UCL Political Science Events

By UCL Political ScienceNews Education Government Politics

UCL Political Science Events episodes

May 23Global Governance and the Rise of a New World Order
As the global balance of power shifts, this timely discussion explores the structural forces reshaping the international system. What does the future of global governance look like in an era of numerous global conflicts, shifting power relations in the global system, and the paralysis of long-standing international intuitions? What does this mean for trade, security, and international cooperation? And what role do middle and rising powers play in the new world order? Our expert panel will explore these questions and more.
Meet the speakers
Jane Kinninmont is the Chief Executive Officer at the United Nations Association – UK. Prior to this she was the Policy & Impact Director at The European Leadership Network (ELN), where she worked to strengthen the influence, policy relevance and impact of the ELN’s research, convening and networks. Jane’s previous positions also include Associate Director for the Middle East and Africa at the Economist Group and Senior Editor/Economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. She led a research project on generational change in the Gulf Arab monarchies and its impact on Gulf relations with Iraq, Iran and Yemen and worked on various projects that analysed the roots of regional conflicts and brought younger-generation voices from the region into the debates on policy solutions.

Marina Duque is a Lecturer in International Politics at Newcastle University. Before entering academia, she worked as a career diplomat in Brazil. Her academic research and work engages crucial debates on rising powers and their motivation for status in the international system using an interdisciplinary and multi-method approach. Her latest book, The Making of International Status, was published with Oxford University Press in 2025.
Recorded 26 March 2026
1 hr 12 min
May 22Contesting Equality: LGBTIQ+ Rights, the State, and Democratic Decline
LGBTIQ+ rights face growing pressure worldwide. This seminar explores backlash, state power, and activist resistance across North and South.
As democratic norms weaken and authoritarianism gains ground worldwide, LGBTIQ+ rights are increasingly under pressure. This event explores key trends in LGBTIQ+ politics across the Global North and South, examining how shifting political landscapes are reshaping the relationship between LGBTIQ+ movements and state actors. The discussion will also highlight the creativity and resilience of LGBTIQ+ activists, who continue to build powerful strategies of solidarity and resistance in challenging times.
Meet the Speakers
Rahul Rao is a Reader in International Political Thought in the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews. Much of his work to date has explored the global politics of identity – gender, sexuality and, more recently, race and caste. He has published widely in leading journals and peer-reviewed presses, including recent works Out of Time: The Queer Politics of Postcoloniality (Oxford University Press, 2020).

Jamie Hagen is a Lecturer in Global Politics at the University of Manchester, working with the Critical Global Politics research cluster. She is also a founding co-convenor of the Queer Justice, Peace and Security Community of Practice. Her research, which has been published in several leading journals, is at the intersection of gender, security studies and queer theory and brings a feminist, anti-racist approach to these fields. Her most recent book is Queering Women, Peace and Security: Expanding Feminist Approaches to Gender in Peacebuilding (Oxford University Press, 2025).

Anushka Gunawardena is a Senior Lawyer at the Human Dignity Trust and is working across the Asia and Pacific regions. She specialises in international human rights law and has over a decade of experience instituting strategic litigation, implementing multi-country regional programmes, working for global human rights organisations, and advising government bodies device national policies.

Dan Conway is a Reader in Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster, and a Research Associate at the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies, University of the Witwatersrand. . His work is situated at the intersection of Feminist International Relations, political sociology and queer theory, focusing on the politics of LGBTQ+ rights and activism. His latest book “The Queer Politics of Pride: Global LGBTQ+ Activism and Homocapitalism’” draws from extensive ethnographic fieldwork at Pride events in South Africa, South and East Asia, Cuba and New York.

Chair: Phillip Ayoub is Professor of International Relations in the UCL Department of Political Science, and a globally leading academic in the field of politics and gender.
Recorded 12 March 2026
1 hr 19 min
May 21Implications Of A Wealth Tax In The UK
In an era of rising inequality, cost-of-living crises, and weakened public services, a wealth tax could be a potential solution to collect revenue and redistribute resources. However, implementing a wealth tax can have potentially adverse consequences by prompting capital flight, and may also be unsustainable if implemented as a one-off policy.
Our panel of experts will examine some of the key issues around economic inequality in the UK and the implications of a wealth tax as a potential solution.
Meet the speakers
Will Snell is Chief Executive of the Fairness Foundation. He is a non-profit entrepreneur with experience across a range of sectors, both in the UK and overseas, who is now focused on UK public policy related to inequality. Snell was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in October 2023.

Dr Liz Mann is Lecturer of Social Policy at the School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork, and Visiting Fellow in the Department of Social Policy, at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Liz’s research centres on wealth inequality, the gendered allocation of wealth, and the organisation of wealth within couples in the UK. Her research focus leads to an active interest in the taxation of wealth, including associated allowances, reliefs and exemptions, and their potential for gendered effects.

Dr Andy Summers is an Associate Professor of Law at the LSE Law School, and the Director of the Centre for Analysis of Taxation (CenTax), a research centre dedicated to improving public understanding of tax and helping to design a better tax system, through research that is academically rigorous and relevant to policymakers and the public. His research focuses on the evaluation and design of tax policies, particularly those affecting top earners and High Net Wealth Individuals (HNWIs).

Chair: Prof Lucy Barnes is a Professor of Political Economy in the UCL Department of Political Science. Her recent work centres on the politics of progressive taxation, public opinion on austerity and fiscal policy, and how the economy is experienced and understood by voters and politicians.
Recorded 29 March 2026
1 hr 14 min
May 20Critical Minerals and Geopolitics
Critical minerals are increasingly central to global supply chains, particularly those underpinning the clean energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and national security. But what exactly are critical minerals, and why do they matter so much? And what role does commercial diplomacy play in securing access, as countries navigate trade restrictions, strategic partnerships, and geopolitical relationships? Our panel of experts will explore these critical questions.
Meet the Speakers
Chris Vandome leads the Critical Minerals Initiative at Chatham House. He is a senior research fellow with both the Global Economy and Finance Programme and the Africa Programme. In addition to his research expertise in geopolitics, security, and natural resource governance, Christopher is a member of the standards committee of the Responsible Jewelry Council.

Belinda Schäpe works at the nexus of climate change and geopolitics and is a China Policy Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) where she analyses China’s decarbonisation journey and advises policymakers on their diplomatic engagement with China.

Metehan Ciftci is a social scientist keen to explore the social, political, and economic implications of natural resource exploitation. His key research themes include environmental justice, the resource curse and associated conflicts, as well as critical minerals and material circularity (circular economy). He holds a PhD from the University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources, where he is researching the social impact of the rising demand for transition minerals in source countries, with a particular focus on lithium-related conflicts in Chile and Argentina.

Chair: Aparna Ravi is Lecturer in International Political Economy at the UCL Department of Political Science
Recorded 5 March 2026
1 hr 18 min
May 19The Postcolonial Academy: Knowledge, Memory, and Liberation
In the colonial period, universities did not stand apart from empire, but actively legitimised colonial power through their production of knowledge, training of administrators, and construction of racial and cultural hierarchies. In the post-colonial era, what role does the modern academy play in shaping these relationships? Our expert panel will explore the role of the modern university and systems of knowledge production in the postcolonial context.
The discussion will feature Dr Simukai Chigdu’s upcoming book “Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire”, a personal memoir that explores the inheritance of violence, of struggle, of African liberation. Copies of the book will be available at the event.
Meet the speakers
Dr. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony’s College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. His upcoming book, Chasing Freedom, has been named by Foreign Policy as one of the 30 biggest book releases in foreign affairs, history, and political science in 2026.

Prof. Cathy Elliott teaches in the Political Science department and is Vice Dean Education in the Social and Historical Sciences faculty at UCL. She teaches extensively about colonialism and what it might mean to decolonise a University in the metropolitan centre. She has supported numerous student-led projects aiming at combating racism, diversifying reading lists and challenging awarding gaps, including co-publishing with students on the dilemmas of working with and through universities to challenge the ongoing legacies of colonialism. Her research interests are on relational pedagogies, the use of imagination and creativity in teaching politics and more widely on story-telling and temporality in International Relations.

Prof. Tariq Jazeel is Professor of Human Geography at UCL. His research explores the spatial constitutions of nation, identity and belonging in South Asian contexts, especially in Sri Lanka, as well as the challenges of engaging non-western contexts. Tariq co-founded and co-directs UCL’s Centre for the Study of South Asia and the Indian Ocean World, which is based in the College’s Institute of Advanced Studies.
Recorded 19 March 2026
1 hr 16 min
May 18Democracy In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how governments govern and how citizens engage with the state, with far-reaching consequences for democratic processes and institutions. From the growing use of AI in policymaking in the name of efficiency, to the impact of deepfakes on election campaigns, to the use of AI by private companies eager to harvest consumers’ personal data, these technologies have quickly become embedded in everyday life.
How is the expanding use of AI reshaping the relationship between citizens and the state? Who should set the rules governing the development and deployment of AI, and how can democratic institutions effectively regulate tech giants? Our panel of experts will explore these critical questions.
Meet the speakers
Claudia Chwalisz is the Founder and CEO of Democracy Next, an international research and action institute focused on scaling high quality, empowered, and permanent citizens’ assemblies. She also co-leads the Tech-Enhanced Deliberative Assembly pop-up lab with the MIT Center for Constructive Communication where she explores ways to use new technologies, such as AI, to improve the citizens’ assembly process. Prior to this, Chwalisz established and led the OECD’s work on innovative citizen participation, creating the Deliberative Democracy Toolbox.

Dr. Elizabeth Seger is the Director of Digital Policy at Demos, a London based thinktank where we strive to build bridges between politicians, technical experts, and citizens to make sure technology works for and with people. She was previously a researcher with Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI) in Oxford, and am an affiliate of the AI: Futures and Responsibility Project (AI:FAR) at the University of Cambridge.

Dr. Melanie Smallman is a Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies. Her research looks at the role of science and innovation (particularly data-technologies and AI) in increasing inequality, and how the social impacts of these technologies can be included in ethical and policy considerations.

Chair: Prof Jeffrey Howard is a philosopher at University College London, where he is Professor of Political Philosophy & Public Policy and the founding Director of the Digital Speech Lab. He was recently appointed to the Online Information Advisory Committee for the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom), which advises on mis- and disinformation challenges in relation to the Online Safety Act.
Recorded 26 Feb 2026 and co-organised with the UCL Constitution Unit.
1 hr 18 min
May 17Defossilizing The Global Economy
Limiting catastrophic climate change requires more than incremental emissions reductions. A successful response to mitigate the climate crisis requires a fundamental transformation of the global economy away from fossil fuels. Yet efforts to “defossilize” the global economy raise major economic, political, legal, and ethical questions.
In this event, Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on climate change, will reflect on what a just and effective global transition away from fossil fuels entails.
Meet the speakers:
Professor Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on climate change. Morgera is a Professor of International Law and Sustainability at Durham University and Professor in International and European Union Environmental Law at the University of Eastern Finland. She previously worked with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Italy and the UN Development Programme in Barbados.

Dr Fergus Green, Associate Professor at the UCL Department of Political Science, and the Sustainable Development Theme Lead for the UCL Policy Lab. Much of his research seeks to understand the drivers of fossil fuel expansion, and to advance socially just response strategies. As well as having published in leading academic journals, Fergus has been a contributing author to three editions of the UN Environment Programme’s fossil fuel Production Gap Report (2019–2021) and has supported NGOs in multiple jurisdictions in fossil fuel-related climate litigation.

Chair: Professor Lisa Vanhala, Pro-Vice Provost for the Grand Challenge Theme of the Climate Crisis and Deputy Head of the UCL Department of Political Science.
Recorded 12th Febuary 2026
1 hr 10 min
May 16The Breaking Point: Navigating The Global Rule Of Law Recession
According to the 2025 World Justice Project Index, the global rule of law recession has not only continued, it has accelerated. From the systematic weakening of judicial independence to the shrinking of civic space, the institutions designed to check power are under siege.
This event brings together practitioners who have been at the heart of the rule of law debate during the past decade. The former President of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as a former Minister of Justice for Poland, join legal academics to address the “playbook” of institutional erosion.
We will explore what, if anything, can be done in the present “rule of law” crisis, how legal institutions can adapt and resist in the current era of authoritarianism, and what critical firewalls are needed to protect democratic integrity in 2026.
Meet the speakers
Dr Marko Bošnjak is a Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union and an honorary Professor of Practice at UCL. He is the former President of the European Court of Human Rights, where he served as the judge in respect of Slovenia. Before his election as President of the Court in 2024, he held the positions of Section President and Vice-President. Prior to joining the judiciary, he worked as an Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Criminology, as an attorney specialised in criminal law, as an Expert Member of the Council for Criminal Law at the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, and as an Independent and later Superior Advisor at the Constitutional Court of Slovenia.

Dr Adam Bodnar is a Professor of Constitutional Law at SWPS University and a Member of Polish Senate. From 2023-2025, he served as the Polish Minister of Justice. Professor Bodnar is a recipient of the 2018 Rafto Prize for his contribution to the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Poland and the 2019 Rule of Law Award granted by the World Justice Project. In 2020, he was awarded the French National Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight Class.

Dr Victoria Kristan is an Assistant Professor of Legal Philosophy at the University of Bologna and a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow within the EUTOPIA Alliance. Dr Kristan is a legal philosopher whose recent work focuses on violations and abuses of the rule of law. Her work has been published in leading international journals (e.g. International Journal for Constitutional Law, Global Contitutionalism, European Law Journal, Revus - Journal for Constitutional Theory and Philosophy of Law, Law and Philosophy) and edited volumes. She is the recipient of the ICON-S Prize 2025 for the best paper in Spanish, whilst her work “The Day After a Broken Democratic Polity” has been highly praised.

Chair: Professor Veronika Fikfak is a Professor of Human Rights and International Law at University College London. Veronika’s research interests are in the fields of international law, human rights, and public law. Her current research focuses on reparations and compensation in international law, execution and enforcement of international judgments, automation and human rights, access to human rights justice, children’s claims in climate litigation, and system design.
Recorded 5 Feb 2026.
Co-organised with the UCL Constitution Unit.
1 hr 20 min
May 15Overseas Aid and Humanitarian & Disaster Relief
In a rapidly evolving landscape of humanitarian assistance, what is the future for international aid?
Humanitarian aid has long served as a vital tool to deliver relief to vulnerable communities and develop geopolitical goodwill globally. However, the future of international aid now faces unprecedented uncertainty. The dismantling of USAID, the United States’ flagship aid delivery agency, has sent shockwaves through the global aid ecosystem, contributing to funding cuts in the UK and casting doubt on the sustainability of international assistance programs. At the same time, increasing restrictions on access and the deliberate obstruction of aid in conflict zones threaten to deepen human suffering worldwide.
Our panel of experts explore the evolving landscape of humanitarian assistance and address key questions about the future of international aid.
Meet the speakers
Moazzam Malik, CEO of Save the Children UK . Moazzam joined Save the Children UK as CEO in January 2025. He served as UK Ambassador to Indonesia for five years and as Director General, first at the Department for International Development (DfID) and then at the merged Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Sameer Sah, Director of Programmes, Medical Aid for Palestine. He led MAP’s first emergency medical technician mission into Gaza in December 2023 and spearheaded the organisation’s humanitarian response efforts from the UK. Coming to MAP with a background in public and global health, he has worked in over 35 countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa and South and Central America. In February 2025, he was awarded a Humanitarian Medal by His Majesty King Charles.

Pablo Soriano Mena, Public Policy manager at Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. Pablo is an international policy expert, economist, and former UN diplomat with extensive experience in development finance and global governance. He has negotiated major UN resolutions on the SDGs, debt sustainability, and international development, and currently leads Public Policy at CAFOD. His work focuses on advocacy for economic and climate justice, enhancing local voice, leadership, and agency of vulnerable communities.
Recorded 11 December 2025
1 hr 22 min
May 14The Rise and Fall of ESG - and What Next for Sustainable Finance?
In the early 2020s, the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into corporate strategy and investment decisions was widely regarded as a progressive step toward responsible capitalism. But it has since been the subject of a virulent backlash, most notably in the United States, as conservative critics have vilified ESG practices as "woke capitalism" and a threat to market freedom. The re-election of Donald Trump to the presidency has further galvanized this backlash, prompting many major firms to publicly scale back their ESG commitments.
Yet skepticism toward ESG is not confined to the political right. Many progressives have also welcomed ESG's demise, saying that the concept is ambiguous, susceptible to greenwashing, and highlighting the limitations of market-based solutions to systemic environmental and social challenges. They argue that meaningful change requires more robust, government-led reforms to the financial system.
Our panel of experts will chart the rise and fall of ESG, debate its merits, and present their vision for the future of sustainable finance. Join us for a critical and timely conversation on the role of finance in shaping a sustainable and equitable society.
Meet the speakers
Kenza Bryan, Climate Reporter, the Financial Times. Kenza Bryan is a climate reporter for the Financial Times in London. Previously she reported on foreign and consumer news for The Times and The Sunday Times, before following the money behind tropical deforestation in the Congo Basin and Brazil for Global Witness.

Dr Benjamin Braun, Assistant professor in political economy, European Institute, London School of Economics & Political Science. Benjamin Braun is an assistant professor in political economy. His research interests include the role of finance in capitalism, macrofinance, and the green transition. His academic work has been published in, among other journals, Perspectives on Politics, Socio-Economic Review, and Review of International Political Economy. He is currently writing a book about asset manager capitalism, under contract with Chicago University Press.

Maeve O’Connor, Responsible Investment Manager, Nest Pensions. Maeve is a Responsible Investment Manager at Nest, where she covers climate and nature themes. Before joining Nest, Maeve spent three years as an oil and gas analyst at Carbon Tracker, a financial think tank that researches climate-related investment risk. She previously held roles in corporate finance and trading at Bank of Ireland, and in financial regulation at the European Central Bank. She holds an MSc in Economics from the College of Europe and a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Trinity College Dublin.

Chair: Dr Fergus Green, Associate Professor in the UCL Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy. Dr Fergus Green is an Associate Professor at UCL. His research is concerned with questions of politics, governance and justice arising from the transition to a low-carbon economy. His current research focuses on: green new deal-style integrated policy programmes; the “just transition” agenda; and the politics and governance of phasing out fossil fuels.
Our Policy & Practice seminars bring together policy makers, practitioners and academics to discuss key issues in politics.
All seminars are free to attend and open to all. Recorded on 30 Oct 2025, 18:15 – 19:30
1 hr 16 min