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The LSE British Politicast aims to bring academic, evidence-based, perspectives to the political issues facing Britain today.

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LSE British Politicast Episode 2: Austerity Economics and Central Banking

In this episode, we focus on austerity economics and the role of central banks in times of financial crisis. The UK coalition government embarked on a programme of spending cuts when it came to power in 2010. Since then many economists and academics have argued that the intellectual justification for austerity has crumbled and it is a self-defeating strategy in bad economic times. Mark Blyth, Professor of Political Science at Brown University in the US, takes this view in his new book Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea. He discusses why he thinks austerity is merely a form of self-harm. We also hear from Claire Jones, economics reporter at the Financial Times about the role of central banks, particularly that of the Bank of England, in the age of austerity.

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 Download MP3     Listen + Subscribe via iTunes    Webfeed

Presented by Joel Suss. Produced by Cheryl Brumley. Contributors: Mark Blyth, Claire Jones. Music and sound came courtesy of the following user at the Free Music Archive: DJ Harrison (Fast Food Haven (Cookout) NC-ND). Photo credit: Austerity by 401(K) 2013; and Mark Carney by Bank of England.

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Episode 1: Reflecting on the Riots

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In the first episode of the LSE British Politicast, we take a closer look at the Riots of 2011. This podcast looks back on the riots, presenting sociological and criminological perspectives on why they happened and what, if anything, can be learned from them. Tim Newburn, Professor of Criminology and Social Policy at the LSE, talks about his award winning research project Reading the Riotswhich aimed to examine in detail at who was involved, the extent and nature of their participation, and their accounts of what prompted or motivated their actions. Les Back, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmith’s College walks us through Catford, London, which along with the surrounding area of Lewisham, caught the attention of the national media when its multiple shops were raided and destroyed in the riots. He notes how today’s disaffected youth experience an “intense sense of the present”.

 Download MP3    Listen + Subscribe via iTunes     Webfeed

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Anatomy of the Catford Riots is an interactive Google Map with links to slideshows and extra content from Les Back’s interview as well as a collection of videos taken during the riots on 8 August 2011.

Presented by Mark Carrigan. Produced by Cheryl Brumley. Contributors: Tim Newburn, Les Back. Music and sound came courtesy of the following user at the Free Music Archive: DJ Harrison (Fast Food Haven (Cookout) NC-ND). Riots picture, policeman by hozinja; burnt police car by Greg Brummel.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
This work by British Politics and Policy at LSE is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.