Show overview
LSE IQ podcast has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 83 episodes. That works out to roughly 45 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 29 min and 38 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed yesterday, with 5 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2018, with 12 episodes published. Published by LSE.
From the publisher
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
Latest Episodes
View all 83 episodesShould we take hypnotherapy more seriously?
Should animals have rights?
How can we be more resilient?
Ep 80Why are we having fewer children?
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)
Are jobs getting better?
What does the future of work really look like?
Will the next World War be a cyberwar?
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?
Will AI free us from work?
What does artificial intelligence really mean for the future of work?
Do we need to pay our debts?
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.
How is the far right shaping our future?
Far-right ideas once on the fringe now dominate feeds and headlines, reshaping politics and threatening democracy worldwide.
Is AI destroying the planet?
This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem?
How do we avoid falling for online scams?
What 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?
Are we in danger of losing our communities?
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?
Do we need to drive?
This episode of LSE iQ looks at whether we should still be driving.
Why are our rivers and seas polluted by sewage?
This 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.
Who owns outer space?
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?
What’s it like to win a Nobel Prize?
In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious Nobel Prize and how it changes your life.
How can we solve the gender pay gap?
This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap.
Will the US remain the world’s superpower?
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?
China, war and the civilizational state
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 we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?
Are weight-loss jabs the answer to Britain’s obesity crisis? Should we be doing more to tackle the root causes?