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Welcome to the latest news update from the School of Public Policy |
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This term we've held a number of online events to keep our alumni community connected, including:
- The Alumni & Student Networking Social, a chance for all members of our SPP community to get to know each other.
- The Expert Alumni Panel: 'Looking Towards a Greener Future'. The inaugural event in our new series of expert alumni panels: alumni working in the green sector discussed their work, their hopes for their future, and the urgent work needed to protect our planet.
We also held a series of Alumni Networking Panels, in which alumni speak to our students about working in a particular sector. This term's sessions included
Working in Finance and Economics,
Working in Consultancy, and
Working in Government and Policy. A massive thank you to all of our alumni who took part - our community really appreciates hearing from you! |
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Meet Gustavo A. Vargas Victoria
This edition's Alumni in Action is Gustavo Vargas Victoria. Gustavo completed his MPA as part of a Dual Degree between LSE and Hertie School in 2015. Having joined LSE with a desire to pursue a career in development, Gustavo is now working with the International Finance Corporation: supporting national governments to reduce carbon emissions through agricultural and forestry projects.
You can read more about Gustavo's story online. |
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Do you know an alumnus whose story should be shared with the SPP community? It could be a friend, a colleague, someone whose work you admire from afar - it could even be yourself! Drop us a line to recommend the next alumni profile.
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Alumni Benefits in the Spotlight
No matter where you are in the world, there's an LSE Alumni Group near you.
To connect with LSE alumni in your region, or who share similar interests, just visit the LSE Alumni Groups page. These groups are run by alumni volunteers all over the world: helping you connect with fellow alumni and deepen your interests beyond LSE. |
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Growth Lab Research Collaboration |
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We are delighted to welcome Frank Muci, our newly-arrived Policy Fellow at the Growth Co-Lab at the LSE, to the SPP! The Growth Lab Research Collaboration is a partnership between the LSE and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, with a focus on applied research projects.
To welcome Frank to the SPP, we asked him a little about his work: |
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What’s your research about?
We work in the field of international economic development, with a focus on identifying key constraints to economic growth and formulating policies that might help lift them and accelerate development. With current and former projects all over the world – from Honduras, and Albania to Jordan, South Africa and Sri Lanka – we use the Growth Diagnostics framework (co-authored by SPP Dean Andres Velasco in 2004) to identify constraints to economic growth in a thorough, rigorous way. We also use the tools of Economic Complexity to assess the potential for economic diversification in different national and sub-national contexts.
What will you be doing at the SPP?
As the new research centre develops over the year we’ll have new research projects coming to the SPP. There’ll be opportunities for students to participate in internships, and I hope there will be SPP graduates applying to work at the Growth Co-Lab when it begins hiring. In addition to my research, I’ll be assisting Miguel Santos, the Director of the co-Lab who will soon be arriving in London, with a class in economic development.
What are you looking forward to the most in this new role?
I think I’m most looking forward to integrating with the SPP community, and the greater LSE community – encouraging students to join internships in our projects, hiring graduates, and showcasing our methodologies in the classroom and beyond.
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This term the SPP took part in the Global Public Policy Network conference, hosted by the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo. Despite the conference being held online a great time was had by all, with the theme being
The Crisis of Globalization as We Know It. |
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Students from GPPN schools formed teams and worked together to develop proposals for this conference. This year the SPP proposed four projects:
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Micro International Trade Treaties
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Harnessing Free Trade Areas to Improve Medicine Access in Africa
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International Frequent Flyer Tax Agreement
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Institutionalizing and Restructuring DSSI to Fight the COVID-19 Financial Crisis.
The SPP representatives put on a very strong performance: the student group behind the
International Frequent Flyer Tax Agreement project reached the final, and received the award for the proposal most suitable for immediate real-world application. Meanwhile the group behind the
Harnessing Free Trade Areas to Improve Medicine Access in Africa project won the prize for best video.
A huge congratulations to everyone who took part; we hope you enjoyed the conference!
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Professional Skills in Public Policy |
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During Lent Term we hosted our Decision Making for Public Policy weekend for students. Focussed on strategic decision making with Dr Barbara Fasolo and Dr Valentina Ferretti, our students enjoyed two days of training in ‘decision mindware’, focussing both on the intuitive decision process and analytical decision making.
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More Policy in Practice seminars were also held this term, with speakers including: Vanessa Rubio-Márquez (SPP Professor in Practice), Sir Peter Hendy (Chair of Network Rail), Carlos Raúl Morales (former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala), Mirian Vilela (Executive Director of the Earth Charter International Secretariat) and Valerio Riavez (Co-Founder of political technology start-up Electica). It’s been fascinating to hear such great speakers, and we look forward to more PiP seminars in the future. |
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MPA Policy Discussion and Spotlight Forums |
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The SPP also launched two new student-led events this term. The MPA Policy Discussion Forum provides a space for students to discuss cutting-edge policy-relevant issues. Four second year MPA students led the first Policy Discussion Forum, entitled
The European response to the pandemic: Next Generation EU.
Meanwhile the MPA Student Spotlight Forum invites students to share professional or personal experiences with their colleagues, beginning with second year students sharing their experiences and tips on applying for roles in economic consulting. We look forward to holding further such forums in the future and are very grateful to the students who proposed and led the sessions this term.
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Bob Babajanian awarded an Excellence in Education Award for 2019-20 |
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We are delighted to announce that Bob Babajanian has been awarded an Excellence in Education Award for 2019-20, as part of LSE's commitment to recognising the dedication, innovation and scholarship of its teachers.
Bob's award is due to his contribution both to education and to our students' life experiences during these particularly challenging times. Congratulations, Bob, and thank you for all that you do for the SPP!
To find out more about our Excellence in Education Awards, visit our website. |
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Evolution, Not Revolution, in Economics
In this Project Syndicate piece, Professor Andrés Velasco argues that the real change shaping policy decisions in recent years have been political, not intellectual.
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Blackout Politics: AMLO's energy plan will backfire
Professor Vanessa Rubio-Márquez's op-ed for Americas Quarterly discusses President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's push to expand state control over energy markets in Mexico, describing the move as 'misguided and harmful'.
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Thank You for Supporting the SPP |
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The support shown to us by all our alumni and friends is hugely appreciated by everyone at the School of Public Policy. Whether through financial donations or by time donated to student support through career panels or capstone projects, we could not carry out the work we do without your help.
We would particularly like to thank everyone who has donated either to the SPP or to the wider LSE community. This support enables us to do wonderful things, and we are delighted to be able to offer an outstanding policy education experience to our students even in such unusual times.
Find out more about financially supporting the SPP here.
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Central Bank Digital Currencies: international and domestic challenges |
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Online conference: Central Bank Digital Currencies: international and domestic challenges
22-23 April 2021
Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are about changing scope and geography of central bank money. For domestic generalised use, a retail CBDC could be offered as an alternative payment medium, and provide a new payments infrastructure while offering innovative approaches to taxation. For international use, CBDC has now been elevated to the international economic policy agenda by the G20 as an instrument to improve international payments.
The objective of the conference is to address cutting-edge questions related to the development of CBDC: bringing together scholars, central banks, banks, and fintech companies to facilitate an interactive and interdisciplinary dialogue on CBDC. The conference aims to offer the best possible insights about and serve as reference for CBDC.
Find out more and register online.
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This term our online have events have covered drug policies, Brexit, gender inclusion and COVID-19 vaccinations; we've heard from authors, academics, health experts, and four former heads of state or government. It's been a packed term of public policy events with both a national and international focus, and we're looking forward to continuing our programme next term.
You can access all our past events via podcast online. |
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The Impact of Brexit on Higher Education
Monday 25 January 2021
Universities compete in globalised markets. The EU has encouraged student mobility: so what impact might Brexit have on students and research? What can universities do to mitigate new barriers, and how can the UK compete internationally? Our panel will consider where we are and where we might be heading.
Speakers: Professor Simon Hix, Pro-Director for Research at LSE and Harold Laski Professor of Political Science, Department of Government at LSE; Dr Beth Thompson, Head of Policy and Advocacy - UK & EU at the Wellcome Trust; Professor Wendy Thomson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London.
Listen to the podcast.
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One Step Ahead: Mastering the Art and Science of Negotiation
Wednesday 3 February 2021
David Sally discusses his new book One Step Ahead
: sharing the fundamental wisdom that elevates the sophisticated negotiator above everyone else. For over twenty years David has been teaching the art of negotiation at business schools and top companies. Now he delivers insights needed to stay competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.
Speakers: Professor David Sally, Author and leading behavioural game theorist; Professor Kathleen O’Connor, Clinical Professor of Organisational Behaviour, London Business School.
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How Was Brexit For You? A Reflection On What We Learnt
Wednesday 17 February 2021
Brexit represents the biggest shock to the UK economy, society and politics for generations. So what have we learned, and what does the UK still need to learn if it's to make a success of Brexit?
Speakers: Professor Catherine Barnard; Professor of European Union and Labour Law, Trinity College, University of Cambridge; Baroness Catharine Hoey, former Labour MP for Vauxhall and a vocal campaigner to Leave the EU; Dr Gerard Lyons, economist and Chief Economic Strategist at Netwealth Investments; Sir Ivan Rogers, former UK Permanent Representative to the EU.
Listen to the podcast.
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Drugs and Development Policies: a discussion with the Global Commission on Drug Policy
Monday 29 March 2021
The consequences of the international repression-based drug control regime have increasingly become barriers to sustainable development - so what can be done to mitigate these negative effects?
This high-level discussion explores the experiences of four former heads of state or government (all members of the Global Commission of Drug Policy) to discuss solutions to the harms created by current drug control policies.
Speakers: Juan Manuel Santos Calderón, former President of Colombia; Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland, and Kgalema Motlanthe, Former President of South Africa.
Listen to the podcast.
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If you want to be kept updated with SPP public events, why not join our event mailing list? |
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Stay connected! Keep in touch via our Facebook and LinkedIn Alumni groups, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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