Contributor(s): Steven Johnson | Steven Johnson has spent twenty years immersed in creative industries, was active at the dawn of the internet and has a unique perspective that draws on his fluency in fields ranging from neurobiology to new media. In his new book, he identifies the key principles to the genesis of great ideas, from the cultivation of hunches to the importance of connectivity and how best to make use of new technologies. By recognising where and how patterns of creativity occur – whether within a school, a software platform or a social movement – he shows how we can make more of our ideas good ones. This event celebrates the publication of his latest book 'Where Good Ideas Come From: A Natural History of Innovation'.

Contributor(s): Chris Huhne MP | In this keynote talk Chris Huhne will set out the economic need for low-carbon growth as an essential path out of recession. He will argue that the need to urgently renew and decarbonise our energy supply, and to upgrade our ageing and inefficient buildings, will not just provide an economic boost but also help to create a more balanced, resilient and sustainable British economy. Chris Huhne is Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Eastleigh since 2005.

Contributor(s): Professor Richard Bellamy, Professor Thomas Diez, Maurice Fraser | This series of events explores how our understanding of Europe's identity can be enhanced and developed in a new way by taking in a distinctively Turkish perspective. Richard Bellamy is professor of political science and director of the School of Public Policy at UCL. Thomas Diez is professor of political science and international relations at the University of Tübingen. Maurice Fraser is a senior fellow in European politics at the European Institute, LSE.

Contributor(s): Lord Hutchinson QC, Helena Kennedy QC, Geoffrey Robertson QC | On 2nd November 1960 the jury at the Old Bailey acquitted Penguin Books of obscenity for publishing an uncensored version of D.H. Lawrence's controversial novel. Geoffrey Robertson QC and a panel explore the impact of the trial on our current laws and assumptions on freedom of expression. This event is in association with Doughty Street Chambers and English PEN.

Contributor(s): Professor Anita J Prazmowska | When the First World War broke out many assumed that it would inevitably lead to the re-emergence of a Polish state. As the war drew to an end the battle for Poland commenced on several fronts, both diplomatic and military. In the end, an independent Polish state would bear the mark of the way Poland re-emerged, placing the importance of nationalism above the need to build a modern democratic state. Anita J Prazmowska is professor of international history at LSE. She is the author of a number of monographs on Poland's place in European politics.

Contributor(s): Professor Charles Goodhart, Professor Amartya Sen, Dr Purna Sen, Clare Short | In the year of his 70th birthday a panel of leading scholars discuss themes arising from Lord Desai's extensive work in the social sciences, his passionate commitment to the freedom and wellbeing of individuals, and optimism about human progress and globalisation.

Contributor(s): Professor Jesús Huerta de Soto | The current financial and economic situation of the world should be analysed from the point of view of the Austrian Business Cycle Theory as developed by Mises and Hayek. Professor Huerta De Soto will present innovative solutions to the banking crisis and credit crunch working within the tradition of the Austrian School masters, Mises and Hayek. He will also unveil his proposal for similar legislative change that the "Peel Act" or Bank Charter Act of 1844 achieved with regards to the over issue of promissory notes to gold, but with respect to the over issue of credit. The consequences of doing this should create a climate of financial stability and an opportunity to totally restructure the national debt (potentially pay it off).

Contributor(s): Dominic Sandbrook | The beginning of the 1970s saw Britain tottering on the brink of an abyss. Yet this time of immense unrest was also one of astonishing creativity and innovation, which helped shape society as we know it today. For perhaps the last time in our history Britain experienced the shock of the new, from celebrity footballers and the pornography boom to high street curry houses and foreign holidays. Dominic Sandbrook was born in Shropshire in 1974, an indirect result of the Heath government's three-day week giving couples more leisure time. Formerly a history lecturer at Sheffield and fellow of the Rothermere Institute, University of Oxford, he is now a well-known author, commentator and broadcaster. This event celebrates the publication of his new book, 'State of Emergency: The Way We Were, Britain 1970-1974'.

Contributor(s): John Githongo | Efforts to tackle corruption in Africa tend to focus on international initiatives, but it is local struggles for public accountability that often have the most impact. John Githongo, a former journalist and management consultant, was the Kenyan Permanent Secretary in charge of Governance and Ethics from 2003-2005, and a founding member of the Kenyan chapter of Transparency International.

Contributor(s): Samantha Heath | In the face of current economic and climatic challenges, decarbonising the economy sometimes amounts to little more than tweaking the supply chain. Samantha Heath will pose the questions that Londoners need to consider before we can transform our behaviour to produce an economy suitable for real people. Samantha Heath is director of London Sustainability Exchange, a member and former co-chair of the London Sustainable Development Commission, and a member of the London Energy Partnership.