LSE IDEAS

𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗟 + 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 #𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺 “Authoritarian states have shown notable agility in harnessing digital technologies to consolidate power, whereas democracies, once seen as natural beneficiaries of digital innovation, often struggle to respond effectively. The convergence of rapid technological change, emerging authoritarian threats (both from within and from abroad) and persistent governance gaps underscores the urgency of developing more adaptive strategies. Without proactive policymaking, stronger and better harmonised regulatory frameworks and sustained multilateral cooperation, the unchecked expansion of digital authoritarian practices risks eroding democratic governance from both within and without." The special issue of Global Policy is available in open access featuring an editorial by Stefano Ruzza (T.wai & University of Torino), Kenddrick Chan (University of Oxford) and Chris Alden (LSE). The issue is part of an academic collaboration between T.wai, LSE IDEAS and the University of Torino ⬇️Read Here globalpolicyjournal.com/jour…

🖥️FREE EVENT | Taiwan’s AI Moment: Chips, Compute, and the Global South Former Legislative Yuan member Jason Hsu, now a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, will discuss Taiwan’s place in the global AI ecosystem and how Taipei can leverage its technological strengths to expand its international space. 📆Thursday 19 November 2026 | 6.30pm - 8pm 🎤Jason Hsu, Chaired by Dr John Minnich ⬇️Register Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/taiwa…

🌏FREE EVENT | The Geopolitics of Climate Change: Rethinking Peace in the Antropocene The de-carbonisation of industrial economies is moving apace and bringing with it a silent transition, a phenomenon ‘hiding in plain sight’, in the foundational structures of the international political economy. New sources of energy are not only propelling the adoption of green technologies and reconfiguring global supply and production chains but are also reshaping centres of global power in unexpected ways. At the same time, polarising political narratives surrounding climate action are complicating the development of coherent environmental policies and intensifying geopolitical frictions, influencing how states position themselves within the emerging energy landscape. LSE IDEAS proposes to examine the ongoing impact of the energy transition through a series of events aimed at unpacking key features of this world in the making and the role that the energy transition has in that process. 📆Thursday 26 November, 6-7pm 🎤Maximilian Lakitsch, Prof. Chris Alden ⬇️Read More lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/the-g…

🌏FREE EVENT | The Geopolitics of Climate Change: Rethinking Peace in the Antropocene Dr Lakitsch will discuss how political power, legitimacy and environment are altogether becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the wake of climate crisis. Particularly, he will talk about a political ecology of peace that seeks to adapt international peace efforts to the conditions of the Anthropocene and to thereby make them more effective and sustainable. 📆Thursday 26 November, 6-7pm 🎤Maximilian Lakitsch is a Senior Scientist (Lecturer) at the Department of the Foundations of Law (Global Governance Section) at the University of Graz. He researches and teaches in the field of peace studies and international relations. ⬇️Read More lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/the-g…

📰Propaganda is not always something audiences simply watch, read or listen to. Increasingly, it is something they are invited to experience. In a new China Dialogues piece, Frederik Schmitz examines the rise of “propaformance” in China: a form of participatory propaganda that turns official historical narratives into embodied and emotional experiences. From frozen-potato challenges inspired by The Battle at Lake Changjin to immersive Long March performances and virtual reality experiences, the article explores how the boundaries between propaganda, entertainment and historical memory are becoming increasingly blurred. It also raises a wider question: what happens when audiences become participants in producing and reproducing official narratives, rather than merely consuming them? ⬇️Read the full piece: blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2026/10/… #China #Propaganda #HistoricalMemory #PoliticalCommunication

📣FREE EVENT | Launch of the LSE Economic Diplomacy Commission LSE IDEAS is delighted to launch the Economic Diplomacy Commission, a platform for applied, cross-disciplinary work on economic diplomacy. As trade, finance, technology, and supply chains become ever more entangled with national security and geopolitics, the Commission asks what role diplomacy now plays in the pursuit of economic ends, and what role economic tools play in the pursuit of diplomatic ones. Approaching these questions from a practitioner’s vantage point and drawing in perspectives too often left out of global debates—including those of the Global South, middle powers and smaller states—the Commission will produce case studies, convene candid exchange between scholars and practitioners, and translate research into practical insight for those who engage in economic diplomacy. This launch event introduces the Commission’s purpose and programme of work and brings together leading voices to discuss economic diplomacy in a fragmented global order. 📆 Thursday 3 December 2026 | 6pm - 7.30pm ⬇️More Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/launc…

📝Urban violence and security in Latin American and Caribbean cities: continuities and change shaping new policy frontiers This working paper, by Gareth A. Jones and Alexandra Abello Colak, is published as a CAF-LSE special issue of the Global South Unit Working Paper Series. It examines the drivers behind recent shifts in the dynamics of urban violence, crime, and insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean. It places particular emphasis on the persistent vulnerability of young people and communities in the face of these evolving threats, and analyses how governments across the region have responded. The Paper contributes to a more people-centred, institutionally coordinated and system-oriented policy for violence reduction and integral security that is context-relevant and do not solely target the visible symptoms of the problem, but also its drivers and enablers. ⬇️Read Here researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/…

🖥️FREE EVENT | Taiwan’s AI Moment: Chips, Compute, and the Global South Taiwan occupies a critical node in the global AI economy, producing many of the advanced semiconductors and processors that underpin the current AI boom. But as governments race to build domestic AI infrastructure and diversify technology supply chains, Taiwan’s role is becoming increasingly global. How can Taiwan translate its semiconductor leadership into broader international influence? What role can Taiwanese firms play in the development of AI infrastructure across emerging markets? And how will intensifying U.S.–China competition shape Taiwan’s technological partnerships with the Global South? Former Legislative Yuan member Jason Hsu, now a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, will discuss Taiwan’s place in the global AI ecosystem and how Taipei can leverage its technological strengths to expand its international space. 📆Thursday 19 November 2026 | 6.30pm - 8pm ⬇️Register Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/taiwa…

📝Bridging the critical minerals divide: aligning supply security and producer-country development Written by Dr. @binettibruno, this brief develops some of the main themes that emerged from a roundtable co-organised by @e3g and LSE IDEAS during London Climate Action Week in June 2026. The discussion brought together policymakers, industry representatives, financial institutions, academics and civil society experts to examine how critical-minerals partnerships can better reconcile the supply-security priorities of importing economies with the development and industrial ambitions of resource-rich countries. ⬇️Read Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/publications…

📣FREE EVENT | Taiwan’s AI Moment: Chips, Compute, and the Global South How can Taiwan leverage its semiconductor leadership to expand its global influence? Join Hudson Institute’s Jason Hsu to explore Taiwan’s role in the AI economy. 📆 19th November 2026, 4-6pm ⬇️Read More lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/taiwa…

🌏FREE EVENT | The Geopolitics of Climate Change: Rethinking Peace in the Antropocene Dr Lakitsch will discuss how political power, legitimacy and environment are altogether becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the wake of climate crisis. Particularly, he will talk about a political ecology of peace that seeks to adapt international peace efforts to the conditions of the Anthropocene and to thereby make them more effective and sustainable. 📆Thursday 26 November, 6-7pm ⬇️Read More lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/the-g…

📣FREE EVENT | Sea change: the new great game in the Arctic circle Award-winning journalist Rana Foroohar will discuss her latest book, Sea Change , exploring the growing geopolitical and economic importance of the Arctic and the competition between the US, Russia, and China for influence in the region. The event will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. 📆Thursday 22 October 2026, 6.30pm - 8pm ⬇️Register Here lse.ac.uk/international-rela…

Brazil’s critical minerals are often described as a source of new leverage in the green transition. In a new China Dialogues piece, Gustavo Alejandro Cardozo asks whether that leverage is real - and what Brazil would need to do to use it. Looking at BYD’s investment in Bahia, the Serra Verde rare earth sale, the CBMM niobium precedent and Brazil’s new critical minerals law, he argues that US–China rivalry may increase demand for Brazilian minerals, but it does not automatically decide where value is created. Without deliberate industrial policy, Brazil risks reproducing an older pattern in greener form: exporting raw or semi-processed materials while refining, component manufacture, technical standards and higher-value stages remain elsewhere. ⬇️Read the full piece: blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2026/10/… #Brazil #China #CriticalMinerals #EnergyTransition #IndustrialPolicy #Geoeconomics

🎧Green Political Economy || LSE IDEAS Event, 13th October 2026 Professor Falkner discusses how geopolitics is reshaping the political economy of the global green transition, by discussing the analysis and the findings of his forthcoming book titled “Green Political Economy”. ⬇️Watch Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/podcasts/gre…

📢 We’re hiring: Project Coordinator - Economic Diplomacy Commission Interested in economic diplomacy, international affairs and policy research? LSE IDEAS is looking for a Project Coordinator to support the delivery and development of its Economic Diplomacy Commission. This role requires a combination of project management, research commissioning and editorial coordination, stakeholder engagement, events management and communications, with a strong understanding of economic diplomacy and the wider international affairs environment. 📍LSE, London 🕒 Part-time, approx. 10 hours per week 💷 £21.37 per hour (including holiday pay) 📝 6 months, with the possibility of extension Application Deadline: Friday 23 October 2026 ⬇️Learn More on How to Apply lse.ac.uk/ideas/about/join/p… #Hiring #EconomicDiplomacy #InternationalAffairs #PolicyResearch #LSEIDEAS

🍃FREE EVENT: Green Political Economy Join Professor Robert Falkner for a conversation examining the ongoing impact of the energy transition. This series of events, hosted by the Geopolitics of Climate Change project, aims to unpack key features of this world in the making and the role that the energy transition has in that process. 📆 October 13th 2026, 6pm-7pm 🎤 Professor Robert Falkner, Professor Chris Alden ⬇️ Register Here lse.ac.uk/ideas/events/green…