The Public Sphere: Journal of Public Policy

In November 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered Labour's second major budget promising growth and stability. Yet, Britons witness councils going bankrupt, taxes stealthily rising, and public services collapsing under the weight of impossible trade-offs. What is really happening with Britain's public finances? 
In this episode, Professor Tony Travers CBE, Director of LSE London and one of Britain's foremost experts on public finance, unpacks the mechanics behind the 2025 UK budget. Drawing on decades analysing Westminster and local government, we explore the politics of fiscal drag, why local services are deteriorating despite rising council taxes, and the impossible promise of American taxation with Swedish services. From council funding to political calculus, this episode unravels the complexity of this budget's trade-offs, and what it means for Britain's economic future.
Recording Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Muawiya Mahomed - Contributing Editor - The Public Sphere Journal, LSE School of Public Policy
Guest: Tony Travers, CBE - Associate Dean - LSE School of Public Policy - https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/tony-travers
Production: Muawiya Mahomed and Kartik Sanade | 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, 2025
Host: Kartik Sanade - Lead Editor - The Public Sphere Journal, LSE School of Public Policy
Guest: Dr. Joana Naritomi - Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs - LSE School of Public Policy - https://joananaritomi.com
Production: Leonardo Luksic, Kartik Sanade, and Muawiya Mahomed | PSJ Podcast Team, School of Public Policy
Music by AudioCoffee: ⁠https://www.audiocoffee.net/⁠

From OpenAI to SpaceX, private innovation is reshaping economies faster than regulators can respond. But what should states actually do? In this episode, Dr. Frank Muci Lander, LSE Policy Fellow, unpacks how governments can foster growth without stifling the technologies driving it. Drawing on his experience across the developed and developing markets, Frank explores the tension between fiscal policy, sustainability, and innovation, why crypto matters beyond the headlines, and what lessons from the previous industrial revolutions can teach us about regulating blockchain and other emerging sectors today.

Recording Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Abhishek Sudke - Senior Editor - Public Sphere Journal
Guest: Frank Muci Lander - Policy Fellow - LSE School of Public Policy - https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/frank-muci
Production: Leonardo Luksic, Kartik Sanade, and Muawiya Mahomed | PSJ Podcast Team, School of Public Policy
Music by AudioCoffee: https://www.audiocoffee.net/

How did €0.6 trillion shift from taxpayers to bondholders in the Eurozone? Can households benefit from Quantitative Easing the same way financial institutions do? Why is the line between monetary and fiscal policy blurred and what can be done about it?
Luis Garicano, an LSE SPP Professor, former MEP, and author of the new book "Crisis Cycle: Challenges, Evolution, and Future of the Euro" joins Achilles Tsirgis to discuss the hidden costs of the modern monetary system.
Join us as we break down the complex tools modern central banks use and why they should matter to you.

You can check out Luis' new book with John Kochrane & Klaus Masuch here

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.