An IMF for the 21st Century (Listen again)
Thursday 5 December 2019, 6.30pm-8pm
Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE
Speaker: Professor José Antonio Ocampo
Chair: Professor Jean-Paul Faguet
This talk by José Antonio Ocampo will look at the different dimensions of IMF reform on the occasion of its 75th anniversary: the role of the international monetary system, global macroeconomic cooperation, prevention and management of crises, and the governance of the system. It will be based on his book, Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System.
Financing a Global Green New Deal
Thursday 5 December 2019, 12.30pm-2pm
LSE Lecture Theatre, LSE
Speaker: Mr. Richard Kozul-Wright
Chair: Professor Kathy Hochstetler
The global economy does not serve all people equally. Under the current configuration of policies, rules, market dynamics and corporate power, economic gaps are likely to increase and environmental degradation intensify. This year’s Trade and Development Report by UNCTAD calls for bold action to finance a Global Green New Deal. The flagship report “Financing a Global Green New Deal” recasts the Depression era’s signature policy on a global scale – a Global Green New Deal – as the right policy framework to make a clean break with years of austerity and insecurity following the global financial crisis, help bring about a more equal distribution of income and reverse decades of environmental degradation. In his presentation, the lead author of the report, Dr. Kozul-Wright, will be talking about a series of reform measures to make debt, capital and banks work for development and finance a deal.
Mr. Richard Kozul-Wright is Director of the Globalisation and Development Strategies Division in UNCTAD. He has worked at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva. He holds a Ph.D in economics from the University of Cambridge UK. He has published widely on economic issues including, inter alia, in the Economic Journal, the Cambridge Journal of Economics, The Journal of Development Studies, and the Oxford Review of Economic Policy. He is one of the key members of the Working Group on the Rights of Future Generations, an initiative based in UAE.
Anticipation saves lives: How data and innovative financing can help improve the world’s response to humanitarian crises (Watch again here)
Monday 2 December 2019, 12.30pm-2pm
Shaw Library, Old Building, LSE
Speaker: Mark Lowcock
Chair: Dr Stuart Gordon
The global humanitarian system reaches more than a hundred million people a year and saves millions of lives. But we must constantly strive to improve. Too often, the world is reacting to humanitarian crises, responding only once the suffering has started, when people are dying, hungry and sick, or leaving their homes. But in today’s world, we have better tools to predict more crises, including the impact of droughts and the outbreak of disease with increasing accuracy. Using data, we can anticipate when a crisis will strike, and even predict the extent of the damage it will cause. The world needs to focus on the ways it can act early to mitigate the impact of such crises. By doing so, we will save more lives, prevent suffering and protect development gains. It is also a much cheaper approach to helping those caught up in crises around the world.
In his lecture, Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will discuss progress towards the United Nations’ vision for better humanitarian financing, discuss lessons learned, and identify how we can make further progress towards a more anticipatory approach. The lecture will be followed by Q&A.
The event will also be live streamed on the LSE ID Facebook page.
30 years on from the Velvet Revolutions: time for a new liberation?
Speakers: George Lawson, Mary Kaldor and Timothy Garton Ash
Chair: Mick Cox
In a new edition of his book The Magic Lantern: The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Berlin, Timothy Garton Ash reflects on witnessing these events and explores the long term consequences of the revolutions and subsequent transitions since revisiting all these countries. What went right? More pressingly: What went wrong?
This discussion will bring together scholars in the field who will each bring their expertise on the revolutions of ’89, and their impact on today’s Europe. The peculiar character of populism in post-communist Europe will be explored, and also the considerable forces of resistance to it.
How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up (Watch again here)
Wednesday 20 November 2019, 6.30pm - 8pm
LSE Lecture Theatre, Ground Floor, Centre Building, LSE
(Please note change in date and venue)
Speaker: Arkebe Oqubay
Chair: Professor Robert Wade
What are the prospects for successful learning and catch-up for nations in the twenty-first century? Why have some nations succeeded while others failed? The World Bank states that out of over one hundred middle-income economies in 1960, only thirteen became high income by 2008. Based on Dr Oquabay's new book, How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch-up, the event will examine how nations learn by reviewing key structural and contingent factors that contribute to dynamic learning and catch-up. Rejecting both the 'one-size-fits-all' approach and the agnosticism that all nations are unique and different, it uses historical as well as firm-, industry-, and country-level evidence and experiences to identify the sources and drivers of successful learning and catch-up and the lessons for late-latecomer countries.
Dr Arkebe Oqubay is a Senior Minister, and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Dr Abiy Ahmed. Oqubay has been at the centre of policy-making for over 25 years, and his recent published works include Made in Africa(Oxford University Press, 2019) and How Nations Learn (Oxford University Press, 2019).
The Return of the Policy That Shall Not Be Named: industrial policy and the IMF in global economic governance
Tuesday 19 November 2019, 6:30pm - 8pm
Sumeet Valrani Theatre, Centre Building, LSE
Speakers: Reda Cherif, Fuad Hasanov, Natalya Naqvi, Robert Wade and Jostein Hauge
Chair: Natalya Naqvi
After decades of neglect, industrial policy is making a comeback at key institutions for global economic governance. The authors of a seminal IMF paper on modern industrial policy in an era of globalisation will present their recent work on this controversial topic.
Mobilising for Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan: a global mothers' campaign
Wednesday 13 November 2019, 6:30pm - 8pm
Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House, LSE
Speakers: Sahraa Karimi, Anne-Claire de Liedekerke, Staffan de Mistura, Rahela Sidiqi and Marika Theros
Chair: Mary Kaldor
As talks between the US and Taliban raise hopes for peace in Afghanistan, mothers are mobilising inside and outside the country to hold on to their right to educate their daughters.
Sahraa Karimi is a film director living in Afghanistan. She comes from the 2nd generation of refugees who fled Afghanistan for a new life in Iran. Sahraa has received huge acclaim for her fiction feature debut film "Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” that had its world premiere at the recent Venice Film Festival. Shot entirely in Kabul withAfghan actors, the film reflects Karimi’s desire to “go beyond [Western] clichés, and to find new stories, new perspectives”about life as an Afghan woman.
Data Challenges, Poverty Dynamics and Economic Growth. Insights from Assets in Rural Africa
Monday 11 November 2019, 12.30pm-2pm
CBG.2.05, Centre Building, LSE
Speakers: Professor Dan Brockington (Sheffield Institute for International Development)
Chair: Professor Tim Forsyth
Recent economic growth in many African countries is widely welcomed, but it is not clear how inclusive that growth is, particularly of rural populations. In a general context of poor data, household consumption data appear to suggest that poverty rates have not declined much with growth, suggesting that growth is not inclusive. But this finding may depend on the measure of poverty used. We argue that existing measures of poverty in debates about the inclusivity of economic growth use indices of consumption, not assets, and are therefore incomplete. We present new data based on recent re-surveys of Tanzanian households first visited in the early 1990s. These demonstrate a marked increase in prosperity (as measured by assets) from high levels of poverty. We consider the implications of this research for further explorations of the relationship of economic growth and agricultural policy in rural areas, and for attempts to cope with Africa’s ‘statistical tragedy’.
Professor Dan Brockington is the director of the Sheffield Institute for International Development. Originally trained as an anthropologist at UCL, he is now chief editor of the journal, Conservation and Society, and is on the governing council of the Development Studies Association. This talk should be of interest to any student or member of staff interested in international development, poverty, and mixed methods.
Law, Justice and Civicness: lessons from South Sudan
Speakers: Alex de Waal, Rachel Ibreck and David Deng
Chair: Mary Kaldor
This event will highlight the ways in which civic activists navigate the law, fight for justice and seek accountability in South Sudan, and the wider lessons of this experience.
Prospects for Democracy in Sudan
Friday 11 October 2019, 6.30-8pm, Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Alex de Waal, Raga Makawi
Chair: Dr Rim Turkmani
The panel will discuss the dynamics of the 2019 Sudanese revolution, characterised by both non-violent civic mobilisation and the fast-evolving transnational and mercenarised political marketplace.
2019 senior-level course on conflict and humanitarian response
5 day intensive programme running 7-13 July 2019, LSE and ODI Campus
An annual intensive course for humanitarian professionals taught by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
The course provides an opportunity for mid-career and senior professionals to learn and reflect on critical issues in preparing for, responding to and transitioning out of humanitarian crises. The course is designed to foster peer-to-peer learning, and will feature lectures by distinguished academics and practitioners, with an opportunity for small group discussions and exercises.
Managing Inclusive Development in Emerging Societies
5 day intensive programme running 3-7 June 2019, LSE
An exploration of the policy challenges and solutions facing developing countries aiming to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.
The course provides an interdisciplinary and critical approach to the theories and practices being used to address problems of governance, economic growth, equity and stability, and social inclusion in the Global South. You’ll also benefit from studying alongside practitioners from around the globe, enhancing your professional network. London is hub for international development and LSE is a world leader in this subject.
The course will be taught by Professor Jean-Paul Faguet, Professor of the Political Economy of Development and Dr Mahvish Shami, Assistant Professor of International Development.
Workshop on Research and Fieldwork in Challenging Contexts
Monday 3 June 2019, 9-5pm
PAR 2.03, Parish Hall, LSE
Authoritarian regimes, bio-surveillance technologies and tighter controls over civil society have made fieldwork in the social sciences more precarious and risky, both for local and foreign researchers. Academics have had to deal with greater state scrutiny and surveillance, denial of research visas, threats to physical safety, and discrimination along gender, sexuality and ethnic lines.
This workshop thus aims to bring together academics inside and outside of LSE to share experiences and strategies for conducting research in in repressive, violent and discriminatory contexts. Panel speakers will discuss the nature of the challenges to research and their strategies and tactics for dealing with these and stimulate a wider discussion amongst the audience.
The event is free, but pre-registration required.This workshop is aimed primarily at PhD and rseaerch students.
Political Economy and Governance in Syria Report Launch
Monday 3 June 2019, 6.15-8pm
Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, LSE
Speakers: Omar Abdulaziz-Hallaj, Mahmoud Ramadan, and Rim Turkmani
Chair: Mary Kaldor
The extreme violence that dominated the scene in Syria over the last eight years shifted attention away from the deep structural transformations affecting the country’s economy and governance structures. The Political Economy and Governance in Syria Report highlights some of these transformations through the presentations made by leading Syria experts at the Political Economy and Governance in Syria’ conference held on 3 December 2018 at the LSE.
Nakusha? Son Preference, "Unwanted" Girls and Gender Gaps in Education in India
Wednesday 29 May 2019, 12-2pm
Speakers: Ashwini Deshpande
Using pooled data over 1986-87 and 2014 from three nationally representative special education rounds of the National Sample Survey (NSS) for India, Professor Ashwini Deshpande investigated the role of son preference in explaining children’s education outcomes. He will discuss her findings at this lunch time talk.
When Things Don’t Fall Apart
Thursday 9 May 2019, 4-6pm
Venue: CON 7.05
Speaker: Ilene Grabel
Please join us for a presentation of Ilene Grabel’s (Denver University) prize-winning book, When Things Don't Fall Apart: Global Financial Governance and Developmental Finance in an Age of Productive Incoherence (MIT Press, 2017), winner of the 2018 British International Studies Association International Political Economy Group Book Prize and the 2019 International Studies Association International Political Economy Section Best Book Award.
Impacts and costs of gender inequality, child marriage, and girls’ education: Findings from recent World Bank research
Tuesday 12 March 2019, 4-6pm
Speakers: Quentin Wodon, Lead Economist, World Bank Education Practice
Over the last two years, the World Bank released a series of studies on the economic impacts and cost of child marriage, low educational attainment for girls, and gender inequality. The analysis considers impacts related among others to labor earnings, health and nutrition outcomes, fertility and population growth, intimate partner violence, decision-making ability, and social capital. Some studies rely on annual income measures such as GDP to assess costs, while others rely on recently released data on the changing wealth of nations. Key findings from this research program will be shared together with suggestions of what governments could do to achieve gender equality, end child marriage, and ensure that girls remain in school and learn while in school.
Financializing Poverty: Labor and Risk in Indian Microfinance
Thursday 28 February 2019, 6.30-8pm
Speakers: Dr Sohini Kar, Professor Deborah James and Dr Kate Meagher
Chair: Professor Kenneth Shadlen
Celebrating the release of Sohini Kar’s book Financialising Poverty: Labor and Risk in Indian Microfinance from Stanford University Press. The event will feature comments by the author, with comments from Deborah James from LSE's Department of Anthropology. The discussion will be followed by a reception.
#LSEMicrofinance
Global Security Cultures
Wednesday 20 February 2019, 6.30-8pm
Speakers: Professor Mary Kaldor, Dr Sabine Selchow, Lyse Doucet (BBC Permitting), Professor Christopher Coker
Chair: Dr Iavor Rangelov
Launching her book, Global Security Cultures, renowned scholar of war and human security Mary Kaldor introduces the concept of global security cultures in order to explain why we get stuck in particular pathways to security.
Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka
(Podcast: part 1/ part 2 at 1:03:20)
Tuesday 22 January 2019, 5-8pm
Venue: CLM.7.02, LSE
This is a two-part event discussing Rajesh Venugopal's book, Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka through Cambridge University Press. The first part will feature a discussion of the book from the author and panelists. The second part of the event will be devoted to discussing the current political crisis in Sri Lanka, with a panel discussion and exchange with the audience.
First-half of the event
5pm-6.15pm
Panel 1: Book event: Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka, by Rajesh Venugopal.
Speakers: Dr. Rajesh Venugopal, Prof. David Keen
Chair: Dr. Alessandra Radicati
Second-half of the event
6.30pm-8pm
Panel 2: Sri Lanka’s Political Crisis and Post-Coup Futures
Speakers: Dr. Farzana Haniffa (University of Colombo / Cambridge), Iromi Perera and Vindhya Buthpitiya (UCL)
Chair: Dr Luke Heslop