Welcome to the latest news update from the School of Public Policy
Alumni News
Lent Term Alumni Activities
It's another term at the SPP, and we're looking forward to seeing some of you back on campus soon. Our packed alumni events programme this term includes:
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Working in International Organisations: What I Wish I'd Known
Wednesday 15 February, 1.00 - 2.00PM GMT; Zoom
This Career Q&A Panel invites alumni to share their experiences about working in International Organisations. Both students and alumni are welcome to attend.
SPP Networking Evening
Thursday 23rdFebruary, 6.30 – 8.30PM GMT; Centre Building Reception Area, LSE Campus
All alumni are invited to our annual networking evening: open to all students, staff and alumni, we will be holding 'speed-networking' sessions before enjoying some time to catch up informally at the end of the evening.
Working in Sustainability and Impact: What I Wish I'd Known Wednesday 15 March, 1.00 - 12.00PM GMT; Zoom
This Career Q&A Panel invites alumni to share their experiences about working in the impact and sustainability sector. Both students and alumni are welcome to attend.
‘Learning From Each Other’s Backgrounds’YoungAlumniEvent
Tuesday 21stMarch, 6.30 – 8.00PM GMT; LSE Campus
Another event in our
Alumni Angleseries: in which alumni are invited to present on their work or an area of policy expertise to an audience of fellow alumni and students. We hope this event not only expands our alumni's knowledge but also inspires our students to see where their degrees will take them after graduation!
Calling all SPP GPPN alumni
Every year the GPPN conference invites students from eight of the most prestigious schools of public affairs in the world to present on public policy challenges to their Deans and peers. This year the conference will be in-person for the first time since the pandemic and will be held at the Fundação Getulio Vargas São Paulo School of Business from 4-5th March.
The SPP will be sending four student teams to present on:
industry restructuring in Australia
refugee assimilation
tackling loneliness
addressing childhood malnutrition in South America
We're inviting any alumni who are interested in providing clear and useful feedback (based on your own experiences) on our team's presentation to get in touch. On Monday 27 February we will be holding an on-campus session where our teams will be presenting to alumni, who we will invite to share thoughts and advice.
If you are interested, please send a short note to Nick Rowley at n.h.rowley@lse.ac.uk.
Maria de los Angeles Gutierrez presents to UNESCO
In November, with the support and guidance of Professor Vanessa Rubio, alumna Maria de los Angeles Gutierrez (MPP, Class of 2022) participated in
UNESCO II Global Forum Against Racism and Discrimination and presented a policy brief about youngism and gender discrimination in the labour market. The brief highlights a need to further develop research and to raise awareness about ageism towards young people and its interaction with other forms of discrimination in the labour market, where young individuals currently face high unemployment rates.
The report was made in collaboration with two LSE MPP students, Vidhula Venugopal and Jonathan Gass, and one USC student, Rodrigo Conesa. It will soon be published by UNESCO.
Alessio Terzi returns to the SPP
In January we were delighted to welcome Alessio Terzi (2011, MPA) back to the SPP for our event
Growth for Good: Reshaping Capitalism to Save Humanity from Climate Catastrophe: in which he spoke on his new book with LSE academics Dr Anna Valero and Dr Angelo Martelli. In
Growth for Good, Alessio examines the problems of sustainable development and capitalism's impact on climate change, and draws a credible agenda to enrol capitalism in the fight to stave off climate catastrophe.
'
Writing a book is a long and at times painful journey,' says Alessio, '
and particularly so when the topic is as ambitious as understanding humanity’s future in a climate changing world. But it is all more than repaid by the emotion of presenting it to wide audiences, and doing so at the LSE, hosted by the very SPP where I was a student not too long ago, was an incredible experience.'
You can watch the event online, and the book itself can be ordered here.
Active Alumni - Volunteer with the SPP
With the pilot scheme for our student mentoring programme
SPP Ask An Alum already well underway, we are currently recruiting alumni volunteers for next year's programme.
This is a great opportunity to support our students in their professional development through sharing advice during three brief meetings spread across the year. As our alumni will likely remember, our students really appreciate these opportunities to connect with alumni and learn from their experiences!
For those who are interested in supporting our community but have less time to commit, we're also inviting our alumni to become Alumni Ambassadors – volunteers who are happy to respond to the individual queries of students, prospective students, and other alumni. We're looking for two types of Ambassadors:
+ alumni who are open to speaking with prospective students (particularly those from their country/region): who are happy to chat about their experiences at the SPP and wider LSE, and able to answer questions about moving to London from their home country. + alumni who are open to answering questions about their experiences in a particular organisation/sector to those students and alumni interested in a career change.
If you have any questions or would like to participate in either initiative, please email spp.alumni@lse.ac.uk.
Alumni in Action
Meet Putra Adhiguna
Meet Putra Adhiguna (MPP, 2020), our latest Alumni in Action! Having already obtained extensive experience in the energy sector, Putra decided to approach the public policy sphere 'to better understand how the world really works', and is now based in a non-profit independent think tank in the energy sector.
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
Looking to save money in the new year? LSE Alumni are entitled to discounts on everything from holiday accommodation to LSE programmes. Find out more about your exclusive discounts at the LSE Hub.
Department News
New MPA Programme Director
From September 2023 the SPP will welcome a new cohort of students studying for aMPA in Data Science for Public Policy. We are delighted to announce that SPP Professor in Practice Alexander Evans will be the new Programme Director for this degree. As Britain’s former chief international cyber negotiator, Alexander has broad experience of data and related issues in government, as well as core training in economics, econometrics and political science.
“I am delighted to be taking on this role," says Alexander. "
This new degree offers the unique opportunity to blend data science and public policy training, uniting the LSE’s formidable academic strength with additional practice-focused courses and capstones. I know from my time in government just how much employers value this combination.”
Publications and News
Latin America’s Democracies Hold Strong
Civic Data Innovation Challenge
In his most recent article for
Project Syndicate, Professor Andrés Velasco discusses the resilience of democracy in Latin America, writing:
"Liberal democracy lives in statutes, rulebooks, and institutions. But, more importantly, it lives in people’s hearts and habits of mind."
Congratulations to Dr Omar Hammoud-Gallego, who recently won a grant from the Greater London Authority, the 2022 Civic Data Innovation Challenge. The grant refers to a research project Dr Gallego bid for as part of the Migrant Democracy Project, a new civil society NGO.
You can read more publications from the SPP community on our News page.
SPP Public Events and Podcasts
Lent Term 2022-23
Social Policy Development in the post-COVID age in China and BRICS Countries: Challenges and Opportunities
Thursday 9 February, 1.00 - 2.00PM
Speaker:Dr Yifei Yan (Southampton University).
Based on the speakers’ research on social policy developments in China and BRICS countries before and during the pandemic, especially in the fields of education and health policies, this seminar will be devoted to discussing the challenges and opportunities as these countries move to “build back better” in the post-COVID age.
Artificial Intelligence: a new frontier for public policy
Monday 13 February, 6.30 to 8.00PM
Speakers:Frank Muci, Policy Fellow at the School of Public Policy;Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO;Vanessa Rubio-Márquez, Associate Dean for Extended Education at the School of Public Policy.
Join us for this 'policy-in-practice' seminar and panel discussion, to understand the growing influence of AI in public policy globally. The session will explore the opportunities and challenges policymakers encounter as they navigate the new and rapidly evolving policy landscape in the face of AI.
Emerging Europe's chronic distrust: Lessons from the region's COVID puzzle
Speakers:PiroskaNagyMohácsi, Visting Professor in Practice, Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa;ElődTakáts, Visiting Professor in Practice, School of Public Policy
Join us for the launch of the new edited volume
Emerging Europe's chronic distrust: Lessons from the region'sCOVID puzzle: a compendium that has emerged from a joint workshop with researchers from Corvinus University, Budapest, and LSE and investigates the pandemic in central and eastern Europe.
Speaker:Paul Johnson, Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies
What is the truth about Britain’s finances? Join us for this event with Paul Johnson from the Institute for Fiscal Studies who will be talking about his new book,
Follow the Money. Johnson looks at what happened following the financial crisis of 2008-09 and the austerity years that followed – and he analyses prospects for our future as we grapple with looming recession and the cost of living crisis.
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
