Irrespective of the specific methodological approach, research presented in the series is anchored in a shared culture and core research values, which place strong emphasis on theoretically-informed, policy-relevant and evidence-based research.
Some of the seminars are co-hosted by the Department of Geography and Environment and the Centre for Economic Performance.
The series is organised by Dr Felipe Carozzi, Prof Riccardo Crescenzi, Dr Davide Rigo and Prof Olmo Silva. Please contact the organisers with any questions.
These research seminars are a series of expert-led discussions. Unless otherwise noted, they take place at 12.30pm-2pm in CKK.3.15.
If you wish to attend any of the seminars, please email geog.research@lse.ac.uk.
Autumn Term 2025
Thursday 2 October
12.30 - 2.30pm
Ron Martin (University of Cambridge)
'Capitalism Divided? Financialisation, London and the UK’s Spatially Unbalanced Economy'
Abstract: The UK economy is one of the most geographically unequal among OECD countries, with London having pulled increasingly ahead of other regions over the past four decades or so. The UK is also one of the most centralised, in terms of the overwhelming concentration of economic, financial, political and institutional power in the capital, London. A key question, therefore, is whether the latter feature is a contributing cause of the former.
This paper examines this issue, and especially London’s leading role in what until very recently was the UK’s financialised growth model, which itself is now in question. It is often argued that London’s pre-eminence in finance acts as an engine of national growth and delivers benefits to all regions through ‘trickle down’ and other effects. Are these claims exaggerated? A dearth of detailed evidence prevents a rigorous test of this claim. At the same time, little is known about London’s negative impacts on other regions and cities, about the geographical dimensions of what some have labelled the ‘finance curse’. Yet such negative effects are integral to the growth of regional inequality in the UK.
The Conservative Government’s programme of ‘levelling up’, whilst comprehensive in certain respects, was still subordinate to the political prioritisation of London’s financial system, and the same seems to be the case with the current Labour administration. And to add to that bias, there is now the problem of reviving London’s lacklustre economic performance since the financial crisis. One of the major weaknesses and limitations of the past century of UK regional policy has been a reluctance to decentre the national political economy away from London. Although the current spatial policy focus seems to have shifted from ‘levelling up’ to ‘devolution’, will this of itself be sufficient to build a more spatially balanced economy?
Biography: Ron Martin is Emeritus Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Cambridge. Although retired from teaching, he is still highly research active. His main research interests include regional economic development, productivity and competitiveness; the geographies of money and finance; evolutionary economic geography; the economic resilience of cities and regions; and spatial economic policy. He has published some 30 books and monographs and more than 250 articles on these and related themes.
Thursday 9 October
12.30 - 2.30pm
Nicola D. Coniglio (University of Bari)
Thursday 27 November
Aldo Geuna (University of Torino)
'Opening the R&D network: Global academic knowledge sourcing at AstraZeneca'
Abstract: This talk examines the patterns and drivers of international collaborations between industry and academia in the pharmaceutical sector. We adopt a case-study approach focused on AstraZeneca (AZ), using a quantitative methodology to analyze the establishment of international academic collaborations. Drawing on the complete set of AZ-authored publications from 2000 to 2020, we identify instances of collaboration with international academic researchers and explore the influence of both formal mechanisms, such as institutional agreements, and informal factors, such as personal ties, in establishing new academic partnerships, specifically with researchers who had not previously coauthored with AZ scientists.
Our findings indicate a negative but statistically insignificant relationship between institutional agreements and new international academic collaboration, suggesting that such agreements do not meaningfully increase the likelihood of initiating new partnerships. We then examine the impact of international personal ties, including prior employment of AZ researchers at foreign academic institutions. While personal ties alone are associated with a lower likelihood of new international collaborations, this effect reverses when the research involves a new therapeutic area for the firm. Furthermore, in publications that demonstrate high knowledge novelty, the presence of international personal ties significantly enhances the probability of engaging new academic collaborators. Overall, our findings underscore the critical role of international researcher mobility between academia and industry in driving global knowledge exchange and fostering innovative scientific collaborations.
Biography: Aldo Geuna is Full Professor of Economic Policy at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Fellow IEP, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Fellow of the Collegio Carlo Alberto and Senior Research Associate at the Innovation Policy Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto.
Spring Term 2025
Thursday 15 May
Elvira Uyarra (Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester)
'Place matters: rethinking mission-oriented innovation policy through a spatial lens'
Abstract: This talk explores the spatial dimensions of mission-oriented innovation policy (MOIP) and their implications for regional development. Drawing from a forthcoming special issue, we examine how place, space, and scale shape the implementation and outcomes of MOIPs. We argue that adopting a geographical perspective can enhance the effectiveness and legitimacy of missions by better aligning them with diverse regional realities and leveraging local capabilities. The talk concludes with a discussion on the potential role of public procurement of innovation in advancing place-based mission-oriented policies. This integration of procurement strategies with spatially-sensitive mission approaches offers new avenues for policy design and implementation.
Tuesday 27 May
*10:30am-12pm*
Geoff Boeing (University of Southern California)
'Generalizing and Localizing the Science of Urban Networks'
Abstract: Cities have been the study of scientific inquiry for over a century. Today, urban science aims to describe, predict, and explain cities through the tools of computer science, statistical physics, and geospatial data science. This talk considers two paths to improve its scientific generalizability and local usefulness, focusing on examples of urban network analysis. First, conducting urban science without samples can sidestep traditional induction challenges. Second, localizing urban science to individual sites in collaboration with local partners can produce better-validated and more-actionable findings for evidence-informed planning practice. The talk concludes by considering how the academic community can foster better urban science through better theory-infused tools for urban research and practice.
Wednesday 18 June
Lorenzo Neri (University of Rome Tor Vergata)
'The effects of Temporary Confiscation of vacant housing'
Abstract: High vacancy rates in tight housing markets are perceived by policymakers and society at large as a market failure that calls for government intervention. We study the effect of a policy passed in the Balearic Islands (Spain) that dictated the temporary confiscation of vacant properties unless they are put on the market. Using a synthetic difference-in-differences strategy, we show that following the policy announcement, house prices increase while rents temporarily decrease before reverting to pre-policy levels. This suggests that while supply effects dominate in the rental market, the sale market experiences an increase in prices. This is potentially due to a combination of an ‘amenity effect’ -- i.e., the removal of the disamenity imposed by vacant properties on nearby housing -- and a regulation effect, whereby imposing an implicit tax on vacant housing dampens private housing investments.
Winter Term 2025
Thursday 20 February
Catherine van der List (University of Essex)
'Reshaping the Economy? Place-Based Policies and Regional Reallocation'
Thursday 13 March
*CANCELLED*
Ron Martin (University of Cambridge)
Thursday 3 April
Roberto Ganau (University of Padova and LSE)
'Enlightenment and the long-term persistence of the Habsburg administrative tradition'
Autumn Term 2024
Thursday 3 October
Giorgio Presidente (Bocconi University)
'Death of Distance? Remote Collaboration and Productivity in Scientific Research'
Thursday 10 October
*CANCELLED* unfortunately, this seminar is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Elvira Uyarra (Manchester Business School)
'Place matters: rethinking mission-oriented innovation policy through a spatial lens'
Thursday 17 October
Tommaso Ciarli (UNU-MERIT)
'The employment impact of emerging digital technologies'
Thursday 24 October
Mercedes Delgado (Copenhagen Business School)
'Are Female Inventors Geographically Constrained? Gender Differences in Team Collocation'
Thursday 31 October
Carolina Castaldi (Utrecht University)
'Out of sight? Revealing creativity-led innovation in rural regions'
Thursday 14 November
Raven Molloy (Federal Reserve Board)
'Reexamining Lackluster Productivity Growth in Construction'
Tuesday 17 December
Dr Daria Taglioni (World Bank Group)
'Technologies, Innovation Diffusion, and Global Disruptions'
Spring Term 2024
Thursday 2 May
Max Nathan (UCL)
'Multipliers from a major public sector relocation: the BBC moves to Salford'
Thursday 9 May
Carolin Hulke (LSE)
'Adjust, Build, Collaborate: Elastic Governance and Social Upgrading in the Namibian Horticulture Regional Value Chain'
Thursday 16 May
Elena Renzullo (LSE)
'The Battle of the Sexes for Mayoral Re-election: Gender Differences in Early Childcare Provision'
Thursday 23 May
Hans Koster (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
'Endogenous land use regulation and welfare: Evidence from England'
Winter Term 2024
Thursday 8 February
Ana Varela Varela (LSE)
'Distributional Impacts of Carbon Capture in the U.S. Power Sector'
Thursday 15 February
Jesse Matheson (University of Sheffield)
'Do Remote Workers Deter Neighborhood Crime? Evidence from the Rise of Working from Home'
Autumn Term 2023
Thursday 28 September
Philip McCann (University of Manchester)
'Capital Shocks in US and UK Cities and Regions'
Thursday 5 October
Daniel Arribas-Bel (University of Liverpool)
'Decoding urban form and function in Great Britain'
Thursday 12 October
Enrico Vanino (University of Sheffield)
'Renewable Energy Transition and the Local Economic Development of Lagging-behind Regions: Evidence from Offshore Wind Energy in the UK'
Thursday 19 October
Maria Savona (University of Sussex)
'Nearshoring in Europe: Implications for Employment'
Thursday 16 November
Roberta Rabellotti (University of Pavia)
'Taking advantage of Global Value Chains to spread green energy technologies across countries'