SP443 Half Unit
Social Policy of Climate Change
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Liam Beiser-Mcgrath
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in International Social and Public Policy, MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Development), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Education), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (LSE and Fudan), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Migration), MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Non-Governmental Organisations) and MSc in International Social and Public Policy (Research). This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
All Social Policy Courses are ‘Controlled Access’.
Other than for students in the first category below, when applying for a course all students are required to provide a written statement explaining why they wish to take that course.
Statements are considered by the Course Convenor and, where merited by the statement, places are offered in the following priority order:
1. Students for whom the course is a ‘core course’ on their Programme Regulations (these students should already be allocated to the course in LSE for you – i.e. no written statement is required).
2. Students for whom the course appears as an ‘optional core course’ on their Programme Regulations (where students have to choose between a small number of core options).
3. Students for whom the course appears as an optional course on their Programme Regulations.
4. Other Social Policy students.
5. LSE students from Departments other than Social Policy.
Please note: The number of students that can be accommodated on most courses is limited. If a course is over-subscribed, places will be allocated at the Convenor’s discretion, based on student statements. Therefore, you are advised to have an alternative course in mind in case you are unable to secure your first-choice course selection.
If offered a place on a Social Policy course, please accept the place as early as possible. NB: Offers will ‘time-out’ after 48 hours and the place will be offered to another student. If you wish to reject an offer, please do so as early as possible so that the place can be offered to one of your fellow students.
Close of Course Selection is on the 10 October 2025 (dependant on availability of course places).
Please Note: No places will be offered on Social Policy courses UNTIL 1pm on 29th September 2025.
For queries contact: socialpolicy.msc@lse.ac.uk
Course content
Climate change is one of the world’s most pressing problems with significant implications for human’s welfare and wellbeing both now and in the future. Swift and significant policy action is therefore necessary to both adapt to and mitigate climate change.
This course examines the social and public policy of climate change, from both a domestic and international perspective, drawing on research from disciplines such as economics, political science, public policy, and social policy. In doing so, the course is divided in to three parts:
- First, the course documents the nature of the problem at hand by exploring the measurement of climate change and its possible human and societal impacts.
- Second, we focus on policy responses to climate change, examining how policy is formulated and implemented at both the domestic and international level.
- Finally, the course focuses on applying these insights and tools to issues such as economic development, migration, non-governmental organisations, and political violence.
In completing the course students will have a fuller understanding of the societal impacts of climate change and policy responses, with an eye to communicating scientific evidence to an audience of academics, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Teaching
15 hours of seminars and 15 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
All teaching will be in accordance with the LSE Academic Code which specifies a minimum of two hours taught contact time per week when the course is running in the Autumn Term (AT) and/or Winter Term (WT). Social Policy courses are predominantly taught through a combination of in-person lectures and In person classes/seminars. Further information will be provided by the Course Convenor in the first lecture of the course.
Formative assessment
Essay in Winter Term Week 5
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the WT.
The formative coursework consists of a 500 word outline of the student's planned scientific review (summative coursework). Students should outline their topic of interest and some examples of relevant scientific literature. From there students will explain how they plan on conducting the full review and the type of questions/problems this review will be able to help answer.
Indicative reading
Readings will consist of academic articles and/or selected chapters from books for each. There is no one textbook for the course.
Illustrative Readings:
- IPCC.Global Warming of 1.5◦C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 ◦C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. 2018
- Simon Dietz, Alex Bowen, Baran Doda, Ajay Gambhir, and Rachel Warren. The economics of 1.5 ◦c climate change. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 43 (1):455–480, 2018a. doi: 10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025817. URL https://doi. org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025817
- Chukwumerije Okereke and Philip Coventry. Climate justice and the international regime: before, during, and after paris. WIREs Climate Change, 7(6):834–851, 2016. doi: 10.1002/wcc.419. URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc. 419
- Elinor Ostrom. Coping with tragedies of the commons. Annual Review of Political Science, 2(1):493, 1999. ISSN 10942939. URL http://0-search.ebscohost.com.serlib0. essex.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=5366745&site=ehost-live
- Nives Dolšak and Aseem Prakash. Three faces of climate justice. Annual Review of Political Science, Forthcoming
- Seema Jayachandran. How Economic Development Influences the Environment. Annual Review of Economics, 14(1):229–252, 2022. doi: 10.1146/annurev-economics-082321-123803.
- Michele M. Betsill and Elisabeth Corell. Ngo influence in international environmental negotiations: A framework for analysis. Global Environmental Politics, 1(4):65–85,2001. doi: 10.1162/152638001317146372. URL https://doi.org/10.1162/152638001317146372
- Celia McMichael. Climatic and environmental change, migration, and health. Annual Review of Public Health, 44(1):null, 2023. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071421-045148. URL https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-071421-045148. PMID: 36542773
- Vally Koubi. Climate change and conflict. Annual Review of Political Science, 22(1): 343–360, 2019. doi: 10.1146/annurev-polisci-050317-070830. URL https://doi.org/ 10.1146/annurev-polisci-050317-070830
Assessment
Exam (100%), duration: 180 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Students will sit a 3 hour in-person Exam in the Spring term. Students must answer 2 questions from a choice of 8 (one question from section A and one from Section B). The recommended word count is 2400 (approximately 1200 per question).
Key facts
Department: Social Policy
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Total students 2024/25: 51
Average class size 2024/25: 17
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills