Sinopsis
LSE IQ is a monthly podcast from the London School of Economics and Political Science in which we ask some of the smartest social scientists - and other experts - to answer intelligent questions about economics, politics or society. #LSEIQ
Episodios
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Why are we having fewer children?
03/03/2026 Duración: 28minFertility 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 bab
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Will the next World War be a cyberwar?
02/12/2025 Duración: 30minIt 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?
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Will AI free us from work?
04/11/2025 Duración: 21minWhat does artificial intelligence really mean for the future of work?
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Do we need to pay our debts?
07/10/2025 Duración: 28minAmid 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.
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How is the far right shaping our future?
05/08/2025 Duración: 32minFar-right ideas once on the fringe now dominate feeds and headlines, reshaping politics and threatening democracy worldwide.
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Is AI destroying the planet?
06/05/2025 Duración: 31minThis episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem?
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How do we avoid falling for online scams?
08/04/2025 Duración: 32minWhat type of person falls for an online scam? Who are the fraudsters and how does colonialism motivate them? And what’s the connection between criminality and pop music?
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Are we in danger of losing our communities?
04/03/2025 Duración: 29minWith 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?
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Do we need to drive?
04/02/2025 Duración: 29minThis episode of LSE iQ looks at whether we should still be driving.
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Why are our rivers and seas polluted by sewage?
15/12/2024 Duración: 33minThis episode of LSE iQ explores a national scandal: widespread illegal sewage dumping by our privatised water companies, and why they are all under criminal investigation.
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Who owns outer space?
20/11/2024 Duración: 29minWith 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?
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What’s it like to win a Nobel Prize?
01/10/2024 Duración: 30minIn this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious Nobel Prize and how it changes your life.
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How can we solve the gender pay gap?
03/09/2024 Duración: 28minThis episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap.
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Will the US remain the world’s superpower?
21/05/2024 Duración: 35minThe 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?
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China, war and the civilizational state
09/04/2024 Duración: 18minWhy 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?
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Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?
05/03/2024 Duración: 33minAre weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?
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Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class? | Extra iQ
06/02/2024 Duración: 09minThis episode of LSE Extra iQ asks, 'Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class?'.
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How can we tackle loneliness?
12/12/2023 Duración: 26minThis episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we tackle loneliness?’.
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Can we change the world?
07/11/2023 Duración: 29minThis episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Can we change the world?’