Welcome to the latest news update from the School of Public Policy
Alumni News
We've enjoyed another packed term of events in Michaelmas, including:
our first two in-person events since lockdown! We held an After-Work Social and a Festive Drinks both in the upstairs of the George IV, in which alumni and faculty got together to catch up after a long time apart.
our 'Women in Public Service' Expert Alumni Panel, where Emmi Poteliakhoff (2006, MPA), Moyin Johnson (2018, MPA),Lucy Aldous (2021, EMPP) andFarah Bhanji-Mohamed (2009, MPA) joined Professor in Practice Vanessa Rubio-Marquez to discuss being a woman and working in public service.
a virtual Recent Alumni Social.
As well as to all attendees, we would like to share a particular thanks to all the alumni who joined us for our 'What I Wish I'd Known' Q&A panels this term. Here alumni joined us for panels on beginning the MPA, working in consultancy, and working with government - our students really appreciated hearing from you all!
Next term we will be running panels on working in finance, NGOs and charities, and international organisations - we're always on the look out for speakers, so if you are interested in joining us and would like to find out more, please get in touch at h.c.shearer@lse.ac.uk.
SPP London Chapter
As London opens up, the School of Public Policy is excited to be working alongside the SPP London Alumni Chapter to bring more in-person opportunities to socialise and network to our alumni. We are planning some great events for you all over the course of the next calendar year, and hope you are able to join us.
To keep informed about these opportunities we’re inviting all alumni currently based in London to join the London chapter – to do so you can join via an online Google form. You can also stay connected through:
If you have any questions about the London Alumni Chapter please feel free to get in touch with Chelsea Phipps (2018, MPA) or Anna Nikolskaya (2020, MPA).
Dr Laura Squire appointed MHRA's Chief Healthcare Quality and Access Officer
Congratulations to Dr Laura Squire (EMPP, 2017), who this November began her roleas the Chief Healthcare Quality and Access Officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK. She joins this role from the Department of Health and Social Care, where she worked extensively on the COVID-19 vaccine deployment programme.
Dr Squire says:
"I am coming to the Agency from the COVID-19 Vaccine Programme, something which has already saved so many lives. That simply could not have happened without the expertise, professionalism but also the innovative approaches of the MHRA. I am looking forward to building on the Agency’s world-renowned expertise on access to innovative healthcare products for the benefit of public health."
Congratulations from everyone at the School of Public Policy!
Alumni Prize-Giving
This October the SPP held an in-person ceremony for 2020 and 2021 prize winners from the MPA, MPP, and Executive courses.
Due to COVID restrictions, this was a small gathering with a few academics and those winners able to be in London. It was wonderful to hear from each of the alumni in turn, as well as enjoy a small dinner afterwards. Our winners were:
Antonia Ramm (MPA, 2021) - Best-performing MPA student and best dissertation (joint)
Max Mosley (MPA, 2021) – Best dissertation (joint)
Camille Hors (MPA, 2021) – Best policy paper
Daniela gräfin von Matuschka (EMPA, 2021) - Best-performing EMPA student
Alexander Scott (EMPP, 2021) - Best-performing EMPP student
Louise Smith (EMPP, 2020) - Best-performing EMPP student
Congratulations to all our prize-winners from the past two years!
Alumni in Action
Meet Yohan Sequeira
This edition's Alumni in Action is Yohann Sequeira. Yohann is one of our most recent alumni, and graduated with an MPP in 2021.
Having tackled the MPP at the height of lockdown, Yohann is now working at Dalberg London as a Senior Consultant: working with UN agencies and development banks on issues ranging from peace and security assessments to climate strategies.
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.
Alumni Benefits in the Spotlight
Want to know what your fellow LSE alumni have been up to recently? Check out Class Notes - the place to keep up to date with the latest achievements of the LSE alumni community, or even share some news of your own!
Department News
Adnan Khan to become Chief Economist at the FCDO
We are delighted to announce that Professor Adnan Khan, the SPP Academic Director, will be taking up an external secondment for three years (beginning in January 2022) at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as Chief Economist.
Adnan will advise Ministers and senior officials on the most effective use of UK aid, and deliver the FCDO’s evaluation strategy and quality assurance processes. It's an outstanding opportunity for Adnan to put his strategic insight into policy-making into practice - we are thrilled for Adnan and wish him all the best in this fantastic opportunity. He will be missed at the SPP until his return!
LSE first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK
In 2020/21 LSE became the first UK university to be independently verified as carbon neutral! The School was verified by global certification organisation BSI against the internationally recognised standard for carbon neutrality, PAS 2060.
Our systematic approach to measure, reduce and mitigate our carbon emissions includes a £4.8 million investment in a range of energy efficiency measures for campus and residences buildings, as well as procuring all our electricity from 100% renewable sources such as solar and wind since 2009. The School also works to mitigate our residual emissions by supporting carbon reduction projects, and is now working to achieve our target of becoming net zero carbon.
We are now accepting applications for our programmes starting in September 2022. The School of Public Policy now offers six degree programmes which are designed in formats to suit early-stage to established professionals.
You can help us to grow our SPP community by spreading the word about our programmes and encouraging prospective students to apply for our next intake. If you know anyone who would be interested in joining our fantastic community, please do refer them to our study page for more information about our courses.
Double Degrees
SPP’s global network is expanding! We are pleased to announce the launch of two new double degree programmes in partnership with Columbia University (SIPA) and Sciences Po. The new programmes and our existing double degree programme with the University of Toronto, are now open for entry in 2022.
Double degree students will study in two international cities, gain two degrees and will benefit from the expertise, networks and resources of two prestigious universities.
You can find out more about the double degrees online:
Many of our SPP community enjoyed taking part in our MPA Capstone project during their time here: a chance for students to have an intensive and supervised experience working on a real-world public policy project.
We are always on the lookout for some great organisations to collaborate with us for the Capstone project. If you think your organisation could benefit from partnering with us and would like to find out more, just visit our website for more information and details on how to get in touch. It's a great way to work with SPP students and provide some vital real-world experience!
LSE Public Policy Review
Two issues of the LSE Public Policy Review have been published in Michaelmas Term. The September issue focussed on Reciprocity Across the Life Cycle: with contributions by Tim Besley (Economics), Nick Barr (European Institute) and Tania Burchardt (Social Policy) among others. The podcast of the launch event is accessible here.
The latest issue of the Review focused on the debate around Wellbeing as a goal of public policy: with contributions by Paul Dolan (PBS), Richard Layard (CEP) and Sara Hagemann (SPP) among others. A launch event will take place on the 18th of January 2022 - you can find out more here.
Publications
Macro-Economics for Policymakers: an easy guide
The Dean of the SPP Professor Andres Velasco has recently co-authored
Advanced Macroeconomics: An Easy Guide with Professor Filipe Campante (Johns Hopkins University) and Professor Federico Sturzenegger (Universidad de San Andres). This text book seeks to close the gap between undergraduate courses and the professional level at which macroeconomic policy is practiced.
Macroeconomics for Policymakers is available for free from LSE's open access publishing platform LSE Press - available online.
The trouble with the top one per cent of earners
Britain's Boris Johnson should be basking in a global moment. Instead he is mired in 'sleaze.'
On an article published on PSNews, Professor Stephen P. Jenkins (Professor of Economic and Social Policy) writes about the top one per cent of income earners in Australia and those people's influence on the rest of the country.
Associate Dean of the SPP Professor Tony Traversis quoted on an article published on The Washington Post. The article is about the British prime minister whose public approval ratings fall to the lowest level on record.
This year's 'Wren Talk', in honour of Sir Christopher Wren, was given by Professor Tony Travers at St Bride's.
After the Great Plague of London in 1665 and the Great Fire the following year, Sir Christopher Wren designed a grand plan for rebuilding the capital. Some 450 years later, Professor Travers addressed the question of what the impact on the built environment and governance of London might be as we continue to emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Our events programme is regularly updated on our website, as well as our LinkedIn and Facebook alumni groups. If you want to be kept up to date with SPP public events, why not join our event mailing list?
My Secret Brexit Diary
Monday 27 September 2021
In June 2016, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As the EU's chief negotiator, for four years Michel Barnier had a seat at the table as the two sides thrashed out what Brexit would really mean. During the 1600 days of complex and often acrimonious negotiations, Michel Barnier kept a secret diary: in which he gave a blow-by-blow account as the negotiations oscillated between consensus and disagreement, transparency and lies.
Speaker: Michel Barnier, European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2021.
The Indian Economy: recent developments and prospects
In this event, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Shri Shaktikanta Das, and the Chair of the 15th Indian Finance Commission, N.K. Singh, discuss the challenges facing the economy of India and what we can expect from it in the future.
Speakers:Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India; Dr Swati Dhingra, Associate Professor in Economics at LSE; Baroness Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science; N K Singh, President of the Institute of Economic Growth and the Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission; Professor Nicholas Stern, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, Chairman of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change at LSE; Martin Wolf CBE, Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times.
Social Unrest in Colombia and Chile: causes and cures
Why did Colombia and Chile experience bouts of social unrest and street violence recently? What are the roots of this discontent and what can be done about it? Might a new social contract in those countries provide a way out?
Speakers: Ricardo Lagos, former President of the Republic of Chile; Juan Manuel Santos, former President of the Republic of Colombia; Baroness Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
What kind of macroeconomics is useful when formulating policy?
Now that COVID-19 is in retreat, and the "special economics" of the pandemic no longer apply; and now that inflation concerns have resurfaced powerfully - what kind of macroeconomics do policymakers need to know? And how should they be taught it? This event discusses the book Advanced Macroeconomics: An Easy Guide, co-authored by Professors Filipe Campante, Federico Sturzenegger, and Andres Velasco.
Speakers: María Antonieta Alva, Former Minister of Economy and Finance, Peru; Ilan Goldfajn, Director, Western Hemisphere Department, IMF and Former President of the Central Bank of Brazil.
Discussants: Professor Filipe Campante, Bloomberg Distinguished Associate Professor of International Economics at Johns Hopkins University; Professor Federico Sturzenegger, Professor at Universidad de San Andrés; Professor Andrés Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE.
Support from alumni and friends enables us to form a strong and ambitious education community, and is very much appreciated by everyone at the SPP. Whether that be donating financially or through donating your time by volunteering with student support, you are helping us keep the SPP a truly fantastic place to learn.
A particular thanks to everyone who donates financially, either to the SPP or to the wider LSE. Your support helps us do wonderful things for our student community, and we are thrilled to offer an outstanding policy education experience to those who come to our School - everyone at the SPP really appreciates your kindness.
If you are interested in supporting us or would like to find out more, contact us at spp.alumni@lse.ac.ukor visit our website.
Stay connected! Keep in touch via our Facebook and LinkedIn Alumni groups, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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School of Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Houghton Street, London, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom
