Sustainability and prosperity in the age of ecological scarcity
3 February 2025 - 1 hour 31 minsContributor(s): Professor Edward B Barbier | Drawing on his book, Scarcity and Frontiers, Edward Barbier argues that how economies choose to exploit natural resources is critical to both their sustainability and prosperity. In past eras, a critical driving force behind global economic development has been the response of society to the scarcity of key natural resources. By raising the cost of exploitation and use, scarcity creates incentives to innovate and substitute. However, economies also avoid scarcity by obtaining and developing new "frontiers" of vital resources. How these two responses play out often determines which economies emerge as leaders.
In the present era, rising ecological...
Series Episodes
Sustainability and behavioural change: a discussion
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1 hour 25 mins
5 November Finished
The conservative tradition in sociological thought
Since its origins, sociology has shaped—and been shaped by—multiple political traditions, including liberalism, radicalism, progressivism, and conservatism. This lecture examines the conservative tradition in sociology, a tradition central to yet insufficiently recognised within the discipline’s formation.
1 hour 29 mins
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State of the sovereign transition 2026: from national targets to sector signals
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1 hour 25 mins
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Governing growth: the postwar transformations of capitalism and democracy
How do capitalist economies change over time? And what political consequences follow?
1 hour 30 mins
2 November Finished
The big picture as an approach to the study of international relations
Barry Buzan is one of Europe’s most influential scholars of international relations, renowned for his interdisciplinary collaborations and for making complex ideas accessible to a wide audience. This panel discussion marks the launch of The Big Picture as an Approach to the Study of International Relations: Thinking With and Beyond Barry Buzan, and reflects on his intellectual legacy and enduring contribution to the discipline.
1 hour 25 mins
29 October Finished
How do Britain’s private schools reproduce privilege?
It is no secret that the alumni of Britain’s elite schools remain disproportionately represented in positions of power and influence. But what is it about these institutions that gives their students such a lasting advantage? This event marks the launch of An Elite Education: How Privilege is Produced in a Private School by Emma Taylor.
1 hour 31 mins
28 October Finished
