Spring 2016 | Public lectures and events | Video

Contributor(s): James Watt | BrewDog has been built in an unconventional way, borne out of boredom with conventional lagers and a desire to enjoy great craft beer. Their business philosophy will be outlined in five key themes, underpinned in the new book Business for Punks. In this lecture, James will go into detail. In 2007, James Watt (@BrewDogJames) and best friend Martin Dickie set up one tiny brewery with one very big mission: to revolutionize the beer industry in the UK and completely redefine British beer-drinking culture. Now smashing records and growing faster than ever, James’ and indeed BrewDog’s mission remains the same, to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they are. Marta Costas is Director of Grantfair and has a decade of experience helping companies in the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) sector connect with public sector organisations, navigating complex regulatory structures, raising funding for innovative projects and helping to shape public policy. Marta is Chair of LEAG, the LSE Entrepreneur-Alumni Group having graduated from LSE with an MSc in European Social Policy in 2007.

Contributor(s): Professor Jeffry Frieden | Drawing on early America’s struggle to develop a single currency, Professor Frieden will discuss the implications for the European Union’s efforts today to provide monetary and financial stability. Jeffry Frieden is Professor of Government at Harvard University. He specializes in the politics of international monetary and financial relations. Frieden is the author of Currency Politics: The Political Economy of Exchange Rate Policy (2015); and (with Menzie Chinn) of Lost Decades: The Making of America's Debt Crisis and the Long Recovery (2011). Frieden is also the author of Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century (2006), of Banking on the World: The Politics of American International Finance (1987), of Debt, Development, and Democracy: Modern Political Economy and Latin America, 1965‑1985 (1991), and is the co-author or co-editor of over a dozen other books on related topics. His articles on the politics of international economic issues have appeared in a wide variety of scholarly and general-interest publications. Peter Trubowitz is Professor of International Relations and Director of the US Centre at LSE. The United States Centre at LSE (@LSE_US) is a hub for global expertise, analysis and commentary on America. Its mission is to promote policy-relevant and internationally-oriented scholarship to meet the growing demand for fresh analysis and critical debate on the United States.

Contributor(s): Jeremy Taylor | An evolutionary understanding of our bodies throws new light on why we get ill and how to cure disease. Jeremy Taylor reveals compelling insights from the rapidly developing field of Darwinian medicine. Jeremy Taylor has enjoyed a long career in BBC public broadcasting, specialising in science. Now a science writer, this lecture is based on his second book Body by Darwin. Dr Ann Robinson (@annrobi62395918) is a GP and health writer for the Guardian. Dr Robinson is aso BMJ masterclass chair and presenter, and trustee of the Anthony Nolan charity. LSE's Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science (CPNSS), established in 1990, promotes research into philosophical, methodological and foundational questions arising in the natural and the social sciences, and their application to practical problems. The Centre's work is inherently interdisciplinary, and a full calendar of events contributes to a lively intellectual environment.

Contributor(s): Dr Gertjan Vlieghe | Debt, demographics and the distribution of income can have significant and long-lasting effects on the economy. Historically, these 3 D’s have not been a major focus for monetary policy, but that is starting to change. Dr Gertjan Vlieghe joined the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England on 1 September 2015. Prior to his appointment he had been a partner and senior economist at Brevan Howard Asset Management, researching global macroeconomic trends and their interaction with asset prices. From 2005 to 2007 he was a bond strategist at Deutsche Bank. From 1998 to 2005 he held a number of posts at the Bank of England, including the post of Economic Assistant to Governor Mervyn King. Dr Vlieghe's published research has largely focused on the importance of money, balance sheets and asset prices in the economy. He holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science. 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.

Contributor(s): Professor Lisa Bortolotti, Professor Giovanna Colombetti, Dr Benedetto De Martino | From financial decisions to medical choices and political beliefs, emotion plays a crucial role. What is emotion and what is it good for? How is it represented in the brain and do human emotions differ from other animals? We will discuss the notion that emotion is the primary factor that controls our every action. Lisa Bortolotti (@lisabortolotti) is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. Giovanna Colombetti is Associate Professor at the University of Exeter. Benedetto De Martino (@bendemartino) is Sir Henry Dale Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. Tali Sharot is Director of the Affective Brain Lab, a Reader in the Department of Experimental Psychology, UCL and Forum for European Philosophy Fellow. 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.

Contributor(s): Professor Robin Wilson | Explore the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India, and the Mayans. Robin Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Mathematics, LSE. Jan van den Heuvel (@JanvadeHe) is Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, LSE. The LSE Department of Mathematics is internationally recognised for its teaching and research in the fields of discrete mathematics, game theory, financial mathematics and operations research.

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Schudson | In an age of WikiLeaks, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden, it may seem odd to argue that we have expectations of openness in democracies greater than ever before, but we do. Not only expectations but institutional mechanisms in government, legislated guarantees, guardians of openness in civil society, practices of disclosure in health care, advertising, food packaging and labelling, and elsewhere. In the U.S. case, the focal point of this lecture, little of this goes back to the early days of the Republic, but almost all of it precedes the Internet. The U.S. Freedom of Information Act (1966) grew out of 1950s struggles inside government related to the Cold War and other advances in openness owe much to the rise of a new generation of political leadership coming to maturity in the early 1960s some years before mass demonstrations and the cultural revolution of the late 1960s. A political culture and a social fabric far more committed to openness than ever before emerged in the decade of disclosure, 1965-75, and reshaped expectations of what the public has a right to know. This history should reshape how we think about transparency today. Michael Schudson (@mschudson2) is Professor of Journalism and Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Columbia University. Michael's new book is The Rise of the Right to Know: Politics and the Culture of Transparency, 1945–1975. Nick Couldry (@couldrynick) is Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory and Head of the Department of Media and Communications at LSE. The Department of Media and Communications (@MediaLSE) undertakes outstanding and innovative research and provides excellent research-based graduate programmes for the study of media and communications. The Department was established in 2003 and in 2014 our research was ranked number 1 in the most recent UK research evaluation, with 91% of research outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent.

Contributor(s): Caroline Webb | Behavioural economics has the capacity to transform our everyday lives. Caroline Webb will demonstrate how easy it is to use science-based strategies to boost effectiveness, happiness and productivity. Caroline Webb (@Caroline_Webb_) is CEO of Sevenshift and External Senior Adviser to McKinsey & Company. Caroline's new book is How To Have A Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life. Connson Locke is Senior Lecturer in Practice. Dr Locke's research draws from social and cognitive psychology to focus on leadership, power, and influence in organisations, in particular, leadership presence, adaptability, upward influence, and nonverbal communication. Dr Locke's current research interests include gender and leadership, diversity, and organisational culture. The Department of Management (@LSEManagement) is a globally diverse academic community at the heart of the LSE, taking a unique interdisciplinary, academically in-depth approach to the study of management and organisations. To find out more about behavioural science research conducted at LSE follow @LSEBehavioural on Twitter or check the Behavioural Research Lab webpage.

Contributor(s): Professor Alan Manning | Immigration is currently the most common response when asked about the most important issues facing Britain. This lecture will explain why there is a demand for immigration into the UK, and what the effects of it has been. Alan Manning is Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science and is Director of the Centre for Economic Performance’s research programme on Community. 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.