LSE IQ is a monthly podcast from the London School of Economics and Political Science. This is the podcast where we ask some of the leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer intelligent questions about economics, politics or society. To subscribe on Apple Podcasts please visit - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/lse-iq-podcast/id1223817465 Or search for 'LSE IQ' in your favourite podcast app or add our RSS feed -http://www.lse.ac.uk/assets/richmedia/webFeeds/lseiqpodcast_iT ...
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Can science fiction save the world? Author and filmmaker, Mikel J. Wisler, explores the themes and ideas presented in a wide range of sci-fi movies and books from various time periods. Convinced that sci-fi is the most naturally philosophical genre, Wisler invites everyone from die-hard fans to casual observers to dive into meaningful conversations about how sci-fi helps us think about our future, brings up challenging scenarios, and forces us to ask big questions. Support this podcast: http ...
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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 kind of possibilities does this new space age bring—and what dangers should we be worried about? Can any nation seize possession of the moon? Could it be mined? …
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What’s it like to win a Nobel Prize?
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While there are always rumours about who might win a Nobel Prize every year, there is no short list for the globally revered academic awards. This means that winning one always comes as a complete surprise. In this episode of LSE iQ, we explore what it’s like to win the prestigious prize and how it changes your life.The Nobel Prizes were establishe…
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How can we solve the gender pay gap?
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This episode of LSE iQ explores whether gender pay gap reporting, pay transparency and tackling gender norms can reduce the gender pay gap. On average across the globe, for every pound earned by a man, a woman earns around 80 pence, according to a 2023 report from the United Nations. But despite huge advances in access to education, the labour mark…
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Will the US remain the world's superpower?
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A shining city on a hill. America the beautiful. The United States has long been mythologised as the land of dreams and opportunity. And since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s it has been undisputedly the most powerful nation on earth. But is it a fading force? The idea of an America in decline has gained traction in recent years and…
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China, war and the civilizational state
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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? For the late Professor Christopher Coker the answer lay in the rise of a new political entity, the civilizational state. In an episode of LSE iQ which explored Ch…
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Are we on the verge of a weight-loss revolution?
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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?Joanna Bale talks to Helen, who found Ozempic ‘life-changing’, Clinical Psychologist Sarah Appleton, and LSE’s Nikki Sullivan & Paul Frijters.Research links:The relationship between obesity a…
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Why do so many people mistakenly think they are working class? | Extra iQ
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More than one in four people in the UK, from solidly middle-class backgrounds, mistakenly think of themselves as working-class. Why is this? In this episode of Extra iQ, a shorter style of the LSE iQ podcast, Sue Windebank speaks to Sam Friedman, a sociologist of class and inequality at LSE to find out more. Sam spoke to the podcast in November 202…
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This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we tackle loneliness?’. According to the Office for National Statistics, 7.1 per cent of adults in Great Britain - nearly 4 million people - say they 'often or always' feel lonely. Look around you when you’re in a crowded place – a supermarket or an office - 1 in 14 of the people you’re looking at are likely to…
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This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘Can we change the world?’ Experts will discuss how change isn't as straightforward as we'd like it to be – How it can be all in the timing and that, at times, you just need to wait for the right moment to make change happen. We’ll hear from an academic striving to become a Member of Parliament and make change from with…
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What’s it like to be criminalised for being gay?
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What’s it like to be criminalised for being gay?Homosexuality is illegal in just over a third of countries across the globe. Some nations, like Barbados, have recently repealed anti-gay laws, but others, like Uganda, have just introduced the death penalty.Joanna Bale talks to LSE’s Dr Ryan Centner about how Western gay men living in Dubai create co…
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Is AI coming for our Jobs? by LSE PodcastsAf LSE Podcasts
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This month we’re re-running an episode from 2021 which asks, ‘What’s it like to be an animal?’ Since this episode was recorded the UK Animal Welfare Act 2022 has become law. This extends animal welfare protections to animals such as octopuses, lobsters and crabs - a direct result of the findings of LSE academic Dr Jonathan Birch – featured in this …
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How can we make homes more affordable?
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This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How can we make homes more affordable?’ We’ll hear how planning restrictions established in the 1700s are still preventing development on some of London’s most valuable land. Experts will set out why we can’t afford to not build on the greenbelts that circle some of our major cities. And an Executive Director will expl…
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How can we solve the refugee crisis?
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The UK government could soon be sending some asylum-seekers on a one-way flight to Rwanda as part of a controversial strategy to deter those crossing the English Channel on small boats. 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 id…
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Do we always need to pay our debts?
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Borrowing is a fundamental part of our world, but with millions considered over-indebted before the pandemic and a deepening cost of living crisis fueled by stagnating wages and high inflation, for many the burden of debt looks only set to increase. This month, LSE iQ asks “Do we always need to pay our debts?”, exploring the reasons people might fi…
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Gaming has become a normal part of many people's everyday lives, from mobile to console games it is easier than ever to be a gamer. But how do online games affect us? This month, LSE iQ asks: Can gaming make us happier? We talk about online abuse in gaming and the toxic nature of some gamers and how a location-based game like Pokémon Go gently nudg…
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This episode of LSE iQ asks, ‘How does class define us?’ It examines how we wear and reveal our social class in English society today. Do accents really matter? Is it enough to imitate one supposed ‘social betters’ to achieve social mobility? What cost is there to the individual who changes their social status?Sue Windebank talks to an LSE Law stud…
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How can we survive the next mass extinction?
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Sea levels are rising, carbon emissions are increasing and deforestation is continuing at an alarming rate. Human created climate change is drastically reshaping life on earth, with up to 75% of the diversity of the species on our planet on their way to becoming extinct. This month, LSE iQ asks: How can we survive the next mass extinction? We’ll di…
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Capitalism and free markets have lifted billions out of poverty across the globe. But it is also blamed for widening the gap between rich and poor - with increasing numbers of people feeling left behind. Joanna Bale talks to Lea Ypi, David Hope, Julian Limberg and Tomila Lankina about defining freedom, debunking trickle-down economics and defying t…
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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. As food and energy prices soar, it’s predicted that the demand for food banks will reach record highs as those on low incomes and benefits face an uphill battle to make ends meet. Joanna Bale talks to LSE’s Aaron Reeves and…
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Do we need the arts to change the world?
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This episode of LSE iQ asks do we need the arts to change the world? As the UK government looks to recover from the costs of the pandemic its decision to cut funding for creative higher education courses could be seen as a pragmatic response to the changed world or a short-signted move. LSE IQ talks to researchers who have used the creative arts to…
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The idea of ‘following your passion’ is widespread in popular culture and on social media. With the pandemic having given many people pause to reflect on meaning in their own lives, this episode of LSE iQ asks whether the advice to ‘follow you heart’ or to ‘find your calling’, is good advice. We’ll learn how following a calling turned one LSE gradu…
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Welcome to LSE IQ, where we work with academics to bring you their latest research and ideas. 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.We find out the real reasons mums leave the workforce, deep dive into the media…
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What does the post-pandemic future hold for office workers? Will we drift back to old ways of working, or continue with hybrid/remote working? What do the experts advise on how best to adapt?Joanna Bale talks to LSE’s Connson Locke, Grace Lordan and Carsten Sorensen, as well as Hailley Griffis, a social media management company executive, who belie…
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Welcome back to a new season of LSE IQ, where we work with academics to bring you their latest research and ideas.In this episode, I’ll be asking What is it like to be an animal? We’ll travel to the local park to find out how smart dogs are, we’ll hear about a campaign arguing that chimpanzees are animals deserving of their own rights and, finally,…
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030 Subscribed Short Film - Or How I Got Diana Porter to Directing My Script
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Because I love science fiction, I don't just talk about it. Occasionally, I write sci-fi stories. And because I used to be a narrative filmmaker, I still pick up and camera and do a little cinematography. In this episode, I invite actor and director Diana Porter to discuss with me why she agreed to direct and star in "Subscribed," this short film I…
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029 The Tomorrow War - Movie Discussion with Chris Wong & Naa Dodoo
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The Tomorrow War offers us big-budget sci-fi with hand-wavy time travel and deadly aliens. What's not to love? On this episode, I invite a couple of friends who also love a good sci-fi flick to join me for a lively discussion about the merits and flaws of this tropy action movie. Be warned, we discuss the move at length, so expect a lot of spoilers…
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Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?
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Conspiracy theories fomented by political division and a global pandemic have gained traction in the public consciousness in the last couple of years. For some people these ideas are just fun and entertaining, but for others their interest in them becomes much more consuming. Why do people become involved in this kind of conspiratorial thinking? Th…
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028 Octavia Cade, The Stone Weta, and Protecting Climate Change Data
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Author and science communication specialist Octavia Cade joins me for an important conversation about climate change, effective communication of science to the public, and protecting data and scientific integrity in a world driven by politics and profit margins. In this challenging and eye-opening episode, Cade and I discuss the real-world inspirat…
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027 Terri Favro and 100 Years of Robots
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Author Terri Favro joins me to discuss her non-fiction book, Generation Robot, which gives us a look back at the history of robotics and AI and a well-researched look forward into what lies ahead in the coming decades. Science fiction has given us a wide range of views on robots. But has sci-fi really got it right? What will happen if we succeed in…
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026 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Review
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Andy Weir, author of The Martian, has a new novel out, Project Hail Mary. In this episode, I dive into what works and what doesn't about this book, how Weir has given us a better character journey, and more. Weir returns to some familiar territory with this plausible hard SF adventure. First 20-minutes are spoiler free. Join the discussion on Disco…
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What does it really mean to be a citizen?
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To subscribe on Apple podcasts please visit apple.co/2r40QPA or on Andriod http://subscribeonandroid.com/www.lse.ac.uk/assets/richmedia/webFeeds/lseiqpodcast_iTunesStore.xml or search for 'LSE IQ' in your favourite podcast app or visit lse.ac.uk/iqWelcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other exp…
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025 Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee and the Golden Age of SF
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Author Alec Nevala-Lee stops by to discuss his monumental biography of the early days of science fiction. His book, Astounding, details the rise of SF through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This was the age of a magazine called Astounding, today known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In those early decades, John W. Campbell served as editor of Astound…
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024 - What Makes Good Science Fiction - Advice from Ben Bova and Orson Scott Card
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Orson Scott Card and the late Ben Bova are two giants of the science fiction literary world. Bova has long been one of my favorite authors and his Grand Tour books have been an enormous influence on me. I recently dug up some solid advice from established professionals in the SF writing world and I found Card and Bova had both written books on writ…
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023 Professor Sherryl Vint and Using SF to Make Sense of the World
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Sherryl Vint teaches Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside and has written several books exploring the various philosophical and cultural aspects of science fiction. Her latest book, Science Fiction, published as part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. This latest book is a guide for the casual sci-fi fa…
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022 Stowaway - Netflix Movie Review
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Have you seen the new Netflix sci-fi thriller, Stowaway? In this episode, I review the movie and discuss what worked and what didn't about it and why I want to see more movies like this made. The first portion of the episode is spoiler free, so even if you haven't seen the movie, you can listen to the first part and get a sense of whether this is s…
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Do algorithms have too much power?
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Computer algorithms shape our lives and increasingly control our future. They have crept into virtually every aspect of modern life and are making life-changing choices on our behalf, often without us realising. But how much power should we give to them and have we let things go too far? Joanna Bale talks to Ken Benoit, Andrew Murray, Seeta Peña Ga…
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021 Machinehood by S.B. Divya and the world of 2095
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S.B. Divya's debut novel, Machinehood, is a thrill ride of plausible future conflict between developing AI and augmented human beings who have given up privacy and now rely on daily updates to their medication to combat designer viruses and remain competitive in the gig marketplace. Divya is also the co-editor of Escape Pod, which is a science fict…
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020 The Last Circus on Earth by B.P. Marshall
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We didn't reverse climate change. The world is a barren husk of what it once was. And yet, humanity persists. Traveling between towns, villages, and cities, a circus cuts through Europe, delivering entertainment. But much there is a darker reality to this circus, and their trek to Asia is either hopeless venture or will be the spark of a new humani…
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019 Flights of Foundry Con Recap & Excited News!
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This past weekend I got to attend (virtually) the Flights of Foundry 2021 con. It was fantastic and I feel so energized by it. Why is that? Well, grab a coffee or tea, and let's chat. From networking with fellow speculative fiction creators to jointly launching a new subgenre of science fiction, Flight of Foundry was a remarkable experience, and it…
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018 Frank Wu, Analog Sci-Fi Magazine, and Octopi meets AI
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Sci-fi author and artist, Frank Wu, joins me for a lively, hilarious, and very informative conversation about how he got his first story published in one of my favorite science fiction magazines, Analog. We also dive into how his award-winning story, "In the Absence of Instructions to the Contrary," which truly one of the best short stories I've ev…
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017 Neuroscience and Storytelling - A Conversation with Chris Wong
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What can we learn from neuroscience and psychology about the narratives we create, how mailable memories are, and how our drive for survival shapes our response to life? Chris Wong, therapist and adult education specialist, joins me for a lively follow-up discussion to episode 014 about the neuroscience of storytelling. We explore how trauma shapes…
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016 Devs - The Hulu Original Mini Series That Questions Reality
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When my coworker, Mike Palumbo, told me I needed to check out Devs on Hulu because it was "my kind of sci-fi" that stuck with me. Well, I finally checked it out and boy, was he right. So I invited Mike to come on to the podcast to discuss this twisted, suspenseful, deeply philosophical mini series. This is a long discussion meant for folks who have…
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015 Saturn Run - The Political Impact of First Contact
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This hard sci-fi thriller stares unflinchingly into the political ramifications of discovering we are not alone in this universe. The discovery launches a new space race with a winner-takes-all approach to securing alien tech and science. What can we learn from this novel and why do I wish more politicians were reading Saturn Run? Check out my rece…
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Scroungers versus Strivers: the myth of the welfare state
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To subscribe on Apple podcasts please visit apple.co/2r40QPA or on Andriod subscribeonandroid.com/www.lse.ac.uk…unesStore.xml or search for 'LSE IQ' in your favourite podcast app or visit lse.ac.uk/iqWelcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about e…
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014 Why Does Storytelling Matter? - How Researching Neuroscience Convinced Me
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Yes, I love science fiction. But even more foundational than my affinity for this wonderful genre is the fact that I love storytelling. It's what I do for my day job (documentary film) and my side hustle (sci-fi novels and this podcast). So yes, I love storytelling. But turns out that there are deep reasons storytelling has been an integral part of…
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013 The Loop by Ben Oliver - Is this the new Hunger Games?
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The Loop by Ben Oliver has been called "the new Hunger Games" by some. But does it live up to this bold claim? I checked out this brand new young adult dystopian futuristic thriller. In this episode, I dive into The Loop and discuss what works and what doesn't. I also discuss a couple of graphic novels I just read: Mooncop and Wonder Woman: Tempest…
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012 Seveneves by Neal Stephenson - Is the human race worth saving?
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In one of the most epic sci-fi novels I've come across, Neal Stephenson takes on the long-term survival of the species after a freak event destroys the moon and dooms the planet to an eventual catastrophic rain of fire from the sky that will render the Earth unhabitable for thousands of years. At the core of this type of science fiction are questio…
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To subscribe on Apple podcasts please visit apple.co/2r40QPA or on Andriod subscribeonandroid.com/www.lse.ac.uk…unesStore.xml or search for 'LSE IQ' in your favourite podcast app or visit lse.ac.uk/iqWelcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about e…
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What’s the point of social science in a pandemic?
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To subscribe on Apple podcasts please visit apple.co/2r40QPA or on Andriod subscribeonandroid.com/www.lse.ac.uk…unesStore.xml or search for 'LSE IQ' in your favourite podcast app or visit lse.ac.uk/iqWelcome to LSE's award-winning podcast, LSE IQ, where we ask leading social scientists - and other experts - to answer an intelligent question about e…
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