded on 21 April 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Nicholas Stern presents an outline of his new book, A Blueprint for a Safer Planet, which describes how to manage climate change while creating a new era of growth and prosperity.
Available as: mp3 (17.6 MB; approx 76 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: A Blueprint for a Safer Planet

A Lecture by President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Speaker: President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
This event was recorded on 2 April 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev was elected President of the Russian Federation in March 2008. In November 2005 he was elected First Deputy Prime Minister, previous to this he was Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office.
Available as: mp3 (13.8 MB; approx 60 minutes) and mp3 (translation) (13.6 MB; approx 60 minutes)
Available as: video [in Russian and English translation]
Event Posting: A Lecture by President Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev

Changing Values for a Just and Sustainable World
Speaker: Professor Peter Singer
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 1 April 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
We live in a world of great affluence as well as extreme poverty, and in which the rich nations play a disproportionate role in changing the planet’s climate, from which the poor will suffer most. What values would best guide us to a more just and sustainable world? Can we realistically expect them to be put into practice?
Available as: mp3 (18.1 MB; approx 78 minutes)
Event Posting: Changing Values for a Just and Sustainable World

The G20 Summit and the World Crisis
Speaker: Professor Jeffrey D Sachs
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 1 April 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The G20 Summit is the world’s key venue for addressing the current global crisis. Yet there are profound questions facing the Summiteers. What are the underlying causes of the global crisis? What are the priorities to speed economic recovery? How should the G172 (the 172 UN members not members of the G20) be represented? What are the most powerful tools for protecting the world’s most vulnerable people, arresting financial contagion, restoring global demand, and creating a path to sustainable development? Does the world require a fundamental re-shaping of global institutions and modes of cooperation?
Available as: mp3 (15.6 MB; approx 68 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The G20 Summit and the World Crisis

March 2009

Indonesia: Global Reach, Regional Role
Speaker: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 31 March 2009 on LSE Campus
General TNI (Ret) Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was born in Pacitan on 9 September 1949. Having graduated from the Military Academy in 1973, his military career and rank rose until he became a four-star general in 2000. In 1991, he received his Master of Arts in Management from Webster University, the United States. He earned a Doctorate Degree in Agricultural Economics from Bogor Institute of Agriculture in 2004.
Available as: mp3 (12 MB; approx 52 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Indonesia: Global Reach, Regional Role

What can the G20 do? The Case for Special Drawing Rights
Speaker: George Soros
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 31 March 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
On the eve of the G20 summit, George Soros will argue that authorising an increase in SDRs is the most significant step that the G20 leaders could agree. This event will also launch the paperback edition George Soros latest book, The Crash of 2008 and What it Means: the New Paradigm for Financial Markets.
Available as: mp3 (15.2 MB; approx 66 minutes)
Event Posting: What can the G20 do? The Case for Special Drawing Rights

In Praise of Weak Incentives
Speaker: Professor John Roberts
Chair: Professor David Metcalf
This event was recorded on 26 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The current financial crisis was largely caused by strong, misaligned incentives for bankers, resulting in calls for redesign of these pay schemes. Yet economic research over the last several years has suggested a number of contexts where muted incentives are desirable. This lecture will examine these.
Available as: mp3 (17.3 MB; approx 75 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: In Praise of Weak Incentives

Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness
Speaker: Professor Richard Thaler
Chair: Professor David De Meza
This event was recorded on 23 March 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Standard economic analyses rely on an unrealistic model of human behavior in which economic agents are hyperrational robots. Modern behavioral economics takes a more realistic approach and assumes that economics agents are humans, who sometimes forget where they put their keys, panic in the face of economic volatility, and are growing more obese by the day. The theme of Nudge is that it is possible to help such humans make better choices without taking away their freedoms, just by giving them a gentle nudge. The financial crisis of 2008 makes the message of Nudge more relevant than ever, both in determining how we got into this mess, how we can get out, and how we can prevent another crisis.
Available as: mp3 (17.4 MB; approx 75 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness

Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system Part Three. Majority Judgement Compared with Other Voting Systems
Speaker: Professor Michel Balinski
Chair: Professor Maurice Salles
This event was recorded on 20 March 2009 in Thai Theatre, New Academic Building
Balinski argues that, although the new Majority Judgement voting system is not perfect, approval voting fails in theory and practice, and that Majority Judgement is better than Condorcet’s and Borda’s classical proposals, point-summing methods, first-past-the post and others.
Available as: mp3 (17.3 MB; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system Part Three. Majority Judgement Compared with Other Voting Systems

Social Justice and Sustainability: arguments from political theory
Speakers: Professor Simon Caney, Professor Paul Kelly, Baroness Onora O’Neill
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 19 March 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Three distinguished political philosophers examine and discuss how theories of social justice and sustainability can be related to each other.
Available as: mp3 (24.6 MB; approx 107 minutes)
Event Posting: Social Justice and Sustainability: arguments from political theory

Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system Part Two. The Principal Properties of Majority Judgement
Speaker: Professor Rida Laraki
Chair: Professor Dan S Felsenthal
This event was recorded on 19 March 2009 in Thai Theatre, New Academic Building
Laraki argues that the new Majority Judgement voting system is superior because it best ranks candidates according to merit. It best resists manipulation or "gaming the vote." It heeds majority rule. It is not subject to Arrow’s impossibility, nor to most other classical paradoxes.
Available as: mp3 (23.9 MB; approx 104 minutes)
Event Posting: Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system Part Two. The Principal Properties of Majority Judgement

Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system. Part One - Majority Judgement vs the Traditional View
Speaker: Professor Michel Balinski
Chair: Rudolf V Fara
This event was recorded on 18 March 2009 in Thai Theatre, New Academic Building
Balinski presents an introduction to Majority Judgement, a new voting model that proposes a solution to many of the pressing problems confronting representative democracy and its various current electoral systems.
Available as: mp3 (23 MB; approx 100 minutes)
Event Posting: Majority Judgement: a completely new voting system. Part One - Majority Judgement vs the Traditional View

Eastern DRC: what should the international community be doing?
Speakers: David Leonard, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Professor James Putzel, Clare Short
This event was recorded on 18 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
With its most recent press release the Crisis States Research Centre (LSE) prompted fierce debate on the international response to the ongoing crisis in the Eastern DRC. Reactions to the arrest of the rebel leader Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda on 22 January are loud and divided, though international actions continue to follow the same three trends identified in the CSRC release. This response, says the CSRC, fails to comprehend the cause, complexity and extent of the crisis.
Available as: mp3 (22.5 MB; approx 98 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Eastern DRC: what should the international community be doing?

Howard Davies in Conversation with Lord Goldsmith QC
Speakers: Lord Goldsmith QC and Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 17 March 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The separation of powers idea is at the heart of all legal democracies. Yet within those democracies there will often be positions of high office which require their holders to perform functions which are both legal and political. In this series of events senior figures who hold or have held positions of this type talk about their lives in the law, the nature of their office, the institutions which they serve, their roles and responsibilities within those institutions, the role of lawyers in government and their understanding of the relationship between law and politics.
Available as: mp3 (15.9 MB; approx 69 minutes)
Event Posting: Howard Davies in Conversation with Lord Goldsmith QC

Extraordinary Times Demand Extraordinary Actions
Speaker: Wayne Swan
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 13 March 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Wayne Swan was sworn in as Australian Treasurer on 3 December 2007. He has been Member for the Brisbane seat of Lilley from 1993 to 1996, and from 1998 to the present. In 2005 he published Postcode: the Splintering of a Nation, a well-received book on economic and social policy in Australia. Before Wayne's appointment to his current role, he was Shadow Treasurer for three years and for six years Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services (1998-2004).
Available as: mp3 (9.92 MB; approx 42 minutes)
Event Posting: Extraordinary Times Demand Extraordinary Actions

Flexible Employment, Stable Society?
Speaker: Professor Wolfgang Streeck
Chair: Professor Richard Hyman
This event was recorded on 12 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
How does the de-regulation of employment relate to the evolution of other social structures, in particular the family? And what are the consequences for the role of the state in society?
Available as: mp3 (19.4 MB; approx 84 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Flexible Employment, Stable Society?

Hecklers to Power? The Waning Tools of Liberal Rights and Challenges to Feminist Activism in South Asia
Speaker: Professor Ratna Kapur
Chair: Dr Sumi Madhok
This event was recorded on 11 March 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Professor Kapur examines the specific challenges that have faced feminist activism in South Asia, and discusses how it might forge a new political direction.
Available as: mp3 (20 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Hecklers to Power? The Waning Tools of Liberal Rights and Challenges to Feminist Activism in South Asia

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Gilat Levy
Speaker: Professor Gilat Levy
This event was recorded on 11 March 2009 in U8, Tower 1
In this lunchtime series 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.
Available as: mp3 (12.7 MB; approx 55 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Gilat Levy

Will the Rich Man’s Crisis Crush the Emerging Economies?
Speaker: Thomas Mirow
Chair: Professor Willem Buiter
This event was recorded on 10 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The crisis originated in the main western financial centres, but emerging markets will pay the price. How steep a price? And what is the responsibility of the rich countries now?
Available as: mp3 (18 MB; approx 78 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Will the Rich Man’s Crisis Crush the Emerging Economies?

China in International Society: can ‘peaceful rise’ succeed?
Speaker: Professor Barry Buzan
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 10 March 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
China has moved closer to international society on regional and global levels. The tide of history will probably favour China’s peaceful rise, but the country will need to act to ensure this happens.
Available as: mp3 (20.7 MB; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: China in International Society: can ‘peaceful rise’ succeed?

Europe's Growth and Decline
Speaker: Professor Vytautas Landsbergis
Chair: Dr Richard Mole
This event was recorded on 9 March 2009 in New Theatre, East Building
Professor Vytautas Landsbergis will in his lecture be giving his perspective on the today's pressing events in the western world. His lecture will be an examination of consequences of doubtful mentality, as growth in population figures and average living standards have not resulted in increased happiness. Growing frustration and the crumbling myth of welfare state point to a crucial need to consider a new philosophy for life.
Available as: mp3 (21.5 MB; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: Europe's Growth and Decline

An EU 'Fit for Purpose' in the Global Age
Speakers: David Miliband, Frans Timmermans, Professor Loukas Tsoukalis, Sir Stephen Wall
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 9 March 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
An interdisciplinary, cross-party investigation of policy options for the EU post-2009, involving 50 experts from all over Europe. The final report will be presented to national governments and the EU institutions in spring 2009.
Available as: mp3 (22 MB; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: An EU 'Fit for Purpose' in the Global Age

Unjust Rewards: Exposing Greed and Inequality in Britain Today
Speakers: Polly Toynbee, David Walker
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 5 March 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. City workers earn millions. Manual workers earn less than they did thirty years ago. The widening gap is tearing apart the fabric of our society. In their new book 'Unjust Rewards: Exposing Greed and Inequality in Britain Today', Polly Toynbee and David Walker present a worrying portrait of Britain.
Available as: mp3 (20.9 MB; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Unjust Rewards: Exposing Greed and Inequality in Britain Today

Can the EU make a difference in the Middle East?
Speaker: Professor Jean-Pierre Filiu
Chair: Professor Marie Mendras
This event was recorded on 5 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
European forces make up most of the international force in south Lebanon. The EU is the main donor to the Palestinian territories, a member of the Quartet and the initiator of the new Union for the Mediterranean. But how is all this activity to translate into a strategy for promoting peaceful co-existence in that troubled region?
Available as: mp3 (17.0 MB; approx 74 minutes)
Event Posting: Can the EU make a difference in the Middle East?

The Future of Banking in a Global Economy
Speaker: Vikram Pandit
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 5 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Today's financial and economic wreckage will provide the foundations for a system on which a stronger future will be built. This will only happen with a real cooperation and collaboration that is hard to envisage amidst the growing clamour for protectionism, speculation over the possible nationalisation of the banking system, and questions over the right of those at the centre of the industry to be part of the solution. In his lecture, Vikram Pandit will outline his views on the role of banking in society and the future of the industry, its supervision, its structure and its reputation and explains his work to reinvent the world's most global financial services company and his vision for the New Reality.
Available as: mp3 (13.3 MB; approx 58 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Future of Banking in a Global Economy

Britain and the Palestine Mandate
Speakers: Professor Norman Rose
Chair: Professor David Stevenson
This event was recorded on 4 March 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
A review of British policies in Palestine in particular and the Middle East in general with special emphasis on the inter-war and post-war periods. For the Jews, this critical period led to the establishment of the state of Israel, for the Palestinians, to their 'Nakba' (Catastrophe), and for the British, a humiliating retreat from their imperial standing. Norman Rose is a graduate of the LSE and now holds the Chair of International Relations at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
Available as: mp3 (43 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: Britain and the Palestine Mandate

What should the next G20 meeting do?
Speakers: Professor Michael Cox; Will Hutton; Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 3 March 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
The upcoming meeting of the G20 in London in early April 2009 is crucial for the development of policies to stabilise the world economy and reform the international financial architecture. What will the G20 do and what should it do? Will Hutton, Danny Quah, Mick Cox and David Held debate the issues.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: What should the next G20 meeting do?

Constitutional Continuity: The Role of Lord Chancellor in a Modern Democracy
Speakers: Jack Straw
Chair: Professor Mike Redmayne
This event was recorded on 3 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Jack Straw was appointed as lord chancellor and secretary of state for Justice on 28 June 2007. He has previously served as leader of the House of Commons, secretary of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and home secretary. In Opposition he served as shadow home secretary, shadow environment secretary and shadow education secretary.
Available as: mp3 (28 mb; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: Constitutional Continuity: The Role of Lord Chancellor in a Modern Democracy

LSE Literary Weekend - Religious Defamation
Speakers: Professor Conor Gearty; Ivan Hare; Kenan Malik
Chair: Lisa Appignanesi
This event was recorded on 1 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A year after the repeal of blasphemy from English law, religious defamation laws are tightening their grip on the world, with the apparent support of the United Nations. Whatever happened to freedom of speech? A discussion of the nature of blasphemy in the twenty-first century.
Available as: mp3 (38 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Religious Defamation

LSE Literary Weekend - New Audiences
Speakers: Nandita Ghose; A.F Harrold; Andre Mangeot; Ife Piancu
This event was recorded on 1 March 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
This event is aimed at encouraging anyone who has never been to a poetry event before to come and see the amazing and exciting range of possibilities that poetry has. Poet in the City's New Audiences initiative has fast become one of our most popular set of programmes with events at the Guardian on Spoken Word and at Imperial University on Work, Space and Maths. This event has a mix of our favourite performance and up and coming poets that we're sure you'll enjoy.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 56 minutes)
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - New Audiences

LSE Literary Weekend - I Shall Die by Inches: Contemporary Approaches to Death and Dying
Speakers: Will Self
Chair: Dr Kavita Abraham
This event was recorded on 1 March 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
"All but death" wrote Emily Dickinson "can be adjusted", and yet, the cold fact that bodies must eventually die only serves to hide the reality of death as a contested cultural domain, where competing notions of public and private, tradition and innovation, individual and collective, are played out, and discourses within literature, art, jurisprudence, medicine, religion, and politics all stake their claim to knowledge of the great unknown. This talk will illuminate the social aspects of death and dying in contemporary society, and challenge received ideas of what Rabelais' called our 'vast perhaps'.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - I Shall Die by Inches: Contemporary Approaches to Death and Dying

LSE Literary Weekend - Dreams of Rivers and Seas
Speakers: Dr. Laura Bear; David Lan; Tim Parks
This event was recorded on 1 March 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
A reading from Tim Parks' latest novel Dreams of Rivers and Seas followed by a discussion on the anthropological themes explored within it.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend: Dreams of Rivers and Seas

February 2009

LSE Literary Weekend - Poetry and Choices
Speakers: Jane Duran, John Mole; Robert Minhinnick; Jo Shapcott
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A high profile poetry event reflecting on the choices that we all make in our lives, whether social, economic, moral or spiritual, featuring a great line-up of some of the UK’s finest poets.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of this event are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Poetry and Choices

LSE Literary Weekend - Roundtable on Migrant Literature
Speakers: Kapka Kassabova; Mustafa Kör; Naema Tahir
Chair: Professor Luc Bovens
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
The migrant intellectual, writes Edward Said, has ‘double perspective’. He or she is in a constant dialogue with his or her old and new home. Their writings often convey both a sense of loss and yearning but also display a richness wrought by the integration of multiple cultural identities, unique experiences and diverse modes of expression. These authors will explore what is it like to be migrant writers in their respective societies—what are the points of divergence, what are the commonalities? The authors will be invited to start off the evening by reading short excerpts from their work that typifies their own experiences as migrant authors. We will then explore some of the following questions in a roundtable discussion.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Roundtable on Migrant Literature

LSE Literary Weekend - The Financial Crisis, Climate Change and Energy
Speakers: Professor Lord Anthony Giddens
Chair: Roger Liddle
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Political action and intervention, on local, national and international levels, is going to have a decisive effect on whether or not we can limit global warming, as well as how we adapt to that already occurring. At the moment, however, Anthony Giddens argues controversially, we do not have a systematic politics of climate change.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - The Financial Crisis, Climate Change and Energy

LSE Literary Weekend - Political Satire
Speakers: Alistair Beaton; Martin Rowson
Chair: Laurie Taylor
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Alistair Beaton is Britain’s leading writer of political satire. Martin Rowson is an award-winning political cartoonist whose work appears regularly in The Guardian, The Times, The Independent on Sunday, the Daily Mirror, the Scotsman, Tribune, Index on Censorship and Granta.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Political Satire

LSE Literary Weekend - Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire
Speakers: Iain Sinclair; Jerry White; Patrick Wright
Chair: Professor George Jones
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Iain Sinclair is a writer, poet and film-maker and widely regarded as one of London’s greatest chroniclers. Jerry White has been writing about London for thirty years. His London in the Twentieth Century: A City and Its People won the Wolfson History Prize 2001. Patrick Wright is a writer with an interest in the cultural and political dimensions of modern history. He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed and sometimes also reviled books, including The Village that Died for England (1995), Tank: the Progress of a Monstrous War Machine and Iron Curtain: from Stage to Cold War (2007).
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Available as: video
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of this event are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire

LSE Literary Weekend - Ben Okri 'showcase'
Speaker: Ben Okri
Chair: Palash Davé
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Poet in the City and LSE are honoured to be holding a special showcase event with the world famous poet and writer Ben Okri. Born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, he became world famous as a writer in 1991 when he won the Booker prize for his novel The Famished Road. Set in a Nigerian village, this was the first in a trilogy of successful novels about Azaro, a spirit child. In all he has published eight novels, and won countless awards and honours for his writing. His latest novel, Starbook, was published in 2007.
Available as: mp3 (12 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Ben Okri 'showcase'

LSE Literary Weekend - Designing Spaces for Thought
Speakers: Antony Gormley; Professor Richard Sennett; Neven Sidor
Chair: Professor Ricky Burdett
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
By exploring the experiential and social impacts of creating spaces for public engagement, contemplation and education - including the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square and the LSE's New Academic Building - an artist, an architect and a sociologist discuss the intellectual practice of 'designing spaces for thought'.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of this event are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - Designing Spaces for Thought

LSE Literary Weekend - In Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist
Speakers: Hans Ulrich Obrist; Adrian Searle
This event was recorded on 28 February 2009 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Hans Ulrich Obrist was born in Zurich in May 1968. He joined the Serpentine Gallery as Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects in April 2006. Prior to this he was Curator of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris since 2000, as well as curator of museum in progress, Vienna, from 1993-2000.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 59 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of this event are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - In Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist

LSE Literary Weekend - The Founders' Tradition: literature as social commentary
Speakers: Mohsin Hamid; David Hare; Boyd Tonkin
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 27 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
This event marks the launch of the LSE Space for Thought Literary Weekend, the LSE's first ever Literary Festival, celebrating the completion of the New Academic Building. A discussion about not only the links between the social sciences and the arts, but the role of the arts in the LSE’s past, present and future. Is literature relevant today?
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 71 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - The Founders' Tradition: literature as social commentary

LSE Literary Weekend - ReaLITy: creative responses to social realities
Speakers: Morris Gleitzman; Elizabeth Laird; Anthony McGowan; Patrick Ness; Meg Rosoff
Chair: Professor Sarah Worthington
This event was recorded on 27 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The culmination of a creative-writing competition for London state schools, this panel discussion looks at how authors find inspiration in contemporary social issues- from gang culture and knife crime, to the more timeless problems of being a teenager. The panel of popular and award-winning teen authors have dealt with topics as wide ranging as Ethiopian street children and Nazi Germany, with a mixture of reality, comedy and fantasy.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: LSE Literary Weekend - ReaLITy: creative responses to social realities

The Story of the Euro: past, present and future
Speakers: Karl Otto Pöhl
Chair: Charles Goodhart
This event was recorded on 26 February 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
How has the euro performed over its first ten years, and how will it cope with the strains caused by the current financial and economic crisis? Karl Otto Pöhl was president of the German Bundesbank from 1980-91, and played a leading role in the preparation of the European single currency.
Available as: mp3 (29 mb; approx 63 minutes)
Event Posting: The Story of the Euro: past, present and future

Many Voices: understanding the debate about preventing violent extremism
Speakers: Hazel Blears MP
Chair: Justin Gest
This event was recorded on 25 February 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The tragic events of 7/7 illustrated the threat to our society posed by violent extremism. Preventing it is one of the defining challenges of our age. Hazel Blears will explore the tough choices government has to make – how to empower new voices to join the debate, how to support people standing up for shared values and how to equip communities with the skills, confidence, and resilience they need to be part of the solution. In June 2007, Hazel Blears became the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Available as: mp3 (37 mb; approx 80 minutes)
Event Posting: Many Voices: understanding the debate about preventing violent extremism

Who Owns Fairtrade? A debate on who benefits, influences and controls Fairtrade
Speakers: Pauline Tiffen; Rajah Banerjee; Kate Sebag; Katie Stafford; Dyborn Chinonga
Chair: Dr Armine Ishkanian
This event was recorded on 24 February 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The idea of fair trade has become increasingly popular amongst consumers and some producers. But who does fair-trade really benefit? The producers? The consumers? The Farmers? These are some of the issues that the panel will debate.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: Who Owns Fairtrade? A debate on who benefits, influences and controls Fairtrade

Democracy in America: Jefferson, Tocqueville, and Lincoln
Speakers: Professor Peter Onuf
This event was recorded on 24 February 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
Professor Onuf explores the development of the elusive and controversial ideal of democracy from Thomas Jefferson’s revolutionary writings to Abraham Lincoln’s great effort to vindicate republican principles in the American Civil War. Peter Onuf is Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History at the University of Virginia and Harmsworth Professor of American History at the University of Oxford.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Democracy in America: Jefferson, Tocqueville, and Lincoln

Asia and Russia in the Age of Globalisation: the impact for Europe's future
Speakers: Joschka Fischer
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 24 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Joschka Fischer was Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005.
Available as: mp3 (38 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Asia and Russia in the Age of Globalisation: the impact for Europe's future

Why Did Nobody Tell Us? Reporting the Global Crash of 08'
Speakers: Alex Brummer; Vince Cable MP; Evan Davis; Gillian Tett; Professor Willem Buiter
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 23 February 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This event will discuss the reporting leading up to the global credit crash of 2008. Alex Brummer has been City Editor for the Daily Mail since 2000. He has over thirty years’ experience in the media. Vincent Cable is the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and speaks for his party on issues of Finance, European Economic and Monetary Union and the City. Evan Davis is a presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He was the BBC’s Economics Editor from 2001-2008. This event is in partnership with the Media Society and Society of Editors.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Why Did Nobody Tell Us? Reporting the Global Crash of 08'

The Islamic Republic of Iran After 30 Years
Speakers: Professor Fred Halliday
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 23 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Thirty years after the fall of the Shah of Iran and the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini to power, the Iranian revolution continues to exert a dynamic ideological and political influence across the Middle East. In a retrospective analysis of the revolutionary period itself, some of whose decisive moments he witnessed at first hand, and of the subsequent development of the Islamic Republic Professor Fred Halliday will attempt to set these dramatic events in context, as much that of the comparative study of revolutions as of the history of the contemporary Middle East.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Islamic Republic of Iran After 30 Years

The Albanian Nun Who was not Considered 'European' Enough: Why did Mother Teresa leave the Loreto Order?
Speakers: Dr Gezim Alpion
This event was recorded on 20 February 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Having identified some of the reasons which made Sister Teresa leave the Loreto Order in 1948, Alpion approaches this painful but momentous departure from a sociological perspective through biographical and historical contextualization and in the light of the work of Marx, Freud, Durkheim on the sociology of religion and career.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: The Albanian Nun Who was not Considered 'European' Enough: Why did Mother Teresa leave the Loreto Order?

Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility
Speakers: Professor Jean Tirole
Chair: Professor Chris Pissarides
This event was recorded on 19 February 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
This is the third annual Coase-Phillips lecture, hosted jointly by Economica and the Department of Economics. Jean Tirole is one of the world’s most eminent economists working in the fields of industrial organisation, finance and game theory.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility

IHL and International Human Rights Law in Non-International Armed Conflicts
Speakers: Professor Marco Sassòli
Chair: Dr Chaloka Beyani
This event was recorded on 19 February 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Professor Sassoli will explore the relationship between International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law during non-international armed conflict, by applying the lex specialis principle. Marco Sassòli is professor of international law at the University of Geneva and associate professor at the Universities of Quebec and Laval.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Event Posting: IHL and International Human Rights Law in Non-International Armed Conflicts

Lessons from the credit crisis
Speakers: Sir John Gieve
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 19 February 2009 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The past 18 months have been a tumultuous time for the financial sector and the global economy more generally. In this speech, his last as Deputy Governor at the Bank of England, Sir John Gieve will discuss some of the key lessons for public policy and outline some potential improvements that could be made to the framework and tools available to policy makers. Sir John Gieve was appointed Deputy Governor in January 2006. In addition to his membership of the Monetary Policy Committee, he has specific responsibility for the Bank's Financial Stability work and is a member of the Board of the FSA.
Available as: mp3 (22 mb; approx 48 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Lessons from the credit crisis

Kosovo's Independence: One Year On
Speakers: Ambassador Muhamet Hamiti
This event was recorded on 18 February 2009 in Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Dr Muhamet Hamiti is the current and the first ambassador of the Republic of Kosova to the UK. Born in Podujeva in Kosovo in 1964, Ambassador Hamiti earned his BA in English Language and Literature at the University of Pristina in 1987; earned his MA in English Literature at the University of Zagreb (Croatia) in 1990, and his PhD in English literature at the University of Pristina in 2006 with a thesis on the prose fiction of James Joyce and Joseph Conrad. In the 1990s, Dr Hamiti was also an independent scholar at the University of East Anglia and at Birkbeck College of the University of London respectively, pursuing research in the field of literature.
Available as: mp3 (32 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Event Posting: Kosovo's Independence: One Year On

Can International Law Change the World?
Speakers: Judge Sir Christopher Greenwood
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 18 February 2009 in Old Theatre, Old Building
While each system of national law seeks to regulate affairs within only one society, international law concerns the entire world. Yet it has almost none of the methods of enforcement available to national legal systems. So, can it change the world? Christopher Greenwood was elected a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in November 2008. He is an authority in international law who taught at LSE for 12 years, and was a practising barrister and has been a QC since 1999. He has appeared as an advocate in several cases at the ICJ.
Available as: mp3 (36 mb; approx 79 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Can International Law Change the World?

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: public economics and pub economics
Speakers: Professor Nicholas Barr
This event was recorded on 18 February 2009 in U8, Tower 1
In this lunchtime series 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. Nicholas Barr is professor of public economics at LSE and the author of numerous books and articles on the economics of the welfare state and the finance of higher education.
Available as: mp3 (25 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: public economics and pub economics

Fighting the Banana Wars
Speakers: Harriet Lamb
Discussants: Adam Brett, Dr Teddy Brett
Chair: Professor Stuart Corbridge
This event was recorded on 17 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Only 14 years ago you couldn’t buy a Fairtrade product in Britain. Today almost £500m worth of goods bearing the Fairtrade mark are sold annually, including tea, coffee, bananas, cotton, flowers and even footballs. At the heart of this revolution in our shops is the Fairtrade Foundation, which was established in 1992 by CAFOD, Christian Aid, New Consumer, Oxfam, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement. Starting small but with big ideas, it has turned a grass-roots movement into a phenomenon of our time – changing not only the way in which corporations deal with their suppliers and how consumers shop on the high street, but also transforming the lives of over 7 million farmers, workers and their families.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: Fighting the Banana Wars

The Global Economic Crisis – Meeting the Challenge
Speakers: Professor Tim Besley; Professor Francesco Caselli; Professor Chris
Pissarides: Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor Luc Bovens
This event was recorded on 17 February 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
A panel discussion on the current global economic crisis: its origins, transmission, and possible impact and resolution. Tim Besley, Francesco Caselli, Chris Pissarides and Danny Quah are all economics professors at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (43 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Global Economic Crisis – Meeting the Challenge

"Russian Railways" as the locomotive of the Russian Economy
Speakers: Vladimir Yakunin
This event was recorded on 17 February 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Vladimir I. Yakunin, president of "Russian Railways" will deliver a speech covering three main topics in the context of his company: economic science, market awareness and development.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Editors note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session are missing from the podcast
Event Posting: "Russian Railways" as the locomotive of the Russian Economy

Democracy in Kuwait and its effect on the Gulf
Speakers: Abdullah Bishara
Chair: Dr Kristian Ulrichsen
This event was recorded on 16 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Significant political reform processes are underway in all six member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In this lecture the first secretary-general of the GCC will reflect on their progress and future prospects. Abdullah Bishara was secretary-general of the GCC from 1981-93.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Democracy in Kuwait and its effect on the Gulf

European Democracy and the Language Question
Speakers: Professor Philippe Van Parijs
Chair: Professor Luc Bovens
This event was recorded on 12 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Is democracy sustainable in a multilingual polity? Or should appropriate institutions make democracy compatible with multilingualism? Which of these views does the experience of the European Union support? Or is the EU irrelevant to this dispute as English fast becomes Europe’s lingua franca? Philippe Van Parijs directs the Hoover Chair in Economic and Social Ethics at the University of Louvain and is visiting professor at the Philosophy Department of Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: European Democracy and the Language Question

Reforming Pensions in Europe: four policies in search of a politician
Speakers: Professor Nicholas Barr
Discussant: Lord Turner of Ecchinswell
Chair: Nick Timmins
This event was recorded on 11 February 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
How can European countries reform pensions so that they keep pensioners and taxpayers happy, follow workers who move from country to country within the EU, and allow workers choice about retirement? Nicholas Barr is professor of public economics in LSE’s European Institute. Lord Turner is chairman of the Financial Services Authority and chairman of the Climate Change Committee and the Overseas Development Institute. He is a visiting professor at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (43 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Reforming Pensions in Europe: four policies in search of a politician

A Good Childhood: searching for values in a competitive age
Speakers: Professor Judy Dunn; Professor Lord Richard Layard
This event was recorded on 11 February 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Is childhood all it should be? Or has it been spoilt by broken homes, junk food, alcohol and exam stress? The speakers will present the findings of The Good Childhood Inquiry. Judy Dunn is professor of developmental psychology at King’s College London, and was chair of The Good Childhood Inquiry. Richard Layard is director of the Well-being Programme in the LSE Centre for Economic Performance.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Editors note: We apologise for the poor audio quality in the question and answer session, this is due a technical problem with the audio-visual system on the night of the recording
Event Posting: A Good Childhood: searching for values in a competitive age

Afghanistan and Iraq: good war, bad war?
Speakers: Lakhdar Brahimi
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 11 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Lakhdar Brahimi, with an extensive career in peace-building, reflects on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with Mary Kaldor. Lakhdar Brahimi was foreign minister of Algeria (1991-93) and prior to that ambassador to the UK (1971-79). He mediated the end of the Civil War in Lebanon (1988-91) and headed UN Missions in South Africa, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq. Lakhdar Brahimi is now a member of "The Elders", a group created at the initiative of Nelson Mandela and his wife Graca Machel and chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Afghanistan and Iraq: good war, bad war?

Keeping Score: new approaches to the standard of living
Speakers: Professor Richard H Steckel
Chair: Professor Colin Lewis
This event was recorded on 10 February 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Measuring social performance is an important task in the social sciences, and the complexity of the problem has given rise to numerous approaches. In this lecture, Professor Steckel will discuss the use of anthropomorphic measures in this field, and explain the advantages of height as a measure of standard of living. Richard H Steckel is SBS Distinguished Professor of Economics, Anthropology and History at Ohio State University. The Space for Thought Lecture series celebrates the completion of the New Academic Building and is supported by the LSE Annual Fund.You can see a list of all the lectures in this series at Space for Thought Inaugural Lecture Series.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Keeping Score: new approaches to the standard of living

Obama and the Empire of Liberty
Speakers: Professor David Reynolds
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 5 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
A new president. A new era? David Reynolds will introduce the Obama presidency against the backdrop of America’s epic, tangled history. David Reynolds is professor of international history at Cambridge University and a fellow of the British Academy. His most recent book is America, Empire of Liberty: A New History.
Available as: mp3 (37 mb; approx 80 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Obama and the Empire of Liberty

Celebrities and Aid: new humanitarians or just another fad?
Speakers: Professor John Street; Kris Torgeson; Ann McFerran
Chair: Dr Armine Ishkanian
This event was recorded on 5 February 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Why do charities use celebrities to speak out on humanitarian action? Who do celebrities represent? Are they genuinely committed to the causes they espouse or have causes become another path to self-promotion? John Street is a Professor of Politics at the University of East Anglia. Kris Torgeson is the International Secretary for the Médecins Sans Frontières International Office. Award-winning journalist and freelance feature writer for the Sunday Times, Ann McFerran has interviewed and accompanied many celebrities on their travels to meet some of the world's most neglected people.
Available as: mp3 (37 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Celebrities and Aid: new humanitarians or just another fad?

Why 2009 is a crucial year for Europe
Speakers: Bruno Le Maire
This event was recorded on 5 February 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Bruno Le Maire is the French minister of state for European affairs, prior to this he was principal private secretary to the Prime Minister, 2006-2007, advisor to the Prime Minister, 2005-2006, advisor to the Minister of the Interior, 2004-2005 and advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2002-2004. Bruno has been National Assembly deputy for Eure since 2007, and is a member of the National Assembly Finance Committee. He is also the Finance Committee special rapporteur on health security and has been a member of Evreux (Eure) Municipal Council since 2008.
Available as: mp3 (32 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Event Posting: Why 2009 is a crucial year for Europe

After the Good Life, the Impasse: human resources, time out, and the precarious present
Speakers: Professor Lauren Berlant
Discussant: Dr Sadie Wearing
Chair: Dr Clare Hemmings
This event was recorded on 4 February 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This lecture draws on two films of Laurent Cantet – Human Resources (1999) and Time Out (2001) – to engage the new affective languages of the contemporary economic atmosphere, languages of anxiety, contingency and precarity. Lauren Berlant is George M Pullman Professor, Department of English, University of Chicago. Sadie Wearing is lecturer in gender theory, culture and media at the Gender Institute, LSE.
Available as: mp3 (44 mb; approx 96 minutes)
Event Posting: After the Good Life, the Impasse: human resources, time out, and the precarious present

Here Comes Everybody: how change happens when people come together
Speakers: Professor Clay Shirky
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 3 February 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Clay Shirky, one of the new culture's wisest observers, steer us through the online social explosion and ask what happens when people are given the tools to work together, without needing traditional organisational structures. As online communication becomes ubiquitous, Shirky unpicks fundamental issues that are increasingly the source of much debate in particular in the media, in business, and in government, all of whom are grappling to make sense of the new social revolution. He argues that the conundrum is not whether the spread of these social tools is good or bad, but rather what the impact will be, for better or for worse.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: Here Comes Everybody: how change happens when people come together

January 2009

Is Global Democracy Possible?
Speakers: Professor Daniele Archibugi; Professor Michael Cox; George Monbiot
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 28 January 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
This panel will explore whether or not the concepts and practices of democracy can be extended beyond borders to embrace the global order. Panellists take sharply different views on this question and very lively debate is promised. Daniele Archibugi is professor of innovation, governance and public policy at Birkbeck College. Michael Cox is professor of international relations at LSE. George Monbiot is a bestselling author and a columnist for The Guardian newspaper.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Is Global Democracy Possible?

The Shifting Distribution of World Economic Activity: China and global imbalance
Speakers: Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Professor Athar Hussain
This event was recorded on 27 January 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
China has, single-handedly, brought more people out of poverty than the rest of the world combined, and faster than anywhere else has been able to achieve. How can this continue? Danny Quah is professor of economics and head of the Department of Economics at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Shifting Distribution of World Economic Activity: China and global imbalance

Liberal Fascism: the uses and abuses of the F-word
Speakers: Jonah Goldberg
Chair: Professor Paul Kelly
This event was recorded on 27 January 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
For nearly a century the political left has controlled the commanding heights of intellectual discourse by asserting, contrary to the evidence, that the left holds a monopoly on political virtue. The further you move from the left on the political spectrum, it is asserted, the closer you get to evil. "Fascism" has long served as the central prop in this drama. Fascism and evil are interchangeable terms, we are told. The reality is that while fascism may be evil, it has always been a leftist phenomenon. Jonah Goldberg is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and contributing editor to National Review. A USA Today contributor and former columnist for The Times in London, he has also written for the New Yorker, Commentary, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. His latest book is Liberal Fascism.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Liberal Fascism: the uses and abuses of the F-word

The Great Transformation: how China changed in the long 1970s
Speakers: Professor Chen Jian
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 22 January 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Professor Chen offers a historian’s overview of China’s 1970s transformation and the beginning of global systemic change that this transformation helped create. Chen Jian is Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs for 2008-09 at LSE. He is the Michael J Zak Chair of the History of US China Relations at Cornell University.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Great Transformation: how China changed in the long 1970s

Georgia: has Europe let Russia off the hook?
Speakers: Dr Sabine Freizer; Professor Salome Zourabichvili
Chair: Professor James Hughes
This event was recorded on 21 January 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Sabine Freizer is Europe programme director of the International Crisis Group. Salome Zourabichvili is associate professor at Sciences Po, Paris and former foreign minister of Georgia.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Georgia: has Europe let Russia off the hook?

The Incompatibility of Science and Religion
Speakers: Professor John Worrall
This event was recorded on 21 January 2009 in U8, Tower 1
Richard Dawkins and others claim that science and religion are incompatible. Others argue that on a more sophisticated view there is only the appearance of a clash. Who is right? John Worrall is professor of philosophy of science at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (38 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion

Designing Policies for Growth - 21 January 2009
Speakers: Professor Philippe Aghion
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 21 January 2009 in the New Theatre, East Building
In Wednesday's lecture Professor Aghion will focus on the relationship between market reforms and trust. Philippe Aghion is Robert C Waggoner Professor of Economics, Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (33 mb; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Designing Policies for Growth - 21 January 2009

World War Two: behind closed doors
Speakers: Laurence Rees
Chair: Dr Alan Sked
This event was recorded on 20 January 2009 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Laurence Rees will be discussing his book and BBC series World War Two: behind closed doors. He will re-examine the key decisions made by Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during the war. Laurence Rees is an award-winning historian and documentary maker.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: World War Two: behind closed doors

Designing Policies for Growth - 20 January 2009
Speakers: Professor Philippe Aghion
Chair: Christopher Johnson
This event was recorded on 20 January 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
In Tuesday's lecture Professor Aghion will discuss how policies inducing directed technical change can be designed to maximise sustainable growth. Philippe Aghion is Robert C Waggoner Professor of Economics, Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (33 mb; approx 72 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Designing Policies for Growth - 20 January 2009

Designing Policies for Growth - 19 January 2009
Speakers: Professor Philippe Aghion
Chair: Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 19 January 2009 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
In Monday's lecture Professor Aghion will lay down the framework to think about growth policy design. Philippe Aghion is Robert C Waggoner Professor of Economics, Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (31 mb; approx 67 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Designing Policies for Growth - 19 January 2009

Policy Responses to the Financial Crisis
Speakers: Dr Ben S. Bernanke
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 13 January 2009 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Ben S. Bernanke was sworn in on February 1, 2006, as Chairman and a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Dr. Bernanke also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the System's principal monetary policymaking body. He was appointed as a member of the Board to a full 14-year term, which expires January 31, 2020, and to a four-year term as Chairman, which expires January 31, 2010. Before his appointment as Chairman, Dr. Bernanke was Chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, from June 2005 to January 2006.
Available as: mp3 (28 mb; approx 60 minutes)
Available as: video, wmv (for Windows media player) (168 mb), mp4 (for Quicktime and other media players) (366 mb)
Event Posting: Policy Responses to the Financial Crisis

December 2008

A lecture by Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
Speakers: Mirek Topolánek
This event was recorded on 18 December 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
Mirek Topolánek has been Prime Minister of the Czech Republic since September 2006. He has been chairman of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) since November 2002. Mr Topolánek will speak about the priorities of the forthcoming Czech Republic's EU Presidency.
Available as: mp3 (35 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: A lecture by Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

Managing Risk: A Global Imperative
Speakers: Michael Chertoff
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 12 December 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Given the threats posed by terrorism and natural disasters, the issue of how to handle risk remains an essential one for nations. While in free societies, people routinely make risk calculations, markets do an imperfect job of risk allocation. Governments must sometimes step in, but in a way that carefully manages risk through prudent, measured regulation. On February 15, 2005, Judge Michael Chertoff was sworn in as the second Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Chertoff formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Available as: mp3 (24 mb; approx 52 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Managing Risk: A Global Imperative

The Impact of the Global Economic Downturn on the World's Poorest Countries and The Launch of the International Growth Centre
Speakers: Douglas Alexander; Professor Robin Burgess; Professor Paul Collier; Gobind Nankani
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 10 December 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The UK's Secretary of State for International Development, Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP, will speak on the impact of the global economic downturn on the world's poorest countries. Professor Paul Collier, Oxford University, will be speaking about the latest academic thinking on promoting growth in the world's poorest countries. Professor Robin Burgess, LSE, will present on how the International Growth Centre will support economic growth in developing countries. Gobind Nankani, a Ghanaian native, was recently appointed President of the Global Development Network (GDN) in 2007. He is a development economist and had a distinguished 30 year career at the World Bank, holding management positions in various regions and sectors across the Bank.
Available as: mp3 (26 mb; approx 56 minutes)
Event Posting: The Impact of the Global Economic Downturn on the World's Poorest Countries and The Launch of the International Growth Centre

Fiscal responsibility and the recession
Speakers: David Cameron MP
Chair: Peter Sutherland
This event was recorded on 9 December 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In December 2005 David Cameron was elected leader of the Conservative Party. Prior to this he held the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. He was elected to parliament in 2001 representing Witney. Before he became an MP, David worked in business and government. He worked as a Special Adviser in government, first to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and then to the Home Secretary. Afterwards he spent seven years at Carlton Communications, one of the UK’s leading media companies, and served on the management Board.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 43 minutes)
Event Posting: Fiscal responsibility and the recession

Ancient Adversaries, Modern Friends: Hellenic-Irnaian Relations Down The Ages
Speakers: Baroness Haleh Afshar; Professor Dominic Lieven; Sam Moorhead; Nigel Spivey; Professor Norman Stone
Chair: Professor Fred Halliday
This event was recorded on 4 December 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Editors Note: Unfortunately due to a technical fault the last fifteen minutes of this event are missing from the recording

Human Rights Day Event: The Right of Rights 1948-2008
Speakers: Shami Chakrabarti; Jonathan Cooper; Professor Conor Gearty; Baroness Helena Kennedy QC; Professor Francesca Klug; Professor Peter Townsend
This event was recorded on 4 December 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
To mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, this fun yet challenging event will ask which is the greatest right.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: Human Rights Day Event: The Right of Rights 1948-2008

In Conversation with Cherie Blair
Speakers: Cherie Blair, Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 3 December 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Cherie Blair is a noted barrister and QC, specialising in human rights law. She is married to Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister. Cherie studied law at LSE and is a governor and honorary fellow of the School. In this event she will talk to Howard Davies, LSE Director about her autobiography published earlier this year entitled Speaking for Myself (May 2008, Little, Brown).
Available as: mp3 (29 mb; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: In Conversation with Cherie Blair

The role of banks in a globalised economy: balancing innovation and stability
Speakers: Alessandro Profumo
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 3 December 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Banks are called upon to play a primary role, in cooperation with policymakers and regulators, in the quest for better levels of financial stability for the system as a whole. The real economy's needs must be central to the bank's characteristic function. Alessandro Profumo has been the Chief Executive Officer of UniCredit Group since it was founded in 1997; as of December 2005 he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HVB and as of July 2006 he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bank Austria Creditanstalt. Previously he held the post of Chief Executive Officer of Credito Italiano which he had joined in 1994 as its Chief General Manager in charge of Planning & Group Control, a year after that bank was privatised. At an international level, he is Member of the Board of the European Banking Federation – Brussels, of the European Financial Services Round Table – London, of the Trilateral Commission (Italian Group), of the Investment Advisory Council for Turkey – Istanbul and of the Institut International d'Etudes Bancaires – Brussels.
Available as: mp3 (25 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: The role of banks in a globalised economy: balancing innovation and stability

China After the Olympics
Speakers: Jonathan Fenby; Professor Athar Hussain; Martin Jacques; Professor Chen Jian
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 2 December 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Whether we think sport and politics should or should not be mixed, it is clear that in the case of the Beijing Olympics the two have never been more closely intertwined. But how has the Olympics impacted on China? Has it improved or worsened China's image in the world? And how will it effect its future relations with the West? Jonathan Fenby is a British journalist, and was editor of The Observer newspaper from 1993-1995. He wrote The Penguin History of Modern China 1850-2008, which was published in June 2008. Athar Hussain is director of the Asia Research Centre. Martin Jacques is a visiting research fellow in the Asia Research Centre, LSE. Chen Jian is the Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: China After the Olympics

Global Shocks, Global Solutions: Meeting 21st Century Challenges
Speakers: Dr Ian Goldin
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 1 December 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Dr Ian Goldin is the first Director of The James Martin 21st Century School at Oxford University taking up his position in September 2006. Goldin was Vice President of the World Bank (2003-2006) and prior to that the Bank's Director of Development Policy (2001-2003). He served on the Bank's senior management team, and was directly responsible for its relationship with the UK and all other European, North America and developed countries. Goldin led the Bank's collaboration with the United Nations and other partners. As Director of Development Policy, Goldin played a pivotal role in the research and strategy agenda of the Bank. From 1996 to 2001 he was Chief Executive and Managing Director of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and served as an adviser to President Nelson Mandela. He succeeded in transforming the Bank to become the leading agent of development in the 14 countries of Southern Africa. During this period, Goldin served on several Government committees and Boards, and was Finance Director for South Africa's Olympic Bid.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Global Shocks, Global Solutions: Meeting 21st Century Challenges

November 2008

What's Wrong with the EU Budget?
Speakers: Professor Iain Begg; Zaki Cooper; Dalia Grybauskaite
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 27 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
With the formal review of the EU budget under way, a panel of policymakers, experts and other stakeholders ask: what should the EU be spending taxpayers' money on? And what are the prospects for a radical overhaul? Iain Begg is professorial research fellow in the European Institute, LSE. Zaki Cooper is director of Business for a New Europe. Dalia Grybauskaite is European Commissioner responsible for Financial Programming and Budget, prior to this she served as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: What's Wrong with the EU Budget?

Forensic Anthropology: the reconstruction of the truth in the fight against impunity
Speakers: Silvana Turner
Chair: Professor Christopher Greenwood
This event was recorded on 26 November 2008 in U8, Tower One
Applying forensic anthropology and related sciences, and working closely with victims and their relatives, the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team seeks to shed light on human rights violations, contributing to the search for truth, justice, reparation, and prevention of future abuses. Silvana Turner is a forensic anthropologist, investigator and researcher for the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team.
Available as: mp3 (35 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: Forensic Anthropology: the reconstruction of the truth in the fight against impunity

The Age of Mobility: Can we make migration work for all?
Speakers: Peter Sutherland
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 26 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Peter Sutherland is the United Nations special representative for migration. He is the chairman of Goldman Sachs International and chairman of BP. He is the chairman of the LSE Court of Governors.
Available as: mp3 (36 mb; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: The Age of Mobility: Can we make migration work for all?

The Subprime Crisis
Speakers: Professor Robert J. Shiller
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 26 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Bubbles in the stock market and the housing market are the cause of a financial crisis that is wreaking havoc around the world. The bubbles in turn are caused, at their core, by popular misunderstandings. This contradicts the 'rational expectations' view of the economy that has guided much economic theorizing. In dealing with this crisis in the short run, some kind of bailout of injured parties is necessary to prevent damage to the social fabric. In the long run, we can help mitigate such crises by improving the financial information infrastructure, by expanding market coverage of important risks, and introducing new retail financial products. Robert J. Shiller is the Arthur M. Okun Professor of Economics, Department of Economics and Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University, and Professor of Finance and Fellow at the International Center for Finance, Yale School of Management.
Available as: mp3 (32 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Subprime Crisis

Ross Cranston, QC in Conversation with Lord Mackay of Clashfern
Speakers: Lord Mackay; Ross Cranston
This event was recorded on 25 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The separation of powers idea is at the heart of all legal democracies. Yet within those democracies there will often be positions of high office which require their holders to perform functions which are both legal and political. In this series of events senior figures who hold or have held positions of this type talk about their lives in the law, the nature of their office, the institutions which they serve, their roles and responsibilities within those institutions, the role of lawyers in government and their understanding of the relationship between law and politics. Ross Cranston is justice of the High Court and visiting professor of law at LSE. Lord Mackay of Clashfern, KT, PC was formerly Lord Advocate of Scotland, 1979-1984 and Lord Chancellor, 1987-1997.
Available as: mp3 (35 mb; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: Ross Cranston, QC in Conversation with Lord Mackay of Clashfern

The Independent Kosovo: Partner for Peace and Stability in the Region
Speakers: Dr Fatmir Sejdiu
Chair: Professor Damian Chalmers
This event was recorded on 21 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Fatmir Sejdiu is President of Kosovo, a position he has held since February 2006. Dr. Sejdiu is a professor at the Faculty of Law and the School of Political Science of the University of Prishtina. On 28 June 2006 he received a “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the University of Tirana in Albania. One of the founding members of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) which was established in late 1989, Fatmir Sejdiu was elected a member of the Presidency of the Party in 1992, whereas on 1994 he was elected Secretary General of LDK. In 1992 and 1998 elections, he was elected member of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosovo holding the positions of the general secretary of the Parliament and chairman of the Constitutional Issues Committee. In the first post-war elections in 2001 and 2004, Mr. Sejdiu was elected member of the Kosovo Assembly and a member of the Presidency of the Assembly. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Judicial, Legislative and Constitutional Matters and the Committee for International Cooperation and EU Integration.
Available as: mp3 (36 mb; approx 77 minutes)
Event Posting: The Independent Kosovo: Partner for Peace and Stability in the Region

Reforming the voting systems of the IMF and World Bank?
Speakers: Ariel Buira, Professor Dennis Leech
Chair: Rudolf V Fara
This event was recorded on 20 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Ariel Buira will argue for radical voting reforms to achieve democratic legitimacy and effectiveness; Dennis Leech will present voting power analyses of recent reform proposals. Ariel Buira is a member of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations and former executive director of the International Monetary Fund. Dennis Leech is professor of economics, University of Warwick and co-director of Voting Power and Procedures, CPNSS, LSE.
Available as: mp3 (45 mb; approx 97 minutes)
Event Posting: Reforming the voting systems of the IMF and World Bank?

Who says World Politics is boring? International Relations after Georgia and the Financial Crisis
Speakers: Alexander Stubb
Chair: Professor Lord William Wallace
This event was recorded on 20 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Alexander Stubb, Finland's Foreign Minister and current chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is a graduate of the LSE. He became Minister for Foreign Affairs in April this year. Before that he served for four years as a member of the European Parliament.
Available as: mp3 (30 mb; approx 65 minutes)
Event Posting: Who says World Politics is boring? International Relations after Georgia and the Financial Crisis

Ireland and Britain - old narratives and new
Speakers: Mary McAleese
This event was recorded on 19 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
On 11th November, 1997, Mary McAleese was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland and was re-elected in 2004. She is a barrister and former Professor of Law and the first President to come from Northern Ireland. She graduated in Law from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1973 and was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 1974. In 1975, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin and in 1987, she returned to her Alma Mater, Queen's, to become Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994, she became the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast. She has a longstanding interest in many issues concerned with justice, equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation.
Available as: mp3 (14 mb; approx 63 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Ireland and Britain - old narratives and new

The Politics of Mobility
Speakers: Peter Hendy
Chair: Tony Travers
This event was recorded on 18 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Sprawl versus dense? Public transport versus private car? This debate will outline how London's transport strategy shapes - and is shaped by - environmental policy, quality of life and political imperatives. Peter Hendy is commissioner of Transport for London.
Available as: mp3 (18 mb; approx 80 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Politics of Mobility

Revisiting Marx: is Marxism still relevant?
Speakers: Professor Lord Meghnad Desai; Professor David Harvey; Professor Leo Panitch
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 18 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
This event brings together leading social and political thinkers to debate the contemporary meaning and relevance of Marx's legacy on the occasion of the republication of The Communist Manifesto, with an introduction by David Harvey. Meghnad Desai is emeritus professor of economics at LSE. David Harvey is professor of anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Leo Panitch is professor of political science at York University, Ontario.
Available as: mp3 (43 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Event Posting: Revisiting Marx: is Marxism still relevant?

Europe in the Global Economy
Speakers: Professor George Alogoskoufis
Chair: Professor Kevin Featherstone
This event was recorded on 13 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
This lecture will address the impact of globalisation and the recent worldwide economic turmoil on Europe and in particular on the prospects of the Lisbon Strategy, the Stability and Growth Pact, and the European Social Model. George Alogoskoufis has been Greece's minister of economy and finance since 2004 and professor of economics at Athens University of Economics and Business since 1990.
Available as: mp3 (32 mb; approx 69 minutes)
Event Posting: Europe in the Global Economy

Our Urban Future: the death of distance and the rise of cities
Speakers: Professor Edward Glaeser
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 13 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Improvements in transportation and communication technologies have led some to predict the death of distance, and with that, the death of the city. In this lecture Professor Ed Glaeser will argue that these improvements have actually been good for idea-producing cities at the same time as they have been devastating for goods-producing places. What, then, does the future hold for our cities? Ed Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard, where he also serves as Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston.
Available as: mp3 (38 mb; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: Our Urban Future: the death of distance and the rise of cities

The Prospect of Democratisation in Afghanistan
Speakers: Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta
Chair: Professor Jo Beall
This event was recorded on 12 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta is Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, a position he has held since May 2006. Foreign Minister Spanta earned a Master degree in Political Sciences, Sociology and International Relations and a PhD degree from Aachen University in Political Sciences where he also taught as a professor from 1992 to 2005. In January 2005, Dr. Spanta returned to teach at Kabul University, and later became the advisor on foreign affairs to President Hamed Karzai. His nomination as Foreign Minister was approved by the Parliament on April 20, and he was sworn in on May 2, 2006.
Available as: mp3 (35 mb; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: The Prospect of Democratisation in Afghanistan

Desiring Walls
Speakers: Professor Wendy Brown
Chair: Professor Anne Phillips
This event was recorded on 12 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In this lecture, Professor Wendy Brown will draw on discourse analysis, psychoanalysis, and feminist theory to examine the desire for walls in the context of eroding sovereignty. Why the current proliferation of nation-state walls, especially amidst widespread proclamations of global connectedness and anticipation of a world without borders? And why barricades built of concrete, steel and barbed wire when threats to the nation today are so often miniaturized, vaporous, clandestine, dispersed or networked? Why walls now and how are they to be understood?
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Desiring Walls

Human Rights in United Nations Action: Norms, Institutions and Leadership
Speakers: Navanethem Pillay
Chair: Professor Christine Chinkin
This event was recorded on 12 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Navanethem Pillay is UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, she took up office on 1 September 2008. Ms. Pillay, a South African national, was the first woman to start a law practice in her home province of Natal in 1967. Over the next few years, she acted as a defense attorney for anti-apartheid activists, exposing torture, and helping establish key rights for prisoners on Robben Island.
Available as: mp3 (24 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Human Rights in United Nations Action: Norms, Institutions and Leadership

Did religion make a difference? The American elections and beyond
Speakers: Professor Peter Berger; John Micklethwait
Chair: Professor Grace Davie
This event was recorded on 11 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
This event will reflect on the American presidential election, drawing on expert insights into the place of religion in the US, as compared with the European context. Peter Berger is professor emeritus of religion, sociology and theology at Boston University. John Micklethwait is editor-in-chief of The Economist.
Available as: mp3 (41 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Did religion make a difference? The American elections and beyond

Navigating Global Economic and Financial Change
Speakers: Mohamed A El-Erian
Chair: Professor Willem Buiter
This event was recorded on 11 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
The global economy is experiencing a number of consequential transformations that impact long-standing economic and financial relationships. The resulting change goes well beyond the emergence of a new destination for the global economy; it is also reflected in what is an inevitably bumpy journey that is prone to a series of market accidents and policy mistakes. In his presentation, Mohamed A. El-Erian will discuss the nature of the transformations. He will detail the drivers, and illustrate how they relate to the unusual developments being experienced by international markets. He will conclude by identifying some of the retooling challenges that confront investors, firms, governments, and the multilateral system.
Available as: mp3 (37 mb; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: Navigating Global Economic and Financial Change

Kosovo's Independence and the Balkans: regional implications and challenges
Speakers: Jelena Bjelica, Anna Di Lellio, Enver Hoxhaj, Tim Judah
Chair: Dr Denisa Kostovicova
This event was recorded on 11 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The 2008 race for the White House has been the most exciting in recent American history. But will it make much difference to the United States and the rest of the world who wins: Obama or McCain? Michael Cox is a professor of international relations at LSE. Jessica Mathews is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rob Singh is a fellow of the RSA and an associate fellow of the Institute for the Study of the Americas.
Available as: mp3 (40 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Kosovo's Independence and the Balkans: regional implications and challenges

Torturing Democracy Through the American Wars on Crime and Terrorism?
Speakers: Professor Randall Coyne
Chair: Professor Christine Chinkin
This event was recorded on 10 November 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Professor Coyne examines the cost to civil liberties and freedom of America’s wars-without-end: the war on terrorism and the war on crime. Coyne’s lecture touches on the constitutional questions raised by detention of foreign nationals at Guantanamo Bay, the US’ continuing support of capital punishment, and his work for ‘enemy combatants’ and death-row prisoners. Randall Coyne is Edna Asper Elkouri and Frank Elkouri Professor of Law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Available as: mp3 (39 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Torturing Democracy Through the American Wars on Crime and Terrorism?

Where Now For the United States After the Election?
Speakers: Professor Michael Cox, Jessica Mathews, Bob Singh
Chair: Professor Christopher Coker
This event was recorded on 7 November 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The 2008 race for the White House has been the most exciting in recent American history. But will it make much difference to the United States and the rest of the world who wins: Obama or McCain? Michael Cox is a professor of international relations at LSE. Jessica Mathews is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rob Singh is a fellow of the RSA and an associate fellow of the Institute for the Study of the Americas.
Available as: mp3 (44 mb; approx 95 minutes)
Event Posting: Where Now For the United States After the Election?

Black Panther, the revolutionary art of Emory Douglas
Speaker: Emory Douglas
This event was recorded on 6 November 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Emory Douglas, ex Minister of Culture for the Black Panther party, will speak about the history behind the art of the party, and take a look at some more recent works. Emory Douglas was born May 24th, 1943 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Douglas attended City College of San Francisco where he majored in commercial art. He was politically involved as Revolutionary Artist and then Minister of Culture for the Black Panther party in Oakland, CA from February, 1967 until its discontinuance in the Early 1980’s. Douglas’s art was always seen on front pages of the Black Panther Newspaper and, reflecting the ideals and rhetoric of the Black Panther Party. Offering a retrospective look at artwork created during in the Black Panther Party, Douglas’s work has recently been displayed at the 2008 Biennale of Sydney, the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles,Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Richmond Art Center, the Station Museum of Contemporary Art. And has appeared in June/July volume of Art in America, PRINT Magazine, and the American Institute of Public Arts.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: Black Panther, the revolutionary art of Emory Douglas

October 2008

The Economics of the Recession
Speaker: George Osborne MP
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 31 October 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In a major and wide ranging speech George Osborne will ask why Britain’s economy was not better prepared for the looming recession, and will outline what steps should now be taken.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 46 minutes)
Event Posting: The Economics of the Recession

Central Banking and the Credit Crunch
Speaker: Howard Davies
Chair: Professor Willem Buiter
This event was recorded on 30 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Howard Davies is working on a book about the future of central banking to be published in 2009 by Princeton University Press. He will assess the ways in which central banks around the world have responded to the credit crisis and what that implies for their role in financial sector regulation in the future. Howard Davies is Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Prior to this, from 1997-2003 he was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, the single regulator for the UK financial sector, which was created under his leadership from nine separate regulatory agencies. From 1995-1997 he was Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.
Available as: mp3 (36 mb; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: Central Banking and the Credit Crunch

An Appeal to Reason: a cool look at global warming
Speaker: Lord Lawson
Discussant: Dr Simon Dietz
Chair: Professor Gwyn Prins
This event was recorded on 29 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Lord Lawson argues the case for a fully formed view of global warming, and against hysterical environmentalism. He looks at the facts behind the headlines and explains that for governments to make informed decisions about the path ahead, they must listen to economists as well as scientists, utilising economic forecasting to assess the likely evolution of the world economy.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: An Appeal to Reason: a cool look at global warming

In Sickness and In Power
Speaker: Lord Owen
Chair: Professor Peter Hennessy
This event was recorded on 27 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The course of world history has been critically shaped by the physical and mental illnesses of heads of state, sometimes in the public eye but usually in secrecy. Long fascinated with the inter-relationship between politics and medicine, David Owen uses his deep knowledge of both to undertake a unique study of illness in Heads of Government during the last 100 years. Owen expertly scrutinises such diverse political personalities as Sir Anthony Eden at the time of Suez in 1956; John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961; the last Shah of Iran; and President Mitterrand of France who suffered from prostate cancer. Lord Owen also focuses on the "intoxication of power" and hubristic behaviour in such leaders as David Lloyd George and Margaret Thatcher and in particular President Bush and Tony Blair. Lord Owen outlines some of the safeguards that society needs to address as a consequence of illness in heads of government.
Available as: mp3 (35.6 mb; approx 77 minutes)
Event Posting: In Sickness and In Power

Women's Status, Men's States
Speaker: Professor Catharine Mackinnon
Chair: Professor Conor Gearty
This event was recorded on 22 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Analyzing the nature of the international in gendered terms, Professor MacKinnon provides a perspective on developments in women's human rights globally.
Available as: mp3 (43.3 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Event Posting: Women's Status, Men's States

Running Cities: London in context
Speaker: Sir Simon Milton
Respondents: Professor Ricky Burdett, Deyan Sudjic
Chair: Tony Travers
This event was recorded on 21 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
What is the new administration's vision for London? Speakers discuss how to design and manage the powerhouses of the global economy, assessing London's development compared to the megacities of the world. Simon Milton was appointed deputy mayor for policy and planning after serving as chairman of London's Local Government Association. Ricky Burdett, chief adviser for the London 2012 Olympics, and Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum in London, are co-editors of The Endless City.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Running Cities: London in context

Disparity and Diversity in the Contemporary City: social order revisited
Speaker: Professor Robert Sampson
Respondent: Professor Paul Gilroy
Chair: Professor Richard Wright
This event was recorded on 21 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
A look at classic urban themes as they are manifested in the contemporary city, focusing on social reproduction of inequality, the meanings of disorder, and the link between the two. Paul Gilroy is Anthony Giddens Professor in Social Theory at LSE. Robert Sampson is Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences and chair of sociology, Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (42.7 mb; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: Disparity and Diversity in the Contemporary City: social order revisited

Gut Feelings: short cuts to better decision making
Speaker: Dr Gerd Gigerenzer
Chair: Dr Sandra Jovchelovitch
This event was recorded on 20 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
We think of intelligence as a deliberate, conscious activity guided by the laws of logic. Yet much of our mental life is unconscious, based on processes alien to logic: gut feelings, or intuitions. In his lecture Dr Gigerenzer argues that intuition is more than impulse and caprice; it has its own rationale. This can be described by fast and frugal heuristics, which exploit evolved abilities in our brain. Heuristics ignore information and try to focus on the few important reasons. He shows that biased minds that intuitively rely of heuristics can make better inferences about the world than information-greedy statistical algorithms. More information, more time, even more thinking, are not always better, and less can be more.
Available as: mp3 (30.4 mb; approx 66 minutes)
Event Posting: Gut Feelings: short cuts to better decision making

The Global Financial Crisis: Will Hutton and Martin Wolf in conversation with Professor David Held
Speaker: Will Hutton; Martin Wolf
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 20 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Will Hutton is chief executive of the Work Foundation. Prior to this, he spent four years as editor-in-chief of The Observer and continues to write a weekly column for the paper. He is also a governor of LSE. Martin Wolf is associate editor and chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, London. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2000 "for services to financial journalism". He is also an honorary graduate of LSE.
Available as: mp3 (41.9 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The Global Financial Crisis: Will Hutton and Martin Wolf in conversation with Professor David Held

Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: the words themselves
Speaker: Professor Jeremy Waldron
Chair: Professor Hugh Collins
This event was recorded on 16 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Many human rights charters contain prohibitions on inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners and detainees. Terms like "inhuman" and "degrading" are difficult to interpret, but they are certainly not meaningless. It is important to attend to attend to the meanings of the words themselves, as well as to the decisions that courts have made about particular practices. Reflection on the meanings of these highly-charged terms reveals important complexity, which we can unpack in a way that enables us to better focus our debate about the proper treatment of prisoners and detainees. Jeremy Waldron is University Professor at New York University School of Law and teaches legal and political philosophy.
Available as: mp3 (40.4 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: the words themselves

European Security Architecture - A Paradigm Shift?
Speaker: Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 16 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Toomas Hendrik Ilves has served as President of Estonia since 2006. Prior to this he was a member of the European Parliament. He has held a variety of diplomatic posts including serving two terms as Foreign Minister. He graduated with a BA from Columbia University and an MA from Pennsylvania University, both in Psychology.
Available as: mp3 (28.8 mb; approx 63 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: European Security Architecture - A Paradigm Shift?

China and Financial Reform
Speaker: Howard Davies
Chair: Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 15 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Howard Davies sits on the International advisory councils of the China banking and securities regulatory commissions. In the fourth lecture of an annual series he reviews the progress of reform in china’s financial markets, and the implications for the rest of the world. Howard Davies is Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Prior to this, from 1997-2003 he was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, the single regulator for the UK financial sector, which was created under his leadership from nine separate regulatory agencies. From 1995-1997 he was Deputy Governor of the Bank of England.
Available as: mp3 (43.4 mb; approx 94 minutes)
Event Posting: China and Financial Reform

Towards a new response to climate change - perspectives from Australia
Speaker: Penny Wong
Chair: Professor Eric Neumayer
This event was recorded on 15 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
With its ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in December 2007 and commitment to introduce an emissions trading scheme - the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme - in 2010, the Australian Government has taken the opportunity to approach climate change policy from a fresh perspective. Senator Wong will outline the Government's global and domestic policy approach, with particular emphasis on the key role of market-based mechanisms. Penny Wong was appointed Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Water in December 2007 when the Rudd Labor Government was elected to power. She is responsible for the Government's climate change and water policies, including the design and implementation of the Government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Penny Wong was elected as a Senator for South Australia in November 2001. From 2004 to November 2007 she was a member of the Shadow Ministry, responsible for portfolios including Employment and Workforce Participation, Corporate Governance and Responsibility, and Public Administration and Accountability.
Available as: mp3 (26.5 mb; approx 58 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Towards a new response to climate change - perspectives from Australia

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Kimberly Hutchings
Speaker: Professor Kimberly Hutchings
This event was recorded on 15 October 2008 in U8, Tower 1
In this lunchtime series 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. Kimberly Hutchings is Professor of International Relations at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (27.7 mb; approx 49 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Kimberly Hutchings

Economic Agendas in a Global Context: reflections on the role of Korea
Speaker: Professor Ha-joon Chang, Cambridge University
Chair: Professor Athar Hussain, LSE
This event was recorded on 14 October 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The global economy is going through a turbulent time and it is time for a fundamental re-design of the global economic system. In doing this, Korea has a unique set of assets to provide. It is one of the few countries that have transformed itself from one of the poorest to the one of the industrialized in living memory, so it can understand the concerns that span across a huge spectrum of countries. In this lecture, Ha-Joon Chang will discuss how Korea can, and should, contribute to the reform of the global system, by drawing on its unique historical experience and becoming a mediator that genuinely understands the concerns of, say, Swaziland to Switzerland.
This lecture was made possible through a generous grant from the Korea Foundation which is supporting the Korea Foundation - LSE Academic Exchange Programme.
Available as: mp3 (44.5 mb; approx 97 minutes)
Event Posting: Economic Agendas in a Global Context: reflections on the role of Korea

Hot, Flat and Crowded
Speaker: Thomas L Friedman
Chair: Professor Eric Neumayer
This event was recorded on 14 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Thomas L Friedman takes a fresh and provocative look at two of our biggest challenges – the global environmental crisis and America’s surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11 – and shows how they’re linked. He argues that we need American commitment and leadership in a green revolution, a revolution that will be the biggest innovation project in history, one that will inspire us to summon all the intelligence, creativity, boldness and concern for the common good that are our greatest human resources.
Available as: mp3 (35.7 mb; approx 78 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Hot, Flat and Crowded

Japan's Grand Strategy
Speaker: Professor Richard Samuels
This event was recorded on 13 October 2008 in U8, Tower One
As the Soviet Union disappeared so did the most serious threat to Japanese security. But it was not long before four new threats took its place. Japan, rarely credited for its foreign policy, has responded with surprising strategic agility. Richard Samuels is Ford International Professor of Political Science and director of the Center for International Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Available as: mp3 (39.6 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: Japan's Grand Strategy

The Challenge of Climate Change
Speaker: Sir David King
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 13 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Without a new deal between rich and poor countries, climate change will continue to accelerate. How can this be tackled? David King, former chief scientific adviser to the government, is director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University.
Available as: mp3 (42 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: The Challenge of Climate Change

The China Challenge as Myth and Reality
Speaker: Professor Chen Jian
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 8 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Few countries have experienced changes as dramatic as did China in the past century - and the past quarter century in particular. From a "revolutionary country" to a "status quo power," and from an "outsider" to an "insider" of the existing international system, the realities of the grand transformation in China's state, society and international outlook have often been obscured by all kinds of myths. For the purpose of highlighting the realities and deconstructing the myths, Professor Chen discusses the origins, processes and implications of China's rise from the perspective of a historian of China's international relations.
Available as: mp3 (17.7 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: The China Challenge as Myth and Reality

The International Criminal Court ten years on: An appraisal
Speaker: Luis Moreno-Ocampo
Chair: Professor Gerry Simpson
This event was recorded on 7 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was adopted in Rome on 17 July 1998 by 120 States. The first prosecutor of the ICC, Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, took office on 21 April 2003. His mandate is to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Available as: mp3 (19.4 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The International Criminal Court ten years on: An appraisal

A Global Deal for Climate Change
Speaker: Dr Nikolaus von Bomhard; Professor Ian Diamond; Jeremy Grantham; Professor Lord Stern of Brentford
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 6 October 2008 in the Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
To inaugurate the LSE’s new Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Lord Stern of Brentford, author of the influential 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, will discuss a global deal for climate change.
Available as: mp3 (20.1 mb; approx 120 minutes)
Event Posting: A Global Deal for Climate Change

The Two Faces of Asia: bridging the gap between high growth economies and the poor
Speaker: Rajat M. Nag
Chair: Professor Athar Hussain
This event was recorded on 2 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Despite impressive growth over the past few decades, the Asia Pacific region is still home to two-thirds of the world's poor. In many Asian countries, the gap between rich and poor is widening and policymakers are faced with extraordinary challenges in closing this gap and spreading the benefits of growth to the most vulnerable in their societies. Rising fuel and food prices have exacerbated these inequities and placed millions more on the edge of poverty. The Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Rajat Nag, will discuss how the region is grappling with these complex challenges and how ADB's Strategy 2020 is targeted to make a difference in the lives of the poor.
Available as: mp3 (17.2 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: The Two Faces of Asia: bridging the gap between high growth economies and the poor

Negotiating a new international response to Climate Change: the prospects for COP-15 in Copenhagen 2009
Speaker: Connie Hedegaard
Discussant: Hilary Benn MP
Chair: Professor Judith Rees
This event was recorded on 1 October 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Climate change is one of the most complex global challenges the world currently faces. Unless dealt with, climate change will potentially have disastrous effects on nature and human societies. It is the aim that a new global agreement shall be concluded at COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009. Connie Hedegaard will share her observations on the status of the international negotiations and dwell upon hurdles and deadlocks that must be overcome in order to reach agreement

Editor's Note: Unfortunately the last few minutes of the question and answer session at the end of the lecture were not recorded. We are aware that, owing to a technical problem, the audio quality of this lecture is not up to our usual standard and we apologise in advance for this.
Available as: mp3 (19.6 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: Negotiating a new international response to Climate Change: the prospects for COP-15 in Copenhagen 2009

September 2008

Commodity Prices, Capital Flows and the Financing of Investment
Keynote Speaker: Supachai Panitchpakdi
Discussants: Heiner Flassbeck and Professor Robert Wade
Chair: Professor Stuart Corbridge
This event was recorded on 2 September 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The report highlights the implications of commodity price volatility and one of the major paradoxes of globalisation, namely that the "capital poor" developing world is exporting capital to the "capital rich" developed countries. Moreover, those developing countries that are the largest capital exporters tend to invest more domestically and to grow faster than those that still depend on capital imports. These facts create serious puzzles for mainstream economic models and reject most of their predictions.
Available as: mp3 (21.3 mb; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: Commodity Prices, Capital Flows and the Financing of Investment

July 2008

Zimbabwe: Beyond the Endgame
Speaker: Dr Martin Rupiya; Patrick Smith; Knox Chitiyo; Gugulethu Moyo
Chair: Professor James Putzel
This event was recorded on 17 July 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
As talks between Mr Mugabe and both factions of the Movement for Democratic Change open in South Africa, the crisis in Zimbabwe continues. Western countries are pushing for more sanctions against Zimbabwe’s rulers, while President Mbeki and the African Union oppose them. Meanwhile, the shrinking economy provides Mr Mugabe with less and less to pay the army, police and administrators. The June 27 presidential run-off was dubbed the endgame. It proved just another stage in Zimbabwe’s unfolding catastrophe. What might happen next?
Available as: mp3 (53.1 mb; approx 116 minutes)
Event Posting: Zimbabwe: Beyond the Endgame

June 2008

The Post American World
Speaker: Fareed Zakaria
Chair: Professor Lord Meghnad Desai
This event was recorded on 17 July 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Global power is shifting, and wealth and power are bubbling up in unexpected places. Fareed Zakaria considers not so much the decline of America, but the impact of the rise of "the rest". This transition of power will redefine America's role as the arbiter of the world's political, economic, and cultural issues and force it to accommodate new heavyweights. This event marks the launch of Fareed Zakaria's new book The Post American World (Allen Lane, July 2008).
Available as: mp3 (17.5 mb; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: The Post American World

Skills, Rights and Resources in the East Asian Path to Development
Speaker: Professor Kenneth Pomeranz
Chair: Professor Chris Wickham
This event was recorded on 18 June 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
This lecture traces evolving relationships among skills, bargaining power, and East Asian economic development. Kenneth Pomeranz is UCI Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California-Irvine.
Available as: mp3 (17.4 mb; approx 76 minutes)
Event Posting: Skills, Rights and Resources in the East Asian Path to Development

The War for Wealth: The true story of globalization and how Western society can survive
Speaker: Gabor Steingart
Chair: Professor Eric Neumayer
This event was recorded on 10 June 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Globalization is the defining force of our lifetime, but most politicians have not understood the complexity of the process. Thus argues Gabor Steingart, in his controversial and thought-provoking new book The War for Wealth: The True Story of Globalization (McGraw-Hill, June 2008) which he will present for the first time in the UK.
Available as: mp3 (15 mb; approx 66 minutes)
Event Posting: The War for Wealth: The true story of globalization and how Western society can survive

A Critical Defense of Secularism
Speaker: Cécile Laborde
This event was recorded on 10 June 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The global revival of religion has raised fundamental questions about its role in politics and its claim that it serves as a principle of identity, indispensable to the continuing survival of communities. This series brings together leading thinkers and scholars to encourage discussion and debate on this crucial contemporary theme. Cécile Laborde, reader in political theory, School of Public Policy, University College London.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: A Critical Defense of Secularism

Financial Market Stability
Speaker: Professor Axel A Weber
Chair: Professor Charles Goodhart
This event was recorded on 6 June 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
In light of the current tensions in financial markets Professor Axel Weber will look at financial market stability from a central bank's perspective. Axel Weber is president of Deutsche Bundesbank and a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.
Available as: mp3 (17.5 mb; approx 77 minutes)
Event Posting: Financial Market Stability

Secularism and Shared Values
Speaker: Professor Richard Norman
This event was recorded on 3 June 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The global revival of religion has raised fundamental questions about its role in politics and its claim that it serves as a principle of identity, indispensable to the continuing survival of communities. This series brings together leading thinkers and scholars to encourage discussion and debate on this crucial contemporary theme. Richard Norman, emeritus professor of moral philosophy, University of Kent.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Secularism and Shared Values

Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century
Speaker: Professor Philip Bobbitt
Chair: Professor Sarah Worthington
This event was recorded on 3 June 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The threat of terrorism is now part of the landscape of daily lives all over the world, yet we have hardly begun to think properly about it. In his new book Terror and Consent and in this lecture Professor Bobbitt argues that we are fighting these wars with weapons and concepts which though useful to us in previous conflicts have now been superseded. He aims to provide a fundamental rethinking of most generally accepted ideas about terror in the modern world – what it is, how it operates and above all how it can be frustrated.
This event marks the launch of Philip Bobbitt's new book Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century (Penguin, May 29 2008)
Available as: mp3 (16.2 mb; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century

May 2008

What is Wrong with Secularism of all Sorts? Priority for Democracy
Speaker: Professor Veit Bader
Chair: Professor Anne Phillips
This event was recorded on 29 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The lecture presents a contextualised criticism of first and second order myths of secularisms and of the conflation of liberal-democratic institutions with secular ones, and argues for the priority of liberal democracy. Veit Bader holds chairs in sociology, and social and political philosophy, both at the Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: What is Wrong with Secularism of all Sorts? Priority for Democracy

Does Faith Matter for Human Morality?
Speaker: Professor Mona Siddiqui
This event was recorded on 27 May 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The global revival of religion has raised fundamental questions about its role in politics and its claim that it serves as a principle of identity, indispensable to the continuing survival of communities. This series brings together leading thinkers and scholars to encourage discussion and debate on this crucial contemporary theme. Professor Mona Siddiqui, professor of Islamic studies and public understanding, and director, Centre for the Study of Islam, University of Glasgow.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Does Faith Matter for Human Morality?

Why Civilisations Can't Climb Hills: a political history of statelessness in Southeast Asia
Speaker: Professor James Scott
Chair: Professor Jude Howell
This event was recorded on 22 May 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
Professor Scott argues that the hill peoples of mainland Southeast Asia are fugitive, runaway populations, practising 'escape agriculture', 'escape social structure' and 'escape culture'. Jim Scott is Sterling Professor of Political Science and Anthropology at Yale University.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Why Civilisations Can't Climb Hills: a political history of statelessness in Southeast Asia

Fixing Failed States
Speaker: Dr Ashraf Ghani; Clare Lockhart
Chair: Professor James Putzel
This event was recorded on 22 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Authors Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart challenge existing concepts of state systems and offer new ways of fostering bonds between states, civil societies and markets. This event marks the launch of Fixing Failed States – A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World (OUP, May 2008). Ashraf Ghani is chairman of the Institute for State Effectiveness and former finance minister of Afghanistan. Clare Lockhart is Director of the Institute for State Effectiveness, where she advises countries and other organizations on state-building. She was UN adviser to the Bonn process, and Adviser to the Government of Afghanistan responsible for several national initiatives. She is a lawyer, historian and specialist in institution-building, and has worked at the World Bank, UN and as a barrister.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Fixing Failed States

Is there a European Foreign Policy?
Speaker: Lord Patten
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 21 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Lord Patten served as a minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1983 to 1992, holding the position of chairman of the Conservative party from 1990 to 1992. From 1992 to 1997 he was governor of Hong Kong and from 1998 to 1999 he was chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland. He became a European commissioner in 1999, responsible for external affairs until 2004.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Is there a European Foreign Policy?

Finance in East Asia: from crisis to integration - challenges of second generation reforms
Speaker: Professor Andrew Sheng
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 21 May 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The lecture will look at structural changes in the financial landscape in East Asia, and issues being faced by reformers and regulators, including in China, on raising the game of globalising Asia. Andrew Sheng is chief adviser to the China Banking Regulatory Commission.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: Finance in East Asia: from crisis to integration - challenges of second generation reforms

The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means
Speakers: George Soros and Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 21 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
In the midst of the worst financial upheaval since the Great Depression, George Soros explores the origins of the crisis and its implications for the future. Soros, whose breadth of experience in financial markets is unrivalled, places the current crisis in the context of decades of study of how individuals and institutions handle the boom and bust cycles that now dominate global economic activity. “This is a once in lifetime moment”, says Soros in characterising the scale of financial distress spreading across Wall Street, the London Stock Exchange, and financial centres around the world.
This event marks the launch of George Soros new book The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means (PublicAffairs, May 2008).
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 57 minutes)
Available as: mp4 (video) (125 mb; approx 57 minutes)
Available as: video
Event Posting: The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means

EU Competitiveness: Are we on the right track?
Speaker: Alexandr Vondra
Chair: Professor Christian Lequesne
This event was recorded on 19 May 2008 in the Shaw Library, Old Building
In January 2007, Alexandr Vondra was appointed the Czech Republic´s Deputy Prime Minister for European affairs. He is responsible for preparing the agenda for the Czech EU Presidency. Prior to this position he was the Foreign Minister (2006-2007), Special Representative for the NATO Summit in Prague (2001-2002), Ambassador to the USA (1997-2001) and foreign policy advisor to former President Vaclav Havel (1990-1992). Alexandr Vondra played a central role in leading the Czech Republic to EU and NATO memberships. He is also a former spokesman for the Czech dissident movement Charter 77.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: EU Competitiveness: Are we on the right track?

Ontario's Place in the 21st Century
Speaker: Dalton McGuinty
Chair: Dr Nilima Gulrajani
This event was recorded on 19 May 2008 in the Shaw Library, Old Building
Dalton McGuinty is Premier of Ontario, Canada's economic powerhouse. He led his party to a second-consecutive majority government in October 2007 and is Ontario’s 24th Premier. He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 1990 in Ottawa South and has been re-elected four times. During his years as a backbench MPP, he served as a critic for energy, colleges and universities, native affairs and the environment. In 1996, Dalton McGuinty was elected leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 59 minutes)
Event Posting: Ontario's Place in the 21st Century

AIDS: exceptionalism revisited
Speaker: Dr Peter Piot
Chair: Professor Tony Barnett
This event was recorded on 15 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Dr Piot will review the response to AIDS, now and over the longer term, and examine its relationship with other key health and development issues. Peter Piot is executive director of UNAIDS and under secretary general of the United Nations.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: AIDS: exceptionalism revisited

Is the Middle East Europe's Business?
Speaker: Professor Ghassan Salame
Chair: Professor Fred Halliday
This event was recorded on 13 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The Middle East is a region where the United States plays a crucial role. But what about Europe? To what extent should the Middle East be part of the EU’s diplomatic concerns? Ghassan Salame is professor of international relations at Sciences Po and a former minister of culture of Lebanon.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: Is the Middle East Europe's Business?

McMafia: Crime without frontiers
Speaker: Misha Glenny
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 12 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
International journalist Misha Glenny talks about his investigation into the world of organised crime. He reveals how conventional policing cannot cope with globalised crime which is corrupting governments and fuelling human rights abuses and suffering. Misha Glenny is an award winning international journalist and author.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: McMafia: Crime without frontiers

The Powers to Lead
Speaker: Professor Joseph S Nye
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 8 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Leadership is always necessary in any endeavor, applying equally to politics, business, society, and culture. Whilst enriching our understanding of the concept Nye highlights how the changing nature of leadership derives from broader social and political changes. Joseph S. Nye Jr, is University Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where he was formerly Dean. In government, he served as Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, Assistant Secretary of Defence, and Deputy Undersecretary of State. This event marks the launch of Professor Nye's new book The Powers to Lead (OUP, May 2008).
Available as: mp3 (14 mb; approx 60 minutes)
Event Posting: The Powers to Lead

Towards the French Presidency of the EU: a lecture by Jean-Pierre Jouyet
Speaker: Jean-Pierre Jouyet
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 8 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Jean-Pierre Jouyet is French minister of state for European affairs.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 58 minutes)
Event Posting: Towards the French Presidency of the EU: a lecture by Jean-Pierre Jouyet

Two Challenges to Democratic Cititzenship:is the EU the solution or part of the problem?
Speaker: Professor Richard Bellamy
Discussant: John F Jungclaussen
This event was recorded on 7 May 2008 in U8, Tower 1
This lecture will consider questions about European identity and new problems of citizenship raised by the formation of the European Union. Richard Bellamy is professor of political science and director of the School of Public Policy, University College London. John F Jungclaussen is economic correspondent at Die Zeit. This event is in association with the Institute of Philosophy, University of London School of Advanced Study; Goethe Institute; and Institut Français
Available as: mp3 (28 mb; approx 120 minutes)
Event Posting: Two Challenges to Democratic Cititzenship:is the EU the solution or part of the problem?

Outsiders Inside and Insiders Outside: linking transnational and domestic public action
Speaker: Professor Sidney Tarrow
Respondant: Professor Jan Aart Scholte
Chair: Professor Jude Howell
This event was recorded on 7 May 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Does globalisation and the idea of a global civil society provide an adequate framework for understanding contemporary domestic and international non-governmental public action? Sidney Tarrow teaches government and sociology at Cornell University. Jan Aart Scholte is centennial professor at LSE and professor at the University of Warwick.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: Outsiders Inside and Insiders Outside: linking transnational and domestic public action

Green Peace: Energy, Europe and the Global Order
Speaker: Rt Hon David Miliband
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 7 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
David Miliband was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in June 2007.
Available as: mp3 (15 mb; approx 65 minutes)
Event Posting: Green Peace: Energy, Europe and the Global Order

Telling the Story of a Peace Movement: 50 years of CND campaigning
Speaker: Aled Fisher; Kate Hudson; Bruce Kent; Walter Wolfgang
Chair: Peter Furtado
This event was recorded on 6 May 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
To mark CND turning 50 in 2008, the organisation is collaborating with LSE Archives on a touring exhibition, archives project and this roundtable with History Today to tell the story of the movement from the Cold War to Trident and beyond. Aled Fisher is LSESU Environment and Ethics officer. Kate Hudson is chair of CND. Bruce Kent is former chairman and honorary vice-president of CND. Walter Wolfgang is vice president of CND.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Telling the Story of a Peace Movement: 50 years of CND campaigning

Multiculturalism and Secularism
Speaker: Professor Tariq Modood
Chair: Professor Anne Phillips
This event was recorded on 6 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Can multicultural inclusivity extend to religious minorities? Can it do so without conflicting with secularism? Tariq Modood is professor of sociology, politics and public policy at Bristol University.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Multiculturalism and Secularism

Common Wealth: economics for a crowded planet
Speaker: Professor Jeffrey D Sachs
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 2 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Jeffrey Sachs argues the need a new economic paradigm—global, inclusive, cooperative, environmentally aware, and science based—because we are running up against the realities of a crowded planet. The alternative is a series of cascading threats to global well-being, all of which are solvable but potentially disastrous if left unattended. Prosperity must be maintained through new strategies for sustainable development that complement market forces, spread sustainable technologies, stabilize the global population, and enable the billion poorest people to escape from the trap of extreme poverty. This event marks launch of Professor Sachs’ new book Common Wealth: economics for a crowded planet (Allen Lane, March 2008). Jeffrey D Sachs is director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He served as special adviser to former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals.
Available as: mp3 (23 mb; approx 102 minutes)
Event Posting: Common Wealth: economics for a crowded planet

A World Economic Order Based on Cultural Comparative Advantage
Speaker: Professor John Hooker
Chair: Professor H P Williams
This event was recorded on 1 May 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Professor Hooker will argue that the world is evolving towards a new economic equilibrium based on cultural comparative advantage, leading to cultural deglobalisation, not globalisation. John Hooker is professor of business ethics and professor of operations research at Carnegie Mellon University.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: A World Economic Order Based on Cultural Comparative Advantage

Global Financial Regulation: The Essential Guide
Speakers: Howard Davies, David Green, John McFall,
Sir Steve Robson, Gillian Tett
This event was recorded on 1 May 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
As international financial markets have become more complex, so has the regulatory system which oversees them. The Basel Committee is just one of a plethora of international bodies and groupings which now set standards for financial activity around the world, in the interests of investor protection and financial stability. These groupings, and their decisions, have a major impact on markets in developed and developing countries, and on competition between financial firms. Yet their workings are shrouded in mystery, and their legitimacy is uncertain.

Howard Davies was the first chairman of the UK's Financial Services Authority, the single regulator for the whole of Britain's financial sector. He was a member of the main international regulatory committees for several years, and is now director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

David Green was head of International Policy at the FSA, after 30 years in the Bank of England, and has been particularly closely associated with the development of the European regulatory system. He now advises the Financial Reporting Council.

John McFall MP is Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee of the House of Commons since 2001. He was re-elected to this post in October, 2005. In 1997 John served as a Government Whip and in July 1998 he was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office. His portfolio included responsibility for the Department of Education, Community Relations, the Training and Employment Agency and the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Economic Affairs.

Sir Steve Robson is a former senior UK civil servant, who had responsibility for a wide variety of Treasury matters. His early career included the post of private secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and secondment to ICFC (now 3i). He was also a second permanent secretary of HM Treasury, where he was managing director of the Finance and Regulation Directorate. He is a non-executive director of JP Morgan Cazenove Holdings, RBS, Xstrata Plc, The Financial Reporting Council Limited and Partnerships UK plc, and a member of the Chairman's Advisory Committee of KPMG.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: Global Financial Regulation: The Essential Guide

Religious Faith and Human Rights
Speaker: Dr Rowan Williams
Chair: Professor Conor Gearty
This event was recorded on 1 May 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The idea of human rights is often traced back to the characteristically religious insight that every individual is unique in the eyes of God. This explanation of why human dignity is important held sway for centuries, but it has lost much of its grip on society in these uncertain, post-modern times. Many adherents of human rights today see no need to root their beliefs in any religious (or specifically Christian) set of beliefs. Indeed some would go so far as to see religion as distinctly hostile to human rights. Are they right to do so? What is the true relationship between religion and human rights? Rowan Williams was enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury in February 2003. Following ordination in 1978 he combined teaching and pastoral work in Cambridge and then Oxford (where he was Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity from 1986-92) until his election as Bishop of Monmouth in 1991and subsequently Archbishop of Wales from 2000.
Available as: mp3 (22 mb; approx 97 minutes)
Event Posting: Religious Faith and Human Rights

April 2008

The Single Monetary Policy and the Analytics of OCAs: what has the Euro area experience taught us?
Speaker: Nicholas C Garganas
Chair: Professor Kevin Featherstone
This event was recorded on 30 April 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The introduction of the euro posed unique challenges for monetary policy. Some observers took the view that a single monetary policy for all euro-area countries would not succeed because the euro area did not fulfil the pre-requisites of on Optimum Currency Area (OCA). In his lecture Mr Garganas will argue that the traditional way of thinking about OCAs overlooks the fact that the criteria used to judge optimality are, to some extent, endogenous. He will also argue, the experience of the euro area demonstrates that the creation of a monetary union can itself create conditions that are favourable to the well-functioning of the union. Nicholas C Garganas is governor of the Bank of Greece, a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, a member of the Governing Council and the General Council of the European Central Bank, and a governor of the International Monetary Fund for Greece.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: The Single Monetary Policy and the Analytics of OCAs: what has the Euro area experience taught us?

The New Politics of Identity
Speakers: David Goodhart, Professor John Keane,
Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh
Chair: Professor Lord Tony Giddens
This event was recorded on 29 April 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The panel will discuss Bhikhu Parekh's new book, A New Politics of Identity (Palgrave, March 2008) covering the impact of globalisation on ethnic, religious and national identities. David Goodhart is editor of Prospect. John Keane is professor of politics at the University of Westminster and at the Wissenschaftszentrum, Berlin. Bhikhu Parekh is professor of political philosophy, University of Westminster.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: The New Politics of Identity

The Bin Ladens
Speakers: Steve Coll
Chair: Charlie Beckett
This event was recorded on 24 April 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Steve Coll's new book 'The Bin Ladens: The Story of a Family and its Fortune' charts the rise of a family, and the story of the Saudi royal family they loyally served. Steve Coll is most recently the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Ghost Wars. He also won a 1990 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism. He covered Afghanistan and the Washington Post's South Asia bureau chief between 1989 and 1992 and was the Washington Post's managing editor from 1998 to 2004. He is now staff writer at the New Yorker. He is the author of five books, including On the Grand Trunk Road and The Taking of Getty Oil.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: The Bin Ladens

A lecture by Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia
Speakers: The Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia
Chair: Professor Sarah Worthington
This event was recorded on 7 April 2008 in the Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street
The Australian Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, was elected to office in November last year and moved quickly to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and deliver a national apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australians. He has identified fighting inflation, acting decisively on climate change, improving the health and hospital system, investing in education and putting fairness back into Australian workplaces as his Government's key priorities. Mr Rudd has said that his Government's mandate is to build a modern Australian economy capable of dealing with the challenges of the 21st century.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 55 minutes)
Event Posting: A lecture by Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia

Free and Fair: An Agenda for Democratic Transformation in Latin America
Speakers: President Michelle Bachelet
This event was recorded on 4 April 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Michelle Bachelet, was born on September 29, 1951. She is a trained paediatrician and public health specialist who also holds degrees in military science. A member of the Socialist Party and mother of three, Dr. Bachelet was the first woman in Chilean and Latin American history to hold the Health and Defence portfolios. On January 15, 2006 she became Chile's first-ever woman president.
Available as: mp3 (12 mb; approx 50 minutes)
Event Posting: Free and Fair: An Agenda for Democratic Transformation in Latin America

March 2008

The Credit Crunch and the U.S. Economy
Speakers: Steven Rattner
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 27 March 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Beginning with the subprime meltdown last summer, U.S. markets and the economy have been thrown into turmoil. Liquidity and default fears have created the worst conditions in financial markets in many years. These adverse developments have spilled over in the "real" economy, raised the specter of recession and worse. Steven Rattner is Managing Principal of Quadrangle Group LLC, a private investment firm with more than $6 billion of assets under management. Quadrangle invests in media and communications companies through separate private and public investment strategies and across all asset classes through its asset management business. Quadrangle has offices in New York, London and Silicon Valley and will be opening an office later this year in Hong Kong.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: The Credit Crunch and the U.S. Economy

Defining the scope of responsibilities: the Great Lakes region
Speakers: Judy Cheng-Hopkins; Dr Chaloka Beyani; Dr Susan Breau
This event was recorded on 18 March 2008 in U8, Tower One
The return and reintegration of refugees and IDPs is one of the most pressing challenges faced by the international community today. Recently back from a visit to the Great Lakes region, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Operations will discuss the local settlement of refugees in Tanzania and the return and reintegration of refugees in Burundi. Dr Chaloka Beyani, Legal Advisor to the Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes, will situate this problem within the Great Lakes Pact. The Pact sets out a holistic legal framework in which this problem is treated as just one component of establishing peace and security in the region. Dr Susan Breau, a Reader in public international law and expert in the field, will explore the interface between the 'responsibility to protect' doctrine and peacekeeping, including the facilitation of the voluntary return of refugees and IDPs.
Available as: mp3 (26 mb; approx 114 minutes)
Event Posting: Defining the scope of responsibilities: the Great Lakes region

Behavioural Economics: Common Mistakes in Daily Decisions
Speaker: Professor Dan Ariely
Chair: Professor Lawrence Phillips
This event was recorded on 17 March 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? Why do we repeatedly make the same mistakes when we make our selections? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions? The answers, as revealed by behavioural economist Professor Dan Ariely of MIT, will surprise you.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: Behavioural Economics: Common Mistakes in Daily Decisions

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor John Sidel
Speaker: Professor John Sidel
This event was recorded on 13 March 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In this new series of lunchtime lectures, nine of LSE’s most senior academics 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. John Sidel is Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor John Sidel

A Counter-narrative: Islam and the first Europe
Speaker: Professor David Levering Lewis
Chair: Professor Janet Hartley
This event was recorded on 12 March 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Professor Lewis will argue that the 732CE Battle of Poitiers and the 778CE debacle at Roncevaux are pivotal moments in the creation of an economically retarded, balkanised, and fratricidal Europe, which, by defining itself in opposition to Islam in al-Andalus, made virtues out of hereditary aristocracy, persecutory religious intolerance, cultural particularism, and perpetual war.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 70 minutes)
Event Posting: A Counter-narrative: Islam and the first Europe

Radical Regimes and Islamist Ideology in the 21st Century
Speaker: Senator Rick Santorum
Chair: Dr Alan Sked
This event was recorded on 12 March 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The LSESU Tocqueville Society presents a public lecture by former United States Senator Rick Santorum on the challenges to the West posed by Islamic extremism and its alliances around the world. Mr. Santorum served as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. As a Senator, he was a champion of efforts to counter the threat of radical Islam, to protect victims of religious persecution, and to promote democracy and religious liberty around the world. Mr. Santorum is currently Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Dr Alan Sked is a Senior Lecturer in International History at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Radical Regimes and Islamist Ideology in the 21st Century

A Debate about the Definition of 'Britishness'
Speaker: Professor Sir Bernard Crick, Professor Anne Phillips
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 11 March 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
As the composition of British society transforms with immigration and transnational identities, ideas about the notion of ‘Britishness’ are changing too. In the interest of a cohesive citizenry, must the UK return to ‘core British values’? Or should Britain’s identity change with its population? Should a British identity even exist? Sir Bernard Crick is emeritus professor of Birkbeck College and author of Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship, the basis for the UK citizenship exam. Anne Phillips is professor of Political and Gender Theory at LSE and author of Multiculturalism Without Culture.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: A Debate about the Definition of 'Britishness'

What have the Romans ever done for us? - Global Europe from a Dutch perspective
Speaker: Frans Timmermans
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 5 March 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Frans Timmermans will address issues of the changing political economy and the role the European Union can play in facing the challenges of today. The soft power of the EU is no longer limited to stabilisation and transformation of societies alone. Europe sets the standard in many fields. Yet, as Frans Timmermans will argue, pursuing the vision of Europe as a model power imposes a growing need for the Union's member states to start thinking and behaving in political terms. Less as a collection of different economies and more like a true economic union.
Available as: mp3 (18 mb; approx 78 minutes)
Event Posting: What have the Romans ever done for us? - Global Europe from a Dutch perspective

The Pivot of the 20th Century
Speaker: Professor David Kennedy
Chair: Dr Piers Ludlow
This event was recorded on 4 March 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Winston Churchill said in 1945 that 'the United States stands at this moment at the summit of the world'. Yet just five years earlier America had been an economic catastrophe and an isolationist bastion. How that transformation came about, and its consequences, will be the subject of this lecture. David M Kennedy is Donald J McLachlan Professor of History at Stanford University.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: The Pivot of the 20th Century

Modern Erotics and the Quest for Intimacy
Speaker: Darian Leader; Professor Henrietta Moore; Professor Susie Orbach; Professor Renata Salecl
Chair: Derek Hook
This event was recorded on 4 March 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The demand that sexual relations should be at the basis both of self-understanding and self-realisation often puts our intimate lives under particular pressure. This talk will look at contemporary sexualities and their uneasy relationship to love, fantasy and intimacy. Darian Leader is a psychoanalyst. Henrietta Moore is professor of social anthropology at LSE. Susie Orbach is a psychoanalyst and visiting professor at LSE. Renata Salecl is centennial professor of law at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Modern Erotics and the Quest for Intimacy

The West in a New World: what future for transatlantic relations?
Speaker: Pierre Hassner
Chair: Professor Lord Wallace of Saltaire
This event was recorded on 3 March 2008 in the U8, Tower 1
The world has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War, but the transatlantic relationship has yet to be reviewed. The time has come to rethink it, along with the concept of the West. Pierre Hassner is an emeritus senior research fellow at CERI-Sciences Po.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: The West in a New World: what future for transatlantic relations?

February 2008

Beyond the Banality of Evil
Speaker: Professor Steve Reicher
This event was recorded on 28 Feb 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
This lecture critically addresses Hannah Arendt's hypothesis on the banality of evil arguing that those who commit extreme acts are not aware of the consequences of their actions: rather, they celebrate these consequences as moral. Steve Reicher is professor of social psychology at the University of St Andrew's, Scotland
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: Beyond the Banality of Evil

Climate Change, Energy and the Way Ahead
Speaker: Professor Lord Nicholas Stern
This event was recorded on 27 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The world must reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 with rich country cuts of at least 80 per cent. Power and transport must be essentially de-carbonised. How can the world rise to these challenges? Nicholas Stern is IG Patel Chair in Government and Economics at LSE and director of the Asia Research Centre at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (22 mb; approx 98 minutes)
Event Posting: Climate Change, Energy and the Way Ahead

Distant Suffering in the Media
Speaker: Professor Lilie Chouliaraki
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 27 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Professor Lilie Chouliaraki will talk about suffering in the media, addressing the question of how far images and stories of suffering make a difference in our ways of engaging with distant sufferers. Lilie Chouliaraki is chair in media and communications at the Department of Media and Communications and research director of POLIS at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Distant Suffering in the Media

The Nuts and Bolts of Empire
Speaker: Professor Paul Kennedy
Chair: Professor Christopher Coker
This event was recorded on 26 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
All great empires have required a sophisticated logistical system, and a secure communications system to sustain themselves. In a world of endless challenges imperial ambitions soon collapse. This lecture will examine the hard, infrastructural underpinnings of the Roman, Spanish and British Empires, and reflect on how the USA compares in this regard. Paul Kennedy is J Richardson Dilworth Professor of History at Yale University and Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: The Nuts and Bolts of Empire

The New Swedish Model: A Reform Agenda for Growth and the Environment
Speaker: Fredrik Reinfeldt
Respondent: David Cameron MP
Chair: Professor Damian Chalmers
This event was recorded on 26 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Fredrik Reinfeldt is Prime Minister of Sweden, a position he has held since being elected in 2006. He has been leader of the Moderate Party since 2003. In the Swedish Parliament he served on the Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs. Prime Minister Reinfeldt studied at Stockholm University where he graduated with a BSc in Business Administration and Economics. In December 2005 David Cameron MP was elected leader of the Conservative Party. Prior to this he held the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 58 minutes)
Event Posting: The New Swedish Model: A Reform Agenda for Growth and the Environment

Bringing Transatlantic Security into the 21st Century
Speaker: Ambassador Victoria Nuland
Chair: Professor Lord William Wallace
This event was recorded on 25 Feb 2008 in the Shaw Library, 6th floor, Old Building
Bringing the transatlantic relationship into the 21st Century requires a stronger NATO, a stronger European Union and a stronger relationship between them. NATO continues to contribute to global security and peace in vital operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Mediterranean, and to serve as a consultative forum for issues important to North American and European allies, while also transforming to meet the challenges of this century. Meeting these objectives requires closer cooperation with a strong and active European Union, as well as with other transatlantic and international actors. Ambassador Victoria Nuland is the US Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Speech available as: mp3 (28 mb; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: Bringing Transatlantic Security into the 21st Century

The Ideas that are Changing Politics
Speaker: David Willetts MP
Chair: Professor Kenneth Minogue
This event was recorded on 20 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
There has been an extraordinary surge in the study of behaviour from evolutionary biologists, neurologists and game theorists, but this has been largely divorced from the political debate. David Willetts will draw on the latest research from these disciplines to explain what Government can and cannot do to influence our behaviour. David Willetts is shadow secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills and has been the MP for Havant since 1992. He was shadow secretary of state for work and pensions from 2001-2005 and has worked at HM Treasury and the Number 10 Policy Unit.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: The Ideas that are Changing Politics

Stelios on Brands, Serial Entrepreneurship, the Environment and Giving Something Back!
Speaker: Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou
Chair: Professor Saul Estrin
This event was recorded on 19 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Stelios Haji-Ioannou, LSE alumnus, is founder of the easyGroup companies and has given £2 million to LSE for the Stelios Scholars programme.
Available as: mp3 (15 mb; approx 64 minutes)
Event Posting: Stelios on Brands, Serial Entrepreneurship, the Environment and Giving Something Back!

The Shrivelling of European Citizenship
Speaker: Professor Damian Chalmers
This event was recorded on 19 Feb 2008 in the U8, Tower 1
The institution of EU citizenship is increasingly challenged yet the heterogeneity and intensity of membership rights enjoyed by non-nationals has increased. Would more differentiated forms of membership be more attractive and better capture the sense of place many non-nationals wish to create for themselves in their host societies? Damian Chalmers is professor in European Union law at the European Institute and Law Department, LSE.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: The Shrivelling of European Citizenship

Creating a World Without Poverty: how social business can transform our lives
Speaker: Professor Muhammad Yunus
Chair: Professor Mary Kaldor
This event was recorded on 15 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Professor Yunus will outline his vision for a new business model that combines the power of free markets with the quest for a more human world – and tell the inspiring stories of companies that are doing this work today. This event marks the launch of his new book Creating a World Without Poverty: how social business can transform our lives.Muhammad Yunus is founder and managing director of Grameen Bank and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Creating a World Without Poverty: how social business can transform our lives

The Russian Elections
Speaker: Stephen Dalziel; Professor Richard Sakwa
Chair: Professor Margot Light
This event was recorded on 12 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
After two terms in office, President Putin is constitutionally bound to step down in March 2008, but how stable will the succession be? Stephen Dalziel is executive director of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. Richard Sakwa is professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: The Russian Elections

Beauty and the Beast- Numbers and Public Policy
Speaker: Andrew Dilnot; Michael Blastland
Chair: Professor Henry Wynn
This event was recorded on 11 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Numbers have become the all-powerful language of public argument, but too often, that power is abused and the numbers bamboozle. How can we see our way through them? Michael Blastland is a writer and broadcaster and the originator of the More or Less programme on BBC Radio 4. Andrew Dilnot is principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, and former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Beauty and the Beast- Numbers and Public Policy

Advancements in Contemporary Islamic Finance: from practice to scholarship
Speaker: Usman Ahmed; Shaykh Nizam Yaquby
Chair: Professor Ross Cranston
This event was recorded on 7 Feb 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
This event reflects on the current developments and initiatives in Islamic finance and explains how this faith based form of finance continues to enhance modern finance and law. Usman Ahmed is Citigroup CEO of Global Islamic Banking. Shaykh Nizam Yaquby is an Islamic Sharia scholar.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Advancements in Contemporary Islamic Finance: from practice to scholarship

The UK and the EU: what has changed over 35 years?
Speaker: Lord Brittan of Spennithorne
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 7 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
After 35 years Britain still seems to be struggling with its relationship with the EU. As a former Cabinet Minister, and then Britain's longest serving EU Commissioner, Leon Brittan looks at the underlying issues, relationships and institutional developments and seeks answers to the question: what has changed over the past 35 years? Lord Brittan of Spennithorne was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in Mrs Thatcher's Government. He then became Britain's longest serving EU Commissioner.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 75 minutes)
Event Posting: The UK and the EU: what has changed over 35 years?

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Stuart Corbridge
Speaker: Professor Stuart Corbridge
This event was recorded on 7 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This lecture asks if the global AIDS response has been good for human rights but bad for disease control? Alex de Waal is programme director at the Social Science Research Council and author of AIDS and Power: why there is no political crisis yet.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Stuart Corbridge

The Politics of Aids Exceptionalism
Speaker: Alex de Waal
Chair: Professor Tony Barnett
This event was recorded on 6 Feb 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This lecture asks if the global AIDS response has been good for human rights but bad for disease control? Alex de Waal is programme director at the Social Science Research Council and author of AIDS and Power: why there is no political crisis yet.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: The Politics of Aids Exceptionalism

The Logic of Life
Speaker: Tim Harford
Chair: Hamish McRae
This event was recorded on 6 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
From teenage sex to the scourge of racism, Tim Harford explains why economics can provide the answers other disciplines cannot reach. Tim Harford is the author of The Undercover Economist, is a member of the Financial Times editorial board and writes a regular column for the FT magazine.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: The Logic of Life

Measuring American Power in Today's Fractured World
Speaker: Professor Paul Kennedy
Chair: Professor Michael Cox, Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 5 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The United States today is undoubtedly the 'number one' power in world affairs, but it also faces the challenges that our fast changing and fractured world throws up. This has caused enormous debate among scholars of international strategic affairs about how best to measure relative American power.
Available as: mp3 (22 mb; approx 95 minutes)
Event Posting: Measuring American Power in Today's Fractured World

Another European Tradition: traceability of the social and the vindication of Gabriel Tarde
Speaker: Professor Bruno Latour
Chair: Professor Nikolas Rose
This event was recorded on 4 Feb 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
A rival of Durkheim, Gabriel Tarde was right to argue that the subject matter of sociology is not society but connections. The understanding of the social cannot be separated from the study of other associations. Bruno Latour is a philosopher and a sociologist and vice president for research at Sciences Po.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 83 minutes)
Event Posting: Another European Tradition: traceability of the social and the vindication of Gabriel Tarde

An Open Economy – the Progressive Response to Global Change
Speaker: John Hutton MP
This event was recorded on 4 Feb 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
Britain has long realised the best way to progress is to look outward rather than retreat inwards. In previous centuries, progressives responded to great social and economic change by moving to create an open society. In this lecture, Business and Enterprise Secretary, John Hutton will argue that the right progressive response to the scale and pace of global change facing Britain this century is to break down the remaining barriers that can hold people back by creating a truly open economy.
Available as: mp3 (14 mb; approx 61 minutes)
Event Posting: An Open Economy – the Progressive Response to Global Change

January 2008

Iraq: The Way Out
Speaker: Jonathan Steele
This event was recorded on 31 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Jonathan Steele will argue that the occupation has failed, not because of a lack of pre-war planning, but because of a lack of informed political analysis by US decision-makers and the British Foreign Office. They failed to see that Islamists, Sunni and Shia, would fill the post-Saddam vacuum and that most Iraqis would quickly come to resent yet another Western intervention in the Middle East.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Iraq: The Way Out

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Saul Estrin
Speaker: Professor Saul Estrin
This event was recorded on 31 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In this new series of lunchtime lectures, nine of LSE’s most senior academics 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.Saul Estrin is head of the Department of Management at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 73 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Saul Estrin

The McCanns and the Media
Speakers: Clarence Mitchell; Justine McGuiness; Kelvin MacKenzie; Roy Greenslade; Roger Graef
Chair: Steve Hewlett
This event was recorded on 30 Jan 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
The McCanns were the biggest media story of 2007. This event goes behind the headlines to ask why it became a media obsession, whether information or entertainment triumphed, and what impact the coverage has as the case continues. Steve Hewlett is a media consultant and former BBC editor. Roy Greenslade is a media commentator, columnist and blogger, and Professor of Journalism at City University. Kelvin MacKenzie is former editor of the Sun, firmly establishing it as Britain's biggest selling newspaper. Clarence Mitchell is a former BBC royal correspondent and now spokesman for the McCanns. Justine McGuinness is a PR guru who manages the Find Madeleine campaign. Roger Graef was the executive producer of the recent Dispatches which featured the McCanns.
Available as: mp3 (23 mb; approx 99 minutes)
Event Posting: The McCanns and the Media

Sleeping Beauty: Awakening the American Dream
Speaker: Lord Maurice Saatchi
This event was recorded on 30 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Americans today may be perplexed and confused about the way America is perceived in the world. They may feel like Josef K in Kafka's 'The Trial': "Someone must have laid false accusations against Josef K because one morning he was arrested without having done anything wrong." Accusations against America have spread into a global phenomenon, crossing boarders, classes, religions, and generations. A Pew Trust research poll in 2005 concluded that anti-Americanism is deeper and broader than at any time in modern history. What to do?
Available as: mp3 (15 mb; approx 63 minutes)
Event Posting: Sleeping Beauty: Awakening the American Dream

International Relations in a Post-Hegemonic Age
Speaker: Professor Fred Halliday
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 30 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The academic study of International Relations has, since since its emergence after World War I, sought to combine the development of theoretical frameworks with an engagement, of greater or lesser immediacy, with the changing course of international events. Empire, World War, Cold War and post-1991 US hegemony have all been objects of its concern. Today, oscillating at times uneasily between the enticements of abstraction, and the rush of actuality, the discipline faces a major opportunity, to provide an authoritative conceptualisation of, and normative orientation, within, international politics. In this, his valedictory lecture as Montague Burton Professor of International Relations, Fred Halliday will assess the state of IR today, and the challenges posed by the tensions of the twenty-first century.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 91 minutes)
Event Posting: International Relations in a Post-Hegemonic Age

The Global Company of 2020- what does the future hold?
Speaker: Dominic Casserley
This event was recorded on 28 Jan 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
Dominic Casserley will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing global companies in 2020. Will they be similar to the multinational of today? If not, how will they differ? Will they have to be large? How will they relate to investors? How will they interact with consumers? How will they manage their talent pools? How will they interact with society more broadly? Drawing on his extensive experience of advising major multi-national organisations across the world, Dominic will provide a personal perspective into what the future has to offer and how the ever changing corporate landscape may look in 2020.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 69 minutes)
Event Posting: The Global Company of 2020- what does the future hold?

Somalia: legal and humanitarian challenges
Speaker: Guillermo Bettocchi
Respondent: Dr. Chaloka Beyani
Chair: Dr. James Putzel
This event was recorded on 28 Jan 2008 in U8
Guillermo Bettocchi is the Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Somalia. During his 19 years of service with the UNHCR, Mr. Bettocchi has occupied different positions in Central America, South West Asia, Africa, and, on two occasions, at the organisation's Headquarters in Geneva. A lawyer by profession, Mr Bettocchi's work has been focused on legal and practical issues related to refugee protection.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 93 minutes)
Event Posting: Somalia: legal and humanitarian challenges

New Industrial Centres and the Rise of the Justice and Development Party to Power in Turkey
Speaker(s): Professor Sevket Pamuk
Chair: Professor Kevin Featherstone
This event was recorded on 28 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The lecture will discuss the rise of export oriented industrial centres across Turkey in recent decades, how they have contributed to the electoral successes of the Justice and Development Party and their ongoing impact on Turkey’s economic and political liberalisation.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 82 minutes)
Event Posting: New Industrial Centres and the Rise of the Justice and Development Party to Power in Turkey

Children's Media: More Harm than Good?
Speaker(s): Professor Sonia Livingstone
Chair: Professor Robin Mansell
This event was recorded on 24 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Public policy is scrutinising potential media harms, given rapid expansion of the internet, fears over 'toxic' childhood, and pressing dilemmas for media regulation. But is the media the problem or the solution?
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Children's Media: More Harm than Good?

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Danny Quah
Speaker(s): Professor Danny Quah
This event was recorded on 24 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In this new series of lunchtime lectures, nine of LSE’s most senior academics 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. Danny Quah is head of the Economics Department at LSE.
Available as: mp3 (12 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Danny Quah

General Reflections
Speaker(s): General Sir Mike Jackson
Chair: Dr Chaloka Beyani
This event was recorded on 23 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
A look at where today's strategic circumstances are and the position of the UK, and a look to the future. General Sir Mike Jackson's illustrious career in the British Army has spanned almost forty five years and all that time he has shown loyalty, courage and commitment to the British army whilst also being an undeniable media attraction. General Sir Mike Jackson is the best known British General of modern times. He retired in the autumn of 2006 after almost forty-five years of service in the British army, finishing as its head as Chief of the General Staff. His most recent book is Soldier: The Autobiography (2007).
Available as: mp3 (15 mb; approx 64 minutes)
Event Posting: General Reflections

Cyprus Enters the 'Euro-zone': challenges and implications
Speaker(s): Professor Christopher Pissarides; Michalis Sarris
This event was recorded on 23 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In January 2008, Cyprus will adopt the Euro currency. This discussion will focus on the implications of entry for Cyprus and the possible lessons for and from other entrants.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 81 minutes)
Event Posting: Cyprus Enters the 'Euro-zone': challenges and implications

The Last Resistance
Speaker(s): Professor Henrietta Moore; Professor Stephen Frosh
Chair: Dr Derek Hook
This event was recorded on 22 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Jacqueline Rose's book The Last Resistance explores the power of writing to create and transform our political lives and examines the role of literature in the Zionist imagination.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: The Last Resistance

Russia and Europe: new neighbours defining a new neighbourhood
Speaker(s): Jean Lemierre
This event was recorded on 22 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Russia, Ukraine and the other countries of the former Soviet Union now share a common border with the European Union that both divides and unites. Strong relations between the neighbours will increasingly be defined by trade, and even more by investment in both directions. The challenge is for economic relations to reinforce political relationships that will help both neighbours thrive in a globalised world.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 71 minutes)
Event Posting: Russia and Europe: new neighbours defining a new neighbourhood

Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Ron Anderson
Speaker(s): Professor Ron Anderson
This event was recorded on 17 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
In this new series of lunchtime lectures, nine of LSE’s most senior academics 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.
Available as: mp3 (13 mb; approx 56 minutes)
Event Posting: Thinking Like a Social Scientist: a lecture by Professor Ron Anderson

Six World Conflicts In Search Of Solutions
Speaker(s): Professor Johan Galtung
This event was recorded on 16 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Johan Galtung, widely regarded as the father of peace and conflict studies, is a prominent and successful conflict mediator and academic. He is the founder and Director of TRANSCEND - a peace and development network for conflict transformation by peaceful means, with more than 300 members from over 80 countries around the world and Rector of TRANSCEND Peace University (TPU).
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Six World Conflicts In Search Of Solutions

The Significance of Reconstruction after the Civil War in American history
Speaker(s): Professor Eric Foner
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 15 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Reconstruction after the Civil War is the least-known era in the American past. Professor Foner explains why an understanding of reconstruction is essential to knowledge of the course of American history, and American society today.
Available as: mp3 (18 mb; approx 79 minutes)
Event Posting: The Significance of Reconstruction after the Civil War in American history

The Global State of Influenza Pandemic Preparedness
Speaker(s): Dr David Nabarro
Chair: Professor Tony Barnett
This event was recorded on 10 Jan 2008 in the New Theatre, East Building
Dr Nabarro will review the impact of past epidemics on humanity and society and will explore current efforts to respond to and prepare for a new pandemic influenza outbreak.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 92 minutes)
Event Posting: The Global State of Influenza Pandemic Preparedness

The EU at 27 - taking on a global role
Speaker(s): Jim Murphy MP
Chair: Maurice Fraser
This event was recorded on 09 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The Minister for Europe will consider how an enlarged EU can address global challenges and how the Reform Treaty will help the EU to perform more strongly both in Europe and internationally.
Available as: mp3 (11 mb; approx 51 minutes)
Event Posting: The EU at 27 - taking on a global role

Oil, War and Geopolitics: the struggle over what remains
Speaker(s): Professor Michael Klare
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 09 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Professor Klare will look at how both old and new industrial powers are girding up for a global struggle over the world’s remaining supplies of oil, natural gas and other vital sources of energy.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 90 minutes)
Event Posting: Oil, War and Geopolitics: the struggle over what remains

Russia's Policy Towards Europe: aggressive retrenchment?
Speaker(s): Marie Mendras
Chair: Professor James Hughes
This event was recorded on 08 Jan 2008 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Russia has recovered its self-confidence under Vladimir Putin. But instead of becoming more comfortable with Europe, Russia is tensing up and choosing an aggressive stand-off. Why?
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Russia's Policy Towards Europe: aggressive retrenchment?

Social Science and the Middle East: myths, pitfalls and opportunities
Speaker(s): Professor Fred Halliday
Chair: Howard Davies
This event was recorded on 07 Jan 2008 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
No area of the globe so challenges the contemporary social scientist or the ordinary citizen as do the twenty-five countries of the Middle East. At the same time, none generates as much public controversy and unease. From its multiple wars and inter-ethnic conflicts, and the rise of religiously defined ideologies, to the enduring place it occupies in world energy markets this region is of central concern to all who seek to analyse, or formulate policies for, the world of today. In this lecture, Professor Fred Halliday examines the difficulties, analytic and normative, that beset study of the Middle East, and argue that a programme of sustained research and teaching on this area is essential for comprehending the world today.
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Social Science and the Middle East: myths, pitfalls and opportunities

December 2007

Human Rights in the 21st century: problems and prospects
Speaker(s): Kenneth Roth
Chair: Dorothy Q Thomas
This event was recorded on 06 Dec 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
In the past decade, Human Rights Watch has emerged as one of the leading human rights organisations in the world, its reports increasingly acclaimed for their accuracy and for the depth of their human rights advocacy. Executive Director Kenneth Roth discusses the human rights landscape in the Centre’s annual Human Rights Day lecture: What have been the main challenges that Human Rights Watch has faced as it has worked to achieve this position? How has the organisation adapted to the new climate of opinion after 11 September 2001 and to the new militarism of the Bush years? What are the key challenges that human rights NGOs face in the world today? With an eye to the future, what is the current state of health of the human rights ideal?
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Human Rights in the 21st century: problems and prospects

Why is it Always 'Us' and 'Them': on the natural history of thinking through groups
Speaker(s): Professor Lawrence Hirschfeld
Chair: Dr Rita Astuti
This event was recorded on 06 Dec 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
This event presents recent findings about representations of social categories that have potential relevance for anthropology, psychology and evolutionary biology. Lawrence Hirschfeld is professor of psychology and anthropology at the New School for Social Research, New York.
Available as: mp3 (21 mb; approx 89 minutes)
Event Posting: Why is it Always ‘Us’ and ‘Them’: on the natural history of thinking through groups

The United States – Dangerous Nation?
Speaker(s): Dr Robert Kagan
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 05 Dec 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
The years immediately following the end of the Cold War offered a tantalising glimpse at the possibility of a new kind of international order, but that was a mirage. Robert Kagan is senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund.
Available as: mp3 (18 mb; approx 80 minutes)
Event Posting: The United States – Dangerous Nation?

Shared Protection, Shared Values: Next Steps on Migration
Speaker(s): Jacqui Smith MP
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 05 Dec 2007
Jacqui Smith is Home Secretary, a position she has held since June 2007. Prior to this she held several ministerial posts. From 1999 she served for two years as parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Education. In 2001 she was promoted to minister of state for health with responsibility for social services. She was promoted again to be minister of state at the Department for Trade and Industry, and deputy minister for women. After the 2005 general election she became minister of state for schools. In May 2006 she joined the cabinet as chief whip.
Available as: mp3 (12 mb; approx 53 minutes)
Event Posting: Shared Protection, Shared Values: Next Steps on Migration

Escaping the Prisoners' Dilemma
Speaker(s): Professor Nicola Lacey
Chair: Professor Justice Stephen Sedley
This event was recorded on 04 Dec 2007
Only by understanding the institutional preconditions for a tolerant criminal justice system can we think clearly about the possible options for reform within the British system.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 68 minutes)
Event Posting: Escaping the Prisoners' Dilemma

November 2007

The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight against AIDS
Speaker(s): Helen Epstein
Chair: Professor Tony Barnett
This event was recorded on 29 Nov 2007 in the New Theatre, East Building
This lecture is one event in the LSEAIDS series of Public Lectures on HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases and Reproductive Health funded by the Department for International Development (DFID).
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 74 minutes)
Event Posting: The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight against AIDS

Turning Risk into Opportunity: An insider's guide to entrepreneurial strategy
Speaker(s): Sir Ronald Cohen
Chair: Professor Paul Willman
This event was recorded on 29 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Sir Ronald Cohen is a founder of the private-equity industry in Europe and one of the world's leading private equity investors. At the age of 26, he co-founded the firm that became Apax Partners. When he stepped down from the chairmanship thirty-three years later, Apax was the largest global private-equity firm founded in Europe. He is currently chairman of Bridges Ventures and The Portland Trust. He was knighted in 2001 for his services to venture capital.
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 69 minutes)
Event Posting: Turning Risk into Opportunity: An insider’s guide to entrepreneurial strategy

France and Britain in Europe and the World: let's seize the opportunities
Speaker(s): Gérard Errera
Chair: Professor Sarah Worthington
This event was recorded on 29 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Most would agree that what unites those 'sweet enemies', France and Britain, is much greater than what divides them. But how can shared perspectives and interests be translated into practical strategies which will make a real difference to the world? Gérard Errera is French ambassador to the UK.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 86 minutes)
Event Posting: France and Britain in Europe and the World: let’s seize the opportunities

Russia after Putin: revisionism or reform, isolation or integration
Speaker(s): Sir Roderic Lyne
Chair: Dr Roy Allison
This event was recorded on 27 Nov 2007 in the New Theatre, East Building
Under Vladimir Putin, Russia’s relations with many Western states has become increasingly edgy. What are the prospects for policy developments after Putin? Roderic Lyne was UK ambassador in Moscow in 2000-04.
Available as: mp3 (14 mb; approx 62 minutes)
Event Posting: Russia after Putin: revisionism or reform, isolation or integration

Re-Writing the History of the Constitution: from the miraculous to the political
Speaker(s): Professor Carol Berkin
Chair: Professor Arne Westad
This event was recorded on 27 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Was the US constitution the work of confident demigods and innovators or the handiwork of anxious political leaders who relied on longstanding Anglo-American political traditions to save a republican in crisis? Carol Berkin is presidential distinguished professor of history at Baruch College and The Graduate Centre, CUNY.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 72 minutes)
Event Posting: Re-Writing the History of the Constitution: from the miraculous to the political

Crises in Democracy: constituency re-districting and gerrymandering in the UK and US
Speaker(s): Sam Hirsch; Iain McLean
Chair: Professor Moshé Machover
This event was recorded on 27 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
One person, one vote is a core principle of a democratic system. Electoral districting in the UK and US is far from satisfactory and seriously compromises claims to democracy.Sam Hirsch specialises in election law, voting rights, and re-districting. Iain McLean is director of the Public Policy Unit, Oxford University.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Crises in Democracy: constituency re-districting and gerrymandering in the UK and US

Surrender is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad
Speaker(s): Ambassador John R. Bolton
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 26 Nov 2007 in the New Theatre, East Building
This lecture and question and answer session marked the launch of Ambassador Bolton's new book Surrender in Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad (Simon and Schuster, November 2007). John R. Bolton currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Prior to arriving at AEI, Ambassador Bolton served as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 1, 2005 to December 9, 2006. From May 2001 to May 2005, Ambassador Bolton served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, also in the Bush Administration.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 88 minutes)
Event Posting: Surrender is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations and Abroad

Can Democracy Be Bought? Democracy Promotion After 1989
Speaker(s): Daniele Archibugi, Armine Ishkanian, Dr Iain King
Chair: Professor Michael Cox
This event was recorded on 22 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Democracy promotion became a key foreign policy issue pursued by Western governments after 1989. To what extent are external democracy promotion efforts effective?
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: Can Democracy Be Bought? Democracy Promotion After 1989

The Future of Broadcasting – Public Service in a Digital Age
Speaker(s): Ed Richards, Damian Tambini
This event was recorded on 21 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The countdown to the end of British public service broadcasting has begun. In 2012 analogue is switched off as the digital competition threatens to shatter the status quo. Is this a cultural disaster in the making or an opportunity to create a more open and creative broadcast media?
Available as: mp3 (16 mb; approx 68 minutes)
Event Posting: The Future of Broadcasting – Public Service in a Digital Age

The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Sticky Biases and the Curse of Education
Speaker(s): Professor David Laibson
This event was recorded on 21 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Over three lectures, David Laibson will challenge many standard assumptions in economics and show how a combination of psychology and economics can better predict behaviour. David Laibson is professor of economics at Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (18 mb; approx 78 minutes)
Event Posting: The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Sticky Biases and the Curse of Education

[limited access] or the open city?
Speaker(s): Professor Kees Christiaanse
This event was recorded on 20 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
The idea of the open city as a place of social integration, cultural diversity and collective identity is perceived as an irreversible achievement of modernity, and fuels our visions for a sustainable urban future. Nevertheless, we are witnessing increasing fragmentation and seclusion, which threatens the existence of the open city. Suburban compounds, gated communities, university campuses, covered shopping malls, urban entertainment areas, airport security zones, holiday resorts, all tend to develop into privatized and controlled zones, which are connected with the city at large by a limited number of corridors and access points. Public space – traditionally understood as the ultimate space of social encounter and equality – is being eroded by commerce, changing lifestyles and functionality. This lecture will address whether these conditions are destroying the sensible tissue of the open city, which are intended to encourage social interaction and balance. Are cities degenerating into secluded islands that denying a balanced urban totality? And how might the open city react to these developments?
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 87 minutes)
Event Posting: [limited access] or the open city?

The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Investment for Dummies
Speaker(s): Professor David Laibson
This event was recorded on 20 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Over three lectures, David Laibson will challenge many standard assumptions in economics and show how a combination of psychology and economics can better predict behaviour. David Laibson is professor of economics at Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 72 minutes)
Event Posting: The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Investment for Dummies

The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Intertemporal Choice
Speaker(s): Professor David Laibson
This event was recorded on 19 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Over three lectures, David Laibson will challenge many standard assumptions in economics and show how a combination of psychology and economics can better predict behaviour. David Laibson is professor of economics at Harvard University.
Available as: mp3 (17 mb; approx 74 minutes)
Event Posting: The Psychology of Saving and Investment: Intertemporal Choice

Making the World work: UK Foreign Policy, business and civil society
Speaker(s): Lord Mark Malloch-Brown
This event was recorded on 15 Nov 2007 in the Old Theatre, Old Building
Mark Malloch-Brown was appointed the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN attending Cabinet in June 2007. His responsibilities include Africa, Asia (Afghanistan, Sub-Continent and Far East), the UN, the Commonwealth, human rights, global and economic issues, and FCO Services, as well as FCO business in the House of Lords.
Available as: mp3 (20 mb; approx 85 minutes)
Event Posting: Making the World work: UK Foreign Policy, business and civil society

Migration and Social Transformation
Speaker(s): Professor Stephen Castles
Chair: Professor David Held
This event was recorded on 15 Nov 2007 in the Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Growing interest in migration research reflects the politicisation of international migration but this could lead to policy-driven research, cut off from critical analysis. Stephen Castles is professor of migration and refugee studies, and director of the international migration institute at the University of Oxford.
Available as: mp3 (22 mb; approx 95 minutes)
Event Posting: Migration and Social Transformation

Humanitarian Aid and Independence: do no harm?
Speaker(s): Geoffrey Dennis; James Kliffen; Bernard Pécoul; Dr Edward Simpson
Chair: Professor Jude Howell
This event was recorded on 15 Nov 2007 in the New Theatre, East Building
Humanitarian NGOs find themselves increasingly providing aid in conflict situations alongside military actors and private companies. Is this compromising their principles of neutrality and independence? Geoffrey Dennis is executive director of Care International UK. James Kliffen is head of fundraising at Médecins Sans Frontières, UK.
[Editor's note: The audio recording started shortly after the beginning of the event therefore some of the introductions are missing from the mp3]
Available as: mp3 (19 mb; approx 84 minutes)
Event Posting: Humanitarian Aid and Independence: do no harm?

Knowledge Economies in China
Speaker(s): Professor Danny Quah
Chair: Nick Byrne
This event was