Latest 300 | LSE Public lectures and events | Audio and pdf

Speaker(s): Professor Simon Critchley, Dr Gerald Moore, Dr Emily Ryall | ‘All that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football’, observed Albert Camus. And it is football, above all other sports, that so many philosophers revere. So there’s everything to play for in this panel discussion exploring the relationship between football and philosophy. We give it 110% in our exploration of what makes for a ‘good game’ and whether philosophical principles can be put into play on the pitch. Simon Critchley is Han Jonas Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research, NY. Gerald Moore is Associate Professor of French, University of Durham. Emily Ryall is a Reader in Applied Philosophy, University of Gloucestershire. Shahidha Bari is a Fellow, the Forum; Senior Lecturer in Romanticism, Queen Mary University of London. The Forum for European Philosophy (@ForumPhilosophy) is an educational charity that organises a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK

Speaker(s): Jason Farrell, Paul Goldsmith | In their book, How To Lose A Referendum, which they will talk about at this event, Sky News senior political correspondent Jason Farrell and political blogger and economics and politics teacher Paul Goldsmith identify eighteen key reasons why the UK made its choice, from Britain’s absence at the birth of the European project to the inflammatory rhetoric of one Nigel Farage, and everything in between. The book is the product of extensive and refreshingly frank interviews with the key players from both campaigns coupled with a wide-ranging exploration of the historical context around Britain’s departure. Why was a project designed for common peace and prosperity ultimately so hard to defend? Jason Farrell (@JasonFarrellSky) is a senior political correspondent for Sky News. Paul Goldsmith (@PaulGoldsmith73) is a politics and economics teacher at Latymer Upper School and author of the Goldblog. Tony Travers is Director of the Institute of Public Affairs, LSE. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public engagement initiatives.

Speaker(s): Professor Jean Pisani-Ferry, Christine Ockrent | The lecture takes stock of the transformation of French economic policy following the sweeping electoral success of Emmanuel Macron, and appraises its achievements. Jean Pisani-Ferry (@pisaniferry) is a professor at Sciences Po Paris and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, and Mercator Senior Fellow at Bruegel. He was the Director for Programme and Ideas of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign. Christine Ockrent (@Ockrent) is a journalist and broadcaster; former Chief Operating Officer of France 24 and RFI; Editor in Chief of the weekly news magazine L’Express. Iain Begg (@IainBeggLSE) is Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. The Dahrendorf Forum (@DahrendorfForum) is a joint initiative between the LSE and the Hertie School of Governance, funded by Mercator Stiftung.

Speaker(s): Dr Maxim Bolt | This lecture will reflect on an apparently dated concept: structure. Spanning institutions of state and market, it will focus on formality as a kind of structuring, and a lens for understanding the production of difference. This event is the annual Malinowski Memorial Lecture. Maxim Bolt is Reader in Anthropology and African Studies, University of Birmingham. Katy Gardner trained at Cambridge and the LSE. After spending much of her career at the University of Sussex she has returned to the LSE. Her work focuses on issues of globalisation, migration, & economic change in Bangladesh and its transnational communities in the UK. LSE's Anthropology Department (@LSEAnthropology), with a long and distinguished history, remains a leading centre for innovative research and teaching. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMalinowski

Speaker(s): Professor Olmo Silva, Amy Finch | Olmo Silva will discuss the conceptual framework and empirical evidence underpinning the idea that autonomy and choice can lead to improvements in education standards in England. Recent reforms in many countries around the world have injected ‘private sector’ elements in the provision of public education – in particular school autonomy and school choice – with the aim of improving education standards. But do these initiatives work? The answer to this question sparks lively debates among academics and policy makers alike – and resonates vividly among parents worried about taking the right decisions for their children’s learning and development. In England, ‘quasi markets’ have long been part of the education landscape. However, recent policy initiatives – in particular the mass academisation of secondary education – have brought these and related ideas centre stage. This dynamism makes the country an ideal “open-air laboratory” for studying these issues and provide a timely answer to some pressing questions. Olmo Silva is Professor of Real Estate Economics and Finance, LSE. Amy Finch (@amy_finch) is Head of Strategic Development, Ofsted. Julian Le Grand is a Professor of Social Policy at LSE. The LSE Department of Geography & Environment (@LSEGeography) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Speaker(s): Professor Olmo Silva, Amy Finch | Olmo Silva will discuss the conceptual framework and empirical evidence underpinning the idea that autonomy and choice can lead to improvements in education standards in England. Recent reforms in many countries around the world have injected ‘private sector’ elements in the provision of public education – in particular school autonomy and school choice – with the aim of improving education standards. But do these initiatives work? The answer to this question sparks lively debates among academics and policy makers alike – and resonates vividly among parents worried about taking the right decisions for their children’s learning and development. In England, ‘quasi markets’ have long been part of the education landscape. However, recent policy initiatives – in particular the mass academisation of secondary education – have brought these and related ideas centre stage. This dynamism makes the country an ideal “open-air laboratory” for studying these issues and provide a timely answer to some pressing questions. Olmo Silva is Professor of Real Estate Economics and Finance, LSE. Amy Finch (@amy_finch) is Head of Strategic Development, Ofsted. Julian Le Grand is a Professor of Social Policy at LSE. The LSE Department of Geography & Environment (@LSEGeography) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Speaker(s): Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s new book, Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines, draws on her years as Nigeria’s Finance Minister to provide practical lessons on the difficult, sometimes-dangerous, always-necessary work of fighting graft and corruption. Determined to root out the fraudulent claims and other schemes that drain the country of resources and ultimately deprive the poor of crucial services, the former Managing Director of the World Bank, Okonjo- Iweala found herself and her family targeted for reprisals designed to force her to drop her anti-corruption campaign. She refused to stop or to resign, even as her enemies kidnapped her mother. Admitting that it is risky to tell her story, Okonjo-Iweala, currently senior advisor at Lazard and board chair of Gavi, notes that it is also dangerous not to tell it. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) was Nigeria's Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015, and Foreign Minister in 2006. She was Managing Director of the World Bank from 2007 to 2011, overseeing South Asia, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa, and is currently Senior Adviser at Lazard and Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She is the author of Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria. Minouche Shafik is Director of LSE. Prior to this she was Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. During her 15 years at the World Bank, Minouche worked on its first ever World Development Report on the environment, designed reform programmes for transition countries in Eastern Europe, and developed proposals for economic integration in support of the Oslo peace process in the Middle East. She became the youngest vice-president in the history of the World Bank at the age of 36. Minouche returned to the UK in 2004 and rose to become the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development where she was responsible for the UK’s development assistance efforts around the world. The IGC (@The_IGC) aims to promote sustainable growth in developing countries by providing demand-led policy advice based on frontier research. We direct a global network of world-leading researchers and in-country teams in Africa and South Asia and work closely with partner governments. Based at LSE and in partnership with the University of Oxford, the IGC is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Based at LSE, the Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa (@AfricaAtLSE) promotes independent academic research and teaching; open and issue-oriented debate; and evidence-based policy making. The Centre accomplishes this by connecting different social science disciplines and by working in partnership with Africa bringing African voices to the global debate.

Speaker(s): Lawrence Wright | Come learn about the most controversial state in America and what it tells us about Donald Trump and the future of the US. This event marks the publications of Lawrence's new book, God Save Texas: A Journey into the Future of America. Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, screenwriter, playwright and a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. Peter Trubowitz (@ptrubowitz) is Department Head of International Relations and Director of the US Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Associate Fellow at Chatham House, Royal Institute of International Affairs. The United States Centre (@LSE_US) at LSE is a hub for global expertise, analysis and commentary on America.

Speaker(s): Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez | President Juan Carlos Varela R. (@JC_Varela) studied primary and secondary in Javier College, under the direction of the Company of Jesus Order. He graduated as an Industrial Engineer from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), in the United States. He was elected Vice President of the Republic of Panamá in July 2009. In March 2013 he became the presidential candidate for the Panameñista Party and in August of that same year, he was proclaimed candidate of the Alliance "El Pueblo Primero", formed by the Panameñista Party and the Popular Party, with the support of the independent sectors of the country. Alvaro Mendez (@alvaroimendez) is the co-founder of the LSE Global South Unit. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the LSE. The LSE Global South Unit (@LSE_Globalsouth) is a decentralised ideas hub aimed at investigating the changing role of the South in shaping the global order. LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. We connect academic knowledge of diplomacy and strategy with the people who use it.

Speaker(s): Nomi Prins | In her new book, which she will talk about at this event, former Wall Street insider Nomi Prins shows how the 2007–2008 financial crisis turbo-boosted the influence of central bankers and triggered a massive shift in the world order. Central banks and international institutions like the IMF have overstepped their traditional mandates by directing the flow of epic sums of fabricated money without any checks or balances. Meanwhile, the open door between private and central banking has ensured endless opportunities for market manipulation and asset bubbles—with government support. Journalist and former global investment bank executive Nomi Prins (@nomiprins) is the author of six previous books. This event marks the publication of her latest book, Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World. Wouter den Haan is Co-director for the Centre for Macroeconomics and Professor of Economics at LSE. The Department of Economics at LSE (@LSEEcon) is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching. The Centre For Macroeconomics (@CFMUK) brings together world-class experts to carry out pioneering research on the global economic crisis and to help design policies that alleviate it.