London School of Economics and Political Science

London School of Economics and Political Science
motto	Rerum cognoscere causas " Knowing the causes of things"
founding	1895
Sponsorship	state
place	London , UK
management	Nemat Shafik (Director), Anne Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Royal (Chancellor)
Students	11960 (2018)
Employee	3000 (2018)
Annual budget	£ 354m (2017-2018)
Networks	Russell group
Website	www.lse.ac.uk

The university logo

The London School of Economics and Political Science (also known as the London School of Economics or LSE for short ) is a public university in London , United Kingdom, founded in 1895 . In her subject area, social , political and economic sciences , she will again be ranked second in the world in 2020, after Harvard and ahead of Oxford and Cambridge . A quarter of all Nobel prizes in economics awarded to date have been awarded to winners associated with the London School of Economics.

Together with the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and University College London , the London School of Economics forms the so-called group of the “G-5 super- top universities ” in England. She is a member of the Russell Group , the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association , the Community of European Management Schools , the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs and Universities UK , as well as part of the University of London .

There are 25 departments and 22 research institutions. Her range of subjects includes a. Economics , political science , history , law , philosophy and sociology . Around 2,000 people, including professors, are employed at the university. Around 9,600 students are currently enrolled. The London School of Economics is located in central London in the City of Westminster on the border between Covent Garden and Holborn .

history

founding

Beatrice and Sidney Webb

The London School of Economics emerged in 1894 from an agreement between various members of the Fabian Society , including Beatrice Webb , Sidney Webb , George Bernard Shaw and Graham Wallas . The founding at this point in time was accompanied by lively social discussions about class differences and new ways of social progress. According to the self-image of the Fabian Society, the research at the newly created institution should serve the reformist and gradual enlightenment of a modern economic and political elite, explicitly also from the working class. The predecessor of today's Paris Sciences Po (Institut d'études politiques de Paris) served as a model . A £ 20,000 bequest from attorney Henry Hunt Hutchinson, also a member of the Society, was donated to the Fabian Society. The Trustees authorized its use the following year and the first lectures were held in classrooms on John Street, City of Westminster , in October 1895 .

20th century

In 1900 the London School of Economics became formally part of the University of London and from now on represented its economics faculty. After a rapid expansion, the faculty moved several times until it moved to its current address, Houghton Street, in 1920. After King George V laid the foundation stone of the main building, the Old Building opened its doors in 1922. The range of subjects was expanded to include geography, international relations, philosophy and law. The university's coat of arms was adopted in February 1922. The Latin saying Rerum cognoscere causas , inspired by Virgil , was added at the suggestion of Edwin Cannan .

With Friedrich A. Hayek , the London School of Economics became a center of economic theoretical discourse by the 1930s at the latest. Famous in the academic world is the dispute between Hayek as a proponent of the Austrian School on the one hand and his counterpart John Maynard Keynes , then at the University of Cambridge , as an advocate of the state-influenced welfare state on the other. The academic discourse between the two institutions, however, touched on the fundamental question of whether economics should serve a more practically oriented, applicable knowledge or whether the theoretical-holistic approach is more desirable. In the 1920s, the London School of Economics under Lionel Robbins advocated the establishment of a separate department for economic history, while the economists at the “ Cambridge School ” insisted on an integrative approach.

The London School of Economics has traditionally had considerable influence on philosophy as well. With Karl Popper here long years taught one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. Among his students were Paul Feyerabend and Imre Lakatos , who then held a professorship at the London School of Economics for 14 years. The Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method is accordingly regarded by specialist colleagues as the world leader in decision theory and philosophy of science , especially in the philosophy of social sciences .

During the bombing of London in World War II, the faculty was housed in Peterhouse College at the University of Cambridge .

21st century

The Old Building, main building of the university

In the more recent past the London School of Economics emerged as a modern starting point for the “Third Way” represented by Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, among other things through the activities of the sociologist Anthony Giddens . The economist and climate researcher Nicholas Stern , author of the Stern Report, teaches at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, founded in 2008 . In the 21st century, the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded three times to researchers from the London School of Economics, most recently to Christopher A. Pissarides in 2010 .

Controversy

In February 2011, American hedge fund manager John Paulson announced that it would provide over £ 2.5 million to establish a professorship at the London School of Economics on the future of European finance. And in the same month the London School of Economics also hit the headlines in German and international media after the university management canceled a discussion of the LSE German Society with Thilo Sarrazin at short notice.

Also in February 2011 - during the uprising in Libya - the London School of Economics came under fire for having awarded Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi a doctorate in 2008 . There were indications of plagiarism in the dissertation (title "The role of civil society in the democratisation of global governance institutions. From 'soft power' to collective decision-making?", Supervisor Meghnad Desai ) and doubts about the authorship 2009 Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation (GICDF) donation of £ 1.5 million to the London School of Economics for a research program related to North Africa by the LSE Institute, Center for the Study of Global Governance Gaddafi had studied, benefited and by then had received £ 300,000. On March 3, 2011, director Howard Davies resigned because of the affair. The University of London responsible for awarding Gaddafi the doctoral degree came to the conclusion in November 2011 that the degree would not be withdrawn.

32 Lincoln's Inn Fields, seat of the Department of Economics

The New Academic Building, seat of the Department of Management

Location and campus

The Old Curiosity Shop, across from the Students' Union Building

In 1920, King George V consecrated . the oldest university building, which today bears the name Old Building . This building still functions as the central university building, even though the campus has expanded many times over in the 20th century. There are currently about 30 buildings belonging to the university itself, mainly between Kingsway and Aldwych . In addition to teaching and research facilities, the university has eleven student residences, which are spread across the city of London. The university campus includes sports fields in Berrylands in south London. The university campus houses individual installations and works by well-known artists, including Richard Wilson's Square the Block , Michael Brown's Blue Rain , and Christopher Le Brun's Desert Window .

The university is home to the British Library of Political and Economic Science . It is the world's largest specialized library for social and economic sciences and, after the British Library at Kings Cross, the largest contiguous library in Great Britain. The current British Library of Political and Economic Science was designed by the architect Sir Norman Foster .

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh opened the New Academic Building, restructured by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw . In addition to seminar and meeting rooms, this houses a conference room for public events of the university. The Saw Swee Hock Student Center was opened in 2014 and has been the seat of the university Students' Union ever since . It has gained recognition for its architecture among experts and has been awarded numerous prizes. By 2018, the architecture firm Rogers Stirk Harbor & Partners is working on a campus expansion that will include the Department of Government, International Relations and the European Institute.

Location and connection

The London School of Economics is located in the City of Westminster , on the border between Covent Garden and Holborn . Located in the so-called Midtown district on the north side of the Thames, the university also borders Camden and the City of London .

The closest London Underground stations are Holborn , Temple and Covent Garden. Charing Cross , the geographic center of London near Trafalgar Square , is within walking distance. The City Thameslink entrance on Ludgate Hill is the nearest train station, while London Waterloo is on the other side of the Thames. Buses to Aldwych, Kingsway and the Royal Courts of Justice refer to the exit from the London School of Economics.

Northumberland House

Academic profile

Student body

With an admission rate of 6.5%, the London School of Economics is one of the most selective universities in the world, ahead of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge . On average, there are almost 14 applicants for a Bachelor's degree at the London School of Economics. Today around 85% of all students at the London School of Economics are non- UK . This makes the London School of Economics one of the most international universities in the world with more nationalities represented than in the United Nations . With around 500 German students annually, the London School of Economics has one of the largest German student associations outside Germany, the LSE German Society .

Degree programs and partnerships

The university currently offers 140 MSc, 31 BSc, 5 MPA and 4 BA courses in the field of social sciences and philosophy as well as the LLB and LLM in law. There are research collaborations and exchange programs with the universities of Chicago , Yale , Columbia , Berkeley , Beijing , the National University of Singapore , Science Po Paris , Hertie School of Governance Berlin and Oxford, among others .

research

According to the state Research Excellence Framework from 2014, the London School of Economics has the highest proportion of world-class research of any British university. The university is home to numerous research institutions. These include the Center for the Analysis of Social Exclusion, the Center for Climate Change Economics and Policy, the Center for Macroeconomics, the Financial Markets Group (founded by the Bank of England ), the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (chaired by Lord Stern ), LSE Cities (funded by Deutsche Bank ), the UK Department for International Development funded by the International Growth Center and one of the six government-funded 'What Works Centers' - the What Works Center for Local Economic Growth .

reputation

Houghton Street

Over forty current or former heads of state and government have studied at the London School of Economics. The English newspaper The Guardian attests that the London School of Economics has "more influence on the current political world than any other university on earth". In the English-speaking world, it is one of the most academically renowned universities in its field of research. The American Fulbright Commission certifies it "the best social science education there is".

Rankings

All internationally recognized university rankings consistently position the London School of Economics at the top of the world for economics and social sciences. In 2019, she achieved second place in the QS rankings worldwide , seventh place in THE rankings , and eighth place in the Academic Ranking of World Universities . In the field of social and administrative sciences, the university even made it to number 1 in the world rankings.

In British newspapers, the London School of Economics, despite its focus on selected subjects, is consistently ranked among the top four academic institutions in the UK. In the field of economics and social sciences, it is traditionally considered the leading institution in Europe , along with Oxford and Cambridge . According to a study published in 2014, the London School of Economics has trained eleven billionaires to date - more than any other European university. Graduates from the London School of Economics earn on average higher salaries than graduates from any other UK university.

Personalities

→ Main article : List of people associated with the London School of Economics

• 

  Karl Popper , British-Austrian philosopher of science and logician

• 

  John F. Kennedy , 35th President of the United States of America

• 

  Amartya Sen , Indian economist, philosopher and Nobel Prize winner

• 

  Anthony Giddens , British sociologist

• 

  Paul Krugman , American economist and Nobel Prize winner

• 

  Ursula von der Leyen , President of the European Commission

In addition to 19 associated Nobel Prize winners and 37 former or current heads of state , the graduates of the London School of Economics include personalities such as the former Italian Prime Minister and EU Commission President Romano Prodi , Reich Chancellor Heinrich Brüning , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Óscar Arias , the former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau , Nobel laureate in literature George Bernard Shaw , the CEO of Deutsche Bank Josef Ackermann , the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon , the entrepreneur and statesman David Rockefeller and George Soros . John F. Kennedy and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark studied here, as did the later top terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez alias Carlos or Mick Jagger , but without obtaining a degree. Well-known professors at the university are Ralf Dahrendorf , who was even its director for a time, Thomas Piketty , Paul Krugman , Karl Popper , Friedrich Hayek , Ronald Coase and Bertrand Russell . Also the current President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos , the Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb and the chief economist of the World Bank , Kaushik Basu, are graduates of the university. US President Barack Obama appointed a number of graduates from the London School of Economics, such as Peter Orszag , Paul Volcker , Jason Furman , Peter Rouse and Mona Sutphen, to his closest circle of advisers . Federal Reserve President Janet Yellen was a professor at the London School of Economics, her deputy Stanley Fischer received his bachelor's and master's degrees here.

literature

• Christopher T. Husbands: Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1904-2015: Sound and Fury. Springer International, Cham 2019, ISBN 978-3-319-89449-2 .
• FA Hayek : The London School of Economics 1895 to 1945. Economica. February 1946.
• Ralf Dahrendorf : LSE. A History of the London School of Economics and Political Science 1895-1995 . New York 1995.

Web links

Commons : London School of Economics  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the LSE
• German student association of the LSE
• Austrian student association of the LSE
• German alumni of the LSE
• Institution wide ranking on the Guardian's website

swell

1. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/about-lse/our-history
2. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/about-lse/meet-the-director
3. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/about-lse/lse-at-a-glance
4. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/about-lse/lse-at-a-glance
5. ↑ Annual Accounts for the year ended 31 July 2018 ( PDF file), The London School of Economics and Political Science, London
6. ^ Social Sciences and Management Ranking. In: www.topuniversities.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020 . 
7. ↑ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=186508§ioncode=26
8. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/aboutLSE/keyFacts/studentsAndStaff.aspx
9. ↑ LSE history , www2.lse.ac.uk, LSE website / About LSE, July 27, 2009
10. ^ DH MacGregor, AC Pigou , JM Keynes , Walter Layton , Arthur Salter , JC Stamp : Private spending. Money for productive investment. A comment by economists , The Times, Oct. 17, 1932, p. 13, and TE Gregory, FA by Hayek , Arnold Plant , Lionel Robbins : Spending and saving. Public works from rates , The Times, October 19, 1932, p. 10 (letters to the editor; English; file " Cambridge vs. LSE, 1932.pdf ")
11. ↑ Lionel Robbins: An essay on the nature and significance of economic science ( PDF file, 8.0 MB; 2nd edition 1935), Macmillan and Co., London 1945 (English)
12. ↑ Brian Leiter: Breakdown of Programs by Specialties ( Memento from September 6, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) , The Philosophical Gourmet Report, 2009
13. ^ Paulson Donation to Finance Research on the Euro Zone , The New York Times / Dealbook, February 9, 2011
14. ^ Students protest against Sarrazin , Spiegel Online, February 15, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
15. ↑ Thomas Kielinger : Londoners protest against "fascists" Sarrazin , Welt Online, February 15, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
16. ↑ Gina Thomas: Thilo Sarrazin in London , FAZ.NET, February 15, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
17. ↑ Monika Kennedy: Scandal at Sarrazin appearance in London , Bild.de, February 15, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
18. ↑ Jeevan Vasagar: Students on frontline in fight against hate preachers , guardian.co.uk 18 February 2011 (English; accessed on 25 February 2011)
19. ↑ Jonny Paul: LSE cancels event with German critics of radical Islam , Jerusalem Post, February 15, 2011 (English; accessed February 25, 2011)
20. ↑ Kevin Rawlinson: Fury as 'anti-Semitic' banker is invited to speak at LSE , The Independent, February 14, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
21. ↑ Olaf Storbeck: "Anti-Semitic Banker": Sarrazin mixes up London's elite university , Handelsblatt, February 15, 2011 (accessed February 25, 2011)
22. ↑ Jonathan Owen: LSE embroiled in row over authorship of Gaddafi's son's PhD thesis and a £ 1.5m gift to university's coffers , The Independent, February 27, 2011 (English)
23. ↑ Juliane Frisse: Dr. Strange and the 350,000 euro donation , Spiegel Online, March 3, 2011
24. ↑ Libya affair forces Unichef on care , Spiegel Online, March 4th 2011
25. ↑ The Woolf Inquiry: An inquiry into the LSE's links with Libya and lessons to be learned , www2.lse.ac.uk, LSE website / News and media, December 5, 2011
26. ↑ Annual Accounts for the year ended July 31, 2009 ( PDF file, 3.0 MB), The London School of Economics and Political Science, London
27. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/aboutLSE/keyFacts/studentsAndStaff.aspx
28. ↑ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=186508§ioncode=26
29. ↑ Annual Accounts for the year ended July 31, 2009 ( PDF file, 3.0 MB), The London School of Economics and Political Science, London
30. ^ New Academic Building . London School of Economics. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
31. ↑ New Students' Center awarded 'Outstanding' BREEAM rating . London School of Economics. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
32. ^ New London Awards 2012 Winners revealed - 11/7/2012 . NLA. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 24, 2012. 
33. ↑ RIBA London Awards 2014 . RIBA. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
34. ^ Rogers Stirk Harbor + Partners selected to design LSE's New Global Center for the Social Sciences . London School of Economics. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
35. ↑ [1] , The Complete University Guide 2010
36. ^ Jan Busse: Lecturers as personal advisors , Welt Online, August 9, 2008
37. ↑ 60 Second Interview (interview with Michael Lok), www2.lse.ac.uk, Student News, November 10, 2010
38. ↑ Felix Lill: Elitist studies with and without a tie , Spiegel Online 16 April, 2010
39. ↑ MSc International Management at LSE , www.lse.ac.uk, IMEX programs
40. ↑ Annual Accounts for the year ended July 31, 2009 ( PDF file, 3.0 MB), The London School of Economics and Political Science, London
41. ↑ London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) , The US-UK Fulbright Commission, London 2011
42. ↑ http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2015#
43. ↑ https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2015/subject-ranking/social-sciences#!/page/0/length/25
44. ^ [2] Social Sciences and Management | Top universities . In: Quacquarelli Symonds TOPUNIVERSITIES . Retrieved May 26, 2019.
45. ^ Social Sciences and Management . Retrieved August 11, 2018. 
46. ↑ World University Rankings 2019 by subject: social sciences. October 8, 2018, accessed June 16, 2019 . 
47. ↑ Academic Ranking of World Universities in Social Science - 2016 . In: Academic Ranking of World Universities . Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
48. ↑ https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2019/social-policy-administration
49. ^ The Sunday Times University League Table ( PDF file, 209 kB), The Sunday Times, 2006
50. ↑ Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings 2009: Social sciences , QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd., October 1, 2009
51. ↑ Billionaires are "forged" at these universities , accessed on October 30, 2014
52. ↑ BBC: Where do billionaires go to university? Retrieved June 24, 2017 . 
53. ↑ Independent: London School of Economics Graduates Are Earning More Than Those From Any Other UK University. Retrieved June 24, 2017 . 
54. ↑ Key facts , www2.lse.ac.uk, LSE website / About LSE, November 5, 2019
55. ↑ [3] , LSE alumni website

Coordinates: 51 ° 30 '50.4 "  N , 0 ° 7' 0.1"  W.