LSE: The Ballpark

LSE: The Ballpark | Donald Trump and the future of US-EU relations with Professor Kathleen McNamara

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s first presidential term meant that many allies, including in the EU and Europe, were forced to consider the possibility that the Unit...

LSE: The Ballpark | American foreign policy in the age of Trump with Professor Walter Russell Mead

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To talk about Donald Trump’s foreign policy, in February 2026 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Walter Russell Mead

LSE: The Ballpark | After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy with Professor Ian Shapiro

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From the rise of Donald Trump in the US, Brexit in the United Kingdom and Victor Orban in Hungary and National Rally in France, anti-system populists ...

LSE: The Ballpark | America first and the future of Eurasian geopolitics with Dr C Raja Mohan

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From China’s growing influence in Europe to deepening Russia–China cooperation and the ripple effects of Trump’s America First policies, Eurasia...

LSE: The Ballpark | China’s Three Personality Problem with Professor Todd Hall

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Understanding China’s role in the world has never been more important — or more complex. China projects itself variously as a moral global actor, ...

LSE: The Ballpark | America adrift with Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

America is undergoing profound change. Demographic transformation, shifting global power dynamics, and a foreign policy establishment in transition ar...

Are jobs getting better?

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does the future of work really look like?

LSE: The Ballpark | US-China relations in an era of illiberalism with Dr Scott Kennedy

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Scott Kennedy | To talk about the current state of US-China relations, in October 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Sco...

LSE: The Ballpark | US-China relations in an era of illiberalism with Dr Scott Kennedy

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

To talk about the current state of US-China relations, in October 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair i...

Our Dollar, your problem

29 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this public lecture where Kenneth Rogoff will discuss his recently released book Our Dollar, Your Problem: An insider's view of seven turb...

Power and profit: stresses and futures of market economies

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The famous epithet that “the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters”, is most often attributed to...

Abundant clean energy for all: the technological opportunity

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For the past two centuries, growth in energy supply has been fundamental to human progress and economic development. But fossil fuel dependence is dri...

Are revolutions justified?

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ralph Miliband has written poignantly on the limits of parliamentary democracy. But are revolutions justified?

Are jobs getting better?

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What does the future of work really look like?

The measure of progress: counting what really matters

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Coyle argues that the way we measure the economy—developed in the 1940s—no longer fits today’s realities. The outdated framework under...

How oil rents fuel populist foreign policy

21 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In his inaugural lecture (based on his research with Ferdinand Eibl) Steffen Hertog argues that populist leaders in all but the largest countries can ...

Women, nature, and 2030: a transformational global climate solution

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Climate change is not gender-neutral — not in its impact on women and girls, nor in the solutions women are leading. This lecture will share new res...

LSE: The Ballpark | “Is AI a threat or an opportunity for the US?” Master’s students essay competition for 2025

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Kayode Adeniyi, Natasha Chávez, Francesca Nicolodi | Recent years have seen growth in the capability and use of AI tool...

LSE: The Ballpark | “Is AI a threat or an opportunity for the US?” Master’s students essay competition for 2025

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In 2025, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with a prompt about AI. In this episode we spoke to the author of the w...

Who trains our doctors? The hidden workers behind medical education

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this lecture, Patricia Kingori examines a striking phenomenon revealed through her documentary Shadow Scholars: highly educated Kenyan scholars gho...

Shared prosperity in a fractured world

14 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this talk by Dani Rodrik where he will talk about his new book, Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World, in which he shows how the nations ...

LSE: The Ballpark | How to help left behind regions and workers with Professor Gordon Hanson

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Gordon Hanson | The last 40 years have seen a sharp decline in America’s manufacturing industries with growi...

LSE: The Ballpark | How to help left behind regions and workers with Professor Gordon Hanson

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The last 40 years have seen a sharp decline in America’s manufacturing industries with growing joblessness in previously prosperous industrial regio...

LSE: The Ballpark | LSE at 130 and the United States with Professor Michael Cox

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Michael Cox | This year LSE is celebrating its 130th anniversary, and how it has shaped history and driven cha...

LSE: The Ballpark | LSE at 130 and the United States with Professor Michael Cox

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This year LSE is celebrating its 130th anniversary, and how it has driven change across the world. Much of LSE’s history is linked to the United Sta...

Living in London: How can we make our communities greener?

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The climate crisis affects us all, but young people will have to face its consequences for the longest. Despite this, just 9% of British 18–24-year-...

Bullying explained by bullies: Lessons from Mexico | Coffee break research at LSE

17 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Although student perspectives on bullying in primary and secondary schools are increasingly studied, few delve into the experiences of those who perpe...

LSE: The Ballpark | The promise and peril of Trump’s America First with Professor Charles Kupchan

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Charles Kupchan | Since returning to the White House for his second term in January 2025, Donald Trump has ren...

LSE: The Ballpark | The promise and peril of Trump’s America First with Professor Charles Kupchan

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has renewed his “America First” agenda by pursing a transactional approach to dip...

Teaching colonialism in the classroom | Coffee break research at LSE

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Social scientists have devised various approaches to studying colonialism, but how can this inform teaching about empire as part of the national curri...

AI, technology and society: shaping the future together

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is about people – the most sophisticated AI models are trained on trillions of tokens that capture human communication, behaviours, and interacti...

The ins and outs of sustainable supply chains

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting insights from over a decade of research, Professor Macchiavello will examine how companies can organise supply chains that are sustainable ...

Pharmaceutical policy at a crossroads: perspectives from Europe and the US

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for the official launch event of the Pharmaceutical Policy Lab, which also forms part of LSE Health's 30th anniversary celebrations at which o...

What is financial hegemony, and how does it end? | Coffee break research at LSE

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since the mid-20th century, the US government, companies, and financial sector have greatly benefitted from global financial dominance – or ‘‘he...

Common law: a better foundation for Liberalism

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In conventional political philosophy, law is understood as consciously created rules that are a necessary mechanism for regulating the excesses of the...

What's next for quantum computing?

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this video, Dr Seeta Peña Gangadharan explores what quantum computing is, why governments are racing to develop it, and how this emerging technolo...

Women in economics: progress, challenges and perspectives

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite decades of progress, women remain underrepresented in the field of economics. This event explores the gender disparities in the discipline and...

Economic impacts and legacies of British rule in India

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In her latest book An Economic History of India: Growth, income and inequalities from the Mughals to the 21st century, Bishnupriya Gupta builds a new ...

The politics of hunger in Sudan

03 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The ongoing war in Sudan has produced the world’s largest humanitarian and hunger crisis—devastating a country that could easily feed itself and i...

Why I am an anarchist: insights into British anarchist thought and politics

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anarchism has had a more powerful impact on political life than most people realise. What are the roots of this radical tradition? How has it had this...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI and deepfakes with Dr Gili Vidan

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Gili Vidan | As long as there has been photographic and video imagery, there have been manipulated videos and photos. Bu...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI and deepfakes with Dr Gili Vidan

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the last decade or so, the the public have become aware of “deepfakes”, computer or AI generated fake images. The spread of deepfakes raises qu...

Should the UK have a wealth tax? The Wealth Tax Commission five years on

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, the Wealth Tax Commission brought together world-leading academics, policymakers and tax practitioners to ‘think big’ about tax policy.

Fiscal threats in a changing global financial system

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture will discuss how policymakers should address these challenges by employing a carefully selected mix of tools that spans fiscal, monetary ...

America first and the future of Eurasian geopolitics

26 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this lecture, one of India’s leading strategic thinkers and commentators examines the roots of Donald Trump’s America First agenda and assesses...

John Rawls and unequivocal justice

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Curious about how free markets and social justice intersect? Join us for an engaging lecture by Christopher Freiman, author of the book Unequivocal Ju...

Will the next World War be a cyberwar?

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It seems every week we hear a new report of a cyber-attack. What if those attacks were on our critical infrastructure? Our national grid? Our water su...

AI, technology and society: shaping the future together

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is about people – the most sophisticated AI models are trained on trillions of tokens that capture human communication, behaviours, and interacti...

World Children’s Day: digital futures for children – children’s rights under pressure in the digital environment

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child introduced General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in the digital environment, marking a mi...

Is there a Trump doctrine? Making sense of US foreign and security policy since Trump’s return to the White House

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In January 2025, Donald Trump returned to the White House. The ensuing months have been a dizzying blur for American foreign and security policy.

Britain in a changing world

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Discussing the topic, Britain in a changing world, former British Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, Sir John Major, delivers this y...

LSE: The Ballpark | Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny with Dr Jennifer Lind

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Dr Jennifer Lind, Chris Gilson | The last three decades have seen China’s economic rise. Alongside this, China has become much more ...

LSE: The Ballpark | Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny with Dr Jennifer Lind

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The last three decades have seen China’s economic rise. Alongside this, China has become much more influential on the global stage, emerging as a co...

Greece’s economic and digital transformation: in conversation with Kyriakos Pierrakakis

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a discussion with Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Greece's Minister of the Economy and Finance, on the key challenges shaping the country’s future...

Spreading it around: a new look at redistribution and tax

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this panel discussion, anthropologists working on redistribution and tax will present the findings of—and interrogate each other on—two recent ...

America adrift: the end of the east coast foreign policy elite

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America is undergoing rapid demographic change. By the mid-21st century, European Americans, long the country’s largest demographic group, will be r...

Saving Britain's wildlife

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Britain's wildlife has been under pressure for centuries. Many of the large mammals that once inhabited these islands were driven to extinction long a...

Why refugee return is not the solution to displacement crises

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The number of refugees worldwide has nearly doubled in the past decade. Amid this rise in forced migration, the humanitarian community touts voluntary...

Fault lines: the new political economy of a warming world

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this lecture, Helen Milner addresses why vulnerability, lived experience, and material self-interest will drive the next phase of climate politics,...

Great global transformation: national market liberalism in a multipolar world

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this talk by Branko Milanovic about his new book, The Great Global Transformation: National Market Liberalism in a Multipolar World.

The growth story of the 21st century: the economics and opportunity of climate action

05 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world stands at a crossroads. The next decade will determine whether we avoid climate, biodiversity, and economic catastrophe – or unlock a new ...

Joyful revolution: poverty, social justice and a pioneer of participation

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tackling poverty and campaigning for social justice must be with, not just for, people in poverty.

Will AI free us from work?

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does artificial intelligence really mean for the future of work?

LSE: The Ballpark | US-China strategic competition with Professor Evan Medeiros

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Professor Evan Medeiros | In August 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held its 25th annual summit in Tianjin, ...

LSE: The Ballpark | US-China strategic competition with Professor Evan Medeiros

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In August 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held its 25th annual summit in Tianjin, China. The absence of the United States in this gatherin...

Syria after Assad: a reporter’s view on a nation in transition

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This talk delivered by Raya Jalabi, Middle East correspondent for the Financial Times, as part of the annual Ian Black Memorial Lecture Series, will e...

Sustainability, peace and development: in conversation with Juan Manuel Santos

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and LSE alumnus Juan Manuel Santos and LSE academics Mary Kaldor and Nicholas Stern in a conversation to explore how w...

Seeing the unseen: combining data to better understand our environment

29 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as the University of Glasgow’s Claire Miller explores the statistical and data analytics approaches being developed to successfully bring di...

Developing technology for the public interest | Coffee break research at LSE

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the NHS frequently described as ‘‘in crisis’’, some have positioned partnerships with tech start-ups as the solution. Yet, the values and...

How to help left behind regions and workers

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The decline of manufacturing and the acceleration of technological disruption have concentrated joblessness in distressed regions and blocked many wor...

Unlocking climate action opportunities: progress amid geopolitical turbulence

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This event will serve as a timely preview of the upcoming UN Climate Conference (COP), offering insights into where meaningful progress can be made on...

The social safety net as an investment in children

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for the Department of Social Policy’s Annual Lecture at which Hilary Hoynes will explore the concept of viewing the social safety net as a l...

Mutually assured survival: feminist solidarities amidst planetary threats

22 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can global feminist solidarity and a feminist theory of social reproduction provide an emancipatory agenda that will foster the material conditions th...

How progress ends: technology, innovation, and the fate of nations

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How will progress end? In this event, Carl Benedikt Frey – one of the leading scholars of technology and the economy – will discuss his new book, ...

How relations with lab animals can inform understandings of care | Coffee break research at LSE

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Drawing on ethnographic research into laboratory animals and those who look after them, Dr Carrie Friese’s new book, A Mouse in a Cage, proposes a d...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI, social media, and political disinformation with Dr Josephine Lukito

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Josephine Lukito | To talk about social media and politics, and how AI can help spread – or tackle – disinformation,...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI, social media, and political disinformation with Dr Josephine Lukito

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To talk about social media and politics, and how AI can help spread – or tackle – disinformation, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Josephine Lukit...

Technology for the public interest: preventing capture and promoting welfare

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this lecture, Padmashree Gehl Sampath compares the trajectories of two critical technology-driven sectors, pharmaceuticals and artificial intellige...

On liberalism: in defence of freedom

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this lecture by New York Times bestselling author and Harvard academic Cass R Sunstein.

The CEO: the rise and fall of Britain's captains of industry

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The CEOs of Britain's largest companies wield immense power, but we know very little about them. How did they get to the top? Why do they have so much...

US-Iran relations under Trump 2.0: prospects and challenges

15 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This event will examine how a second Trump administration might reshape U.S.-Iran relations and regional security—whether through renewed maximum pr...

How fake AI images sparked the Southport riots

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This video breaks down the Southport riots of 2024 - exposing fake AI images, anti-Muslim conspiracies and the real-world violence sparked by viral fa...

Permission to be queer: the case for liberty

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us in welcoming back to LSE, economist Deirdre Nansen McCloskey who will deliver this special lecture.

Take our Ballpark podcast survey and you could win £250 in vouchers!

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): | The LSE Phelan US Centre's regular podcast, The Ballpark, will be 10 years old in 2026. Ahead of our anniversary, and after more th...

Take our Ballpark podcast survey and you could win £250 in vouchers!

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ahead of our 10 year anniversary in 2026, and after more than 140 episodes speaking to academic experts on topics from across the social sciences, we'...

Why we're getting poorer

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the UK economy struggles along while the US seems destined for chaos, evaluating why we’re getting poorer has never seemed more relevant.

Not just lines on a map: borders in a changing world

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are joined by Maya Goodfellow, Tarsis Brito and Luke de Noronha who will each draw on their areas of expertise to discuss the implications of borde...

How to save the internet

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this special event where former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will talk about his new book, How to Save the Internet.

The promise and peril of Trump's America first

08 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s America First is a response to too much globalisation, too much immigration, and too many wars. But has Trump overcorrected?

Do we need to pay our debts?

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amid rising interest rates and inflation, we ask whether debts must always be paid—exploring causes of debt, bankruptcy’s role, and fresh perspect...

The crime of war: from the Nuremberg trial to Ukraine

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eighty years on from the start of the Nuremberg War Crime Trial in November 1945 we ask what is the future of the crime of aggression after the creati...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI and the workplace with Professor Ifeoma Ajunwa

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Contributor(s): Chris Gilson, Ifeoma Ajunwa | AI is now increasingly playing a role in many parts of our lives, and the workplace is no exception. AI ...

Depopulation: an ethical perspective

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for the annual Auguste Comte lecture delivered by Luara Ferracioli, a leading thinker on the philosophy of immigration and the philosophy of t...

LSE: The Ballpark | AI and the workplace with Professor Ifeoma Ajunwa

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is now increasingly playing a role in many parts of our lives, and the workplace is no exception. AI is now being used by employers to help them to...

Can human solidarity survive social media and what if it can’t?

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Drawing on his recent book, The Space of the World, Nick Couldry will reflect on the global space of social communications and interaction that has be...

Racism and racial justice: 40 years on from the Broadwater Farm riots

01 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We explore the legal, political and community-based racial justice work that emerged 40 years ago from the Broadwater Farm riots, examining methods of...

Celebrating LSE's 130th anniversary

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

LSE was founded on a bold idea: that knowledge, shared widely, could help build a better society. Discover our 130-year story of learning, innovation,...

How AI is helping - and harming - animals

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Learn more about the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, a new LSE initiative committed to making sure technological change works for - rather ...

On natural capital: the value of the world around us

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a conversation with Partha Dasgupta, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge, as he discusses his latest book On Na...

Climate finance and investment in low-income countries

24 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Climate finance is a critical tool in supporting low-income countries as they face the growing impacts of climate change.