The Public Sphere: Journal of Public Policy

In the UK, local government touches almost every aspect of daily life. From housing and transport to social care and planning, yet local elections rarely command the attention they deserve. With the May 7th local elections on the horizon, questions about the health of local democracy, the political shifts underway across the country, and what it actually means to represent a community have never felt more relevant.In this episode, we explore the importance of local government and elections in the UK with Professor Tony Travers, CBE, one of the country's foremost experts on British politics and local government. The conversation is hosted by Shad Hoshyar, a student at LSE's School of Public Policy and a council candidate in the Little Venice ward, bringing together academic as well as frontline experience. Join us as we discuss the state of local democracy, what this year's elections could mean for British politics, and why local government matters more than most of us realise.Recording Date: April 15, 2026Host: Shad Hoshyar, MPA 2nd Year, LSE School of Public PolicyGuest: Professor Tony Travers, CBE, London School of Economics Production: Kartik Sanade and Abhishek Sudke | PSJ Podcast Team, School of Public Policy Music by AudioCoffee: ⁠⁠https://www.audiocoffee.net/⁠⁠

Why did countries with pandemic preparedness plans struggle during COVID-19 while others succeeded? Why do billions in development aid fail to improve lives? The answer sometimes isn't bad policy or insufficient funding. It's state capacity.In this episode, we explore why governments struggle to deliver on their promises with Dr. Joana Naritomi, economist and Deputy Dean at LSE's School of Public Policy. Drawing from her work on the London Consensus, we examine determinants of state capacity, how to go about diagnosing it and why the implementation of policy is something every policymaker needs to keep in mind even at the planning stage.Recording Date: November 20, 2025Host: Kartik Sanade - Lead Editor - The Public Sphere Journal, LSE School of Public PolicyGuest: Dr. Joana Naritomi - Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs - LSE School of Public Policy - https://joananaritomi.comProduction: Leonardo Luksic, Kartik Sanade, and Muawiya Mahomed | PSJ Podcast Team, School of Public PolicyMusic by AudioCoffee: ⁠https://www.audiocoffee.net/⁠

A provocative article by Barry Eichengreen questions whether the dollar can remain the "King of Currencies." But how fragile is the global medium of exchange system really, and could Trump's policies destabilize it? LSE Department of Economics Professor Ethan Ilzetzki joins Achilles Tsirgis to explore the historical rise of the dollar, what has sustained its dominance, and whether the Euro or Renminbi could emerge as credible alternatives.

How will US Tariffs affect monetary policy in the EU? Will Germany's ambitious fiscal reforms lead to a spillover in the architecture of the Stability and Growth Pact? LSE Professor Paul De Grauwe of the European Institute joins Achilles Tsirgis to decipher just what the recent evolutions might bring upon the EU.