LSE IQ podcast

From the pets we love to the animals we rarely see, our relationship with non-human life is full of contradictions. In this episode, we explore what it really means to protect animals and whether welfare is enough, or if rights are the way forward.Beginning with a simple question inspired by my own dog, Pip, this episode moves from the personal to the global. Through conversations with experts including Jeff Sebo, Jonathan Birch, Jo-Anne McArthur and Carrie Friese, we examine how ideas about sentience, law, and ethics are shaping the future of animal protection.In this episode of LSE iQ, Mike Wilkerson asks: Should animals have rights?This year’s #LSEFestival, taking place from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026, will explore the impact of these global challenges, and how individuals, communities, organisations, corporations, and those with political power should be tackling them to save the planet!Find out more info and browse the programme here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/LSE-Festival/2026

We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news.But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investment firm SkyBridge Capital, and has since become a prominent political commentator — including co‑hosting The Rest Is Politics: US podcast with the BBC’s Katty Kay.How do we keep going when life delivers an unexpected blow? How do we protect our mental health, rebuild after setbacks, and strengthen our resilience reserves?In this episode of LSE iQ, Sue Windebank asks: How can we be more resilient? She speaks to Anthony Scaramucci about what it takes to ‘bounce back’ after public failure. She also speaks to Dr Grace Lordan, economist and founding director of the Inclusion Initiative at LSE, and hears about key behavioural insights that can help build resilience — from managing our inner critic to taking practical steps that boost our capacity to recover and thrive.ContributorsGrace LordanAnthony ScaramucciResearchThink Big, Take small steps and build the future you want by Grace Lordan.From Wall Street to the White House and back, The Scaramucci guide to unbreakable resilience by Anthony Scaramucci.

Fertility rates are at record lows around the world, reshaping communities and even forcing some schools to close. In 1950, the global average was around five live births per woman. Today, that number has more than halved to 2.2, and in England and Wales, it’s closer to 1.4. The UK’s falling birth rate reflects what the United Nations has described as ‘a global fertility slump’.In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Why are we having fewer children?From a closed down primary school in South London to demographic shifts unfolding across the globe, this episode explores the profound social, economic and personal forces behind declining fertility.Professor Berkay Ozcan explains how countries from Turkey to Chile have experienced some of the steepest drops in modern history, and why the timing of relationships, women’s careers, the economy and uncertainty about the future all play a role.Professor Emily Jackson, an expert in law and reproductive rights, examines the limits of governmental policies - from baby bonuses to China’s new tax on condoms - and explains why restrictive reproductive laws often have unintended consequences.Zoe Noble, the founder of We Are Childfree, discusses the growing global community of people choosing not to have children. She shares how one intrusive taxi ride helped spark a movement, and why blaming childfree women for falling birth rates misses the real issues.Is a shrinking population a problem or simply part of the natural ebb and flow of society? And what would it take to create a world people want to bring children into?Join us as we dig into the data, the politics and the personal choices behind one of the most important demographic stories of our time.Contributors:Berkay Ozcan, Emily Jackson and Zoe NobleAssociated researchThe effects of unemployment on fertility (2021)

What does the future of work really look like?

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 supply? Is the UK prepared?

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

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

Far-right ideas once on the fringe now dominate feeds and headlines, reshaping politics and threatening democracy worldwide.

With the cost-of-living crisis leading to the closure of community spaces around the UK, and the pressures on urban development projects, this episode of LSE iQ asks, are we in danger of losing our communities?

With companies, like SpaceX or Blue Origin, getting into space exploration and the cost of launching rockets dropping, could we see a lot more people heading into space in the future?

In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious Nobel Prize and how it changes your life.

This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap.

The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and has, of course, been capitalized on by President Trump. Is America’s ‘greatness’ under threat?

Why do some countries, such as China and Russia, stand outside of the liberal international order and oppose values that the West takes for granted – values such as liberty and democracy?

Are weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?

This episode of LSE Extra iQ asks, 'Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class?'.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we tackle loneliness?’.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Can we change the world?’

Joanna Bale investigates how gay men living in Dubai create covert communities where they can meet and socialise.

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Is AI coming for our jobs?’

This month we’re re-running an episode from 2021 which asks, ‘What’s it like to be an animal?’

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we make homes more affordable?’

Joanna Bale talks to Dr Stuart Gordon, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq and Halima, an Afghan refugee living in a hotel, about what it’s like to flee your country and policy ideas to help resolve the situation.

This month, LSE iQ asks: Can gaming make us happier?

This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How does class define us?’

This month we’re re-running an episode from 2019 about an issue which has come back into focus with the cost-of-living crisis.

This episode of LSE iQ asks do we need the arts to change the world?

This episode of LSE iQ asks whether the advice to ‘follow you heart’ or to ‘find your calling’, is good advice.

In this episode, Nathalie Abbott speaks to Shani Orgad (Professor of Media and Communications at LSE) about representations of mothers, and what effects these have on all of us.

What does the post-pandemic future hold for office workers?

Conspiracy theories fomented by political division and a global pandemic have gained traction in the public consciousness in the last couple of years. Why do people become involved in conspiratorial thinking?

Citizenship. What does that word really signify? This episode of LSE IQ takes a look at the issue in all its complexities...

Computer algorithms shape our lives and increasingly control our future, but how much power should we give to them and have we let things go too far?

This episode is dedicated to social policy giant Professor Sir John Hills, who died in December 2020.

Despite our growing collective pessimism about the state of the world, when it comes to our own lives, research suggests we are generally optimistic.

As we embark on 2021 and, hopefully, the latter stages of the pandemic, now is an apt moment to reflect on how we’ve got to where we are.

Even before coronavirus, child poverty had been rising for several years. This latest bite-sized episode of LSE iQ explores the question, ‘How can we end child poverty in the UK?’

This episode is dedicated to David Graeber, LSE professor of Anthropology, who died unexpectedly in September this year. David was a public intellectual, a best-selling author, an influential activist and anarchist.

Jess Winterstein speaks to Dr Thomas Curran about the potential pitfalls of wanting to be perfect.

In the wake of the coronavirus, this episode of LSE IQ explores whether society can afford the super-rich.

Sue Windebank speaks to Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah about her campaigning work for both clean air and a new inquest into the causes of her daughter’s death

With more and more information about us available electronically and online, this episode of LSE IQ asks, ‘Is big data good for our health?’

Contributor(s): Dr Clare Wenham

Contributor(s): Bob Ward, Svenja Surminski, Ivan, XR

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Muthukrishna, Professor Sandra Sequeira

Contributor(s): Yvonne Lawson, Tom Kirchmaier, Carmen Vila-Llera, Janet Foster, Kerris Cooper

Contributor(s): Professor Paul Dolan, Professor Lord Richard Layard, Liz Zeidler

Contributor(s): Professor Christopher Coker, Dr Debin Ma, Dr Yu Jie

Contributor(s): Professor Tim Newburn, Paul Lewis, Professor John Drury

Contributor(s): Professor Aaron Reeves, Laura Lane, Daphine Aikens