LSE: The Ballpark | US-China relations in an era of illiberalism with Dr Scott Kennedy

Should we take hypnotherapy more seriously?

From stage-show stereotypes to life-changing treatment, this episode explores the science - and the myths - behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy. We uncover extraordinary stories of addiction recovery, pain relief, and everyday healing from a form of talking therapy that remains widely misunderstood. Asking whether we should take hypnotherapy more seriously, Joanna Bale talks to LSE anthropologist Dr Nick Long, who spent 18 months researching hypnosis and hypnotherapy in Indonesia. There, hypnotic practices are woven into everyday life - used in classrooms, homes and communities to calm, encourage and connect. In the UK, by contrast, hypnotherapy remains marginalised and constrained by cultural suspicion, despite recognition from the NHS. Joanna also speaks to Amanda Joy, who left the NHS to retrain as a hypnotherapist after witnessing hypnosis succeed in relieving pain where conventional medicine had failed. And Sarah Ibrahim shares a moving personal account of how hypnotherapy helped her break free from a cocaine addiction that had gripped her for two decades. These powerful first-hand testimonies help to illuminate what hypnosis really is, what it might be capable of, and why we may be too quick to dismiss it. Contributors Nick Long [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/nicholas-long] Amanda Joy [https://www.joyfulmindmentor.com/] Sarah Ibrahim [https://uk.linkedin.com/in/masteryourinnerpower] Research Suggestions of power: searching for efficacy in Indonesia’s hypnosis boom [https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/83769/] by Nick Long Therapeutic aQompaniments: Walking together in hypnotherapy—and ethnography [https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/etho.70004] by Nick Long

Should animals have rights?

From the pets we love to the animals we rarely see, our relationship with non-human life is full of contradictions. In this episode, we explore what it really means to protect animals and whether welfare is enough, or if rights are the way forward. Beginning with a simple question inspired by my own dog, Pip, this episode moves from the personal to the global. Through conversations with experts including Jeff Sebo, Jonathan Birch, Jo-Anne McArthur and Carrie Friese, we examine how ideas about sentience, law, and ethics are shaping the future of animal protection. In this episode of LSE iQ, Mike Wilkerson asks: Should animals have rights? This year’s #LSEFestival, taking place from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026, will explore the impact of these global challenges, and how individuals, communities, organisations, corporations, and those with political power should be tackling them to save the planet! Find out more info and browse the programme here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/LSE-Festival/2026 [https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/LSE-Festival/2026]

How can we be more resilient?

We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news. But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investment firm SkyBridge Capital, and has since become a prominent political commentator — including co‑hosting The Rest Is Politics: US podcast with the BBC’s Katty Kay. How do we keep going when life delivers an unexpected blow? How do we protect our mental health, rebuild after setbacks, and strengthen our resilience reserves? In this episode of LSE iQ, Sue Windebank asks: How can we be more resilient? She speaks to Anthony Scaramucci about what it takes to ‘bounce back’ after public failure. She also speaks to Dr Grace Lordan, economist and founding director of the Inclusion Initiative at LSE, and hears about key behavioural insights that can help build resilience — from managing our inner critic to taking practical steps that boost our capacity to recover and thrive. Contributors Grace Lordan [https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/grace-lordan] Anthony Scaramucci [https://www.skybridge.com/#/bio/1929] Research Think Big, Take small steps and build the future you want [https://www.gracelordan.com/think-big] by Grace Lordan. From Wall Street to the White House and back, The Scaramucci guide to unbreakable resilience [https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/From-Wall-Street-to-the-White-House-and-Back/Anthony-Scaramucci/9781637584637] by Anthony Scaramucci.

Why 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 Noble Associated research The effects of unemployment on fertility [https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/109007/] (2021)

Are jobs getting better?

What does the future of work really look like?