The Public Sphere Journal: new podcast episodes

The Public Sphere Journal (PSJ) of international policy studies is created by SPP students for students, academics, and practitioners. Now in its thirteenth year, the journal offers a platform for evidence-based research spanning economic policy, public management, international affairs, development studies, and social policy.

Each year, The Public Sphere publishes rigorous, policy-relevant research addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges. In the lead up to the launch of the next edition, The Public Sphere team have been catching up with SPP faculty in new episodes of their podcast series. The Public Sphere Journal Podcast brings leading academics and practitioners into conversation with students, fostering accessible yet substantive discussions on contemporary policy debates.

In a recent episode, the podcast team spoke with Dr Joana Naritomi, economist and Deputy Dean at the School of Public Policy, to explore a key question: why do well-designed policies sometimes fail? Drawing on her work on the London Consensus, the discussion highlights the importance of state capacity, implementation considerations, and what it takes for reforms to succeed in practice.

The team also caught up with LSE Policy Fellow Frank Muci Lander, to unpack how governments can foster growth without stifling the technologies driving it. Drawing on his experience across the developed and developing markets, Frank explores the tension between fiscal policy, sustainability, and innovation, why crypto matters beyond the headlines, and what lessons from the previous industrial revolutions can teach us about regulating blockchain and other emerging sectors today.

A new episode is scheduled for release later this week, continuing the journal’s mission to connect research with real-world policy challenges. We look forward to celebrating the launch of the 14th edition of the Public Sphere Journal with our students later this year.