Sinopsis
The Ballpark is the LSE US Centre's regular podcast on the politics and policy of the United States. Through features and interviews with academics from the LSE and elsewhere, The Ballpark looks more closely into what's going on behind the headlines.
Episodios
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LSE: The Ballpark | China’s Three Personality Problem with Professor Todd Hall
02/03/2026 Duración: 39minUnderstanding China’s role in the world has never been more important — or more complex. China projects itself variously as a moral global actor, a fiercely defensive power guarding its core interests, and a pragmatic, opportunistic player.
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LSE: The Ballpark | America adrift with Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter
16/02/2026 Duración: 30minAmerica is undergoing profound change. Demographic transformation, shifting global power dynamics, and a foreign policy establishment in transition are reshaping how the United States sees itself—and how the world responds.
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LSE: The Ballpark | US-China relations in an era of illiberalism with Dr Scott Kennedy
02/02/2026 Duración: 35minTo talk about the current state of US-China relations, in October 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Scott Kennedy, Senior Adviser and Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
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LSE: The Ballpark | “Is AI a threat or an opportunity for the US?” Master’s students essay competition for 2025
19/01/2026 Duración: 43minIn 2025, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with a prompt about AI. In this episode we spoke to the author of the winning essay, Kayode Adeniyi, and the runners-up, Natasha Chávez and Francesca Nicolodi.
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LSE: The Ballpark | How to help left behind regions and workers with Professor Gordon Hanson
05/01/2026 Duración: 26minThe last 40 years have seen a sharp decline in America’s manufacturing industries with growing joblessness in previously prosperous industrial regions. How and why did this happen, and what can be done to help workers in these “left-behind places”?
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LSE: The Ballpark | LSE at 130 and the United States with Professor Michael Cox
22/12/2025 Duración: 45minThis year LSE is celebrating its 130th anniversary, and how it has driven change across the world. Much of LSE’s history is linked to the United States, from philanthropic support in the School's early days to famous alumni and American directors.
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LSE: The Ballpark | The promise and peril of Trump’s America First with Professor Charles Kupchan
15/12/2025 Duración: 29minSince returning to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has renewed his “America First” agenda by pursing a transactional approach to diplomacy and a desire to limit the US’ involvement overseas. This in turn is remoulding the global order.
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LSE: The Ballpark | AI and deepfakes with Dr Gili Vidan
01/12/2025 Duración: 38minIn the last decade or so, the the public have become aware of “deepfakes”, computer or AI generated fake images. The spread of deepfakes raises questions about truth and authenticity online – can we still trust what we see on screen?
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LSE: The Ballpark | Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny with Dr Jennifer Lind
17/11/2025 Duración: 37minThe last three decades have seen China’s economic rise. Alongside this, China has become much more influential on the global stage, emerging as a competitor to the United States in many arenas, including as a technology and innovation leader.
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LSE: The Ballpark | US-China strategic competition with Professor Evan Medeiros
03/11/2025 Duración: 38minIn August 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held its 25th annual summit in Tianjin, China. The absence of the United States in this gathering may tell us about how China is competing with the US and building its own global order.
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LSE: The Ballpark | AI, social media, and political disinformation with Dr Josephine Lukito
20/10/2025 Duración: 42minTo talk about social media and politics, and how AI can help spread – or tackle – disinformation, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Josephine Lukito, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media.
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Take our Ballpark podcast survey and you could win £250 in vouchers!
13/10/2025 Duración: 35sAhead of our 10 year anniversary in 2026, and after more than 140 episodes speaking to academic experts on topics from across the social sciences, we'd like to find out what you think about the podcast with a listener survey.
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LSE: The Ballpark | AI and the workplace with Professor Ifeoma Ajunwa
06/10/2025 Duración: 42minAI is now increasingly playing a role in many parts of our lives, and the workplace is no exception. AI is now being used by employers to help them to recruit new staff and by jobseekers in their applications.
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LSE: The Ballpark | Who is liable for AI? With Dr Anat Lior
22/09/2025 Duración: 45minAI has legal consequences. Who is responsible when AI makes a mistake which causes harm or financial loss? What role does government regulation play, and do we need to revise our legal frameworks in the face of increasingly capable AI?
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LSE: The Ballpark | AI automation and the workforce with Dr Baobao Zhang
08/09/2025 Duración: 38minWith the growth of the capability of artificial intelligence (AI), there is growing concern that this technology could make millions of jobs – and their workers – obsolete.
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LSE: The Ballpark | Might unmakes right with Professor Oona Hathaway
25/08/2025 Duración: 37minIn an article in the July/August edition of Foreign Affairs magazine, “Might Unmakes Right:
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LSE: The Ballpark | The US’ changing relationship with NATO and Europe with Dr Celeste Wallander
11/08/2025 Duración: 44minIn an article in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, “Beware the Europe You Wish For, The Downsides and Dangers of Allied Independence”,
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LSE: The Ballpark | The Administrative State with Professor Kimberley S. Johnson
06/08/2025 Duración: 36minIn July 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Kimberley S. Johnson about the recent history of the US administrative state and racial representation in the US government and administration
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LSE: The Ballpark | Deemphasizing Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear Deterrence with Dr Lauren Sukin
14/07/2025 Duración: 30minIn response to what the US sees as potential growing threats from China and North Korea, nuclear weapons are becoming a more and more important part of US alliance commitments and partnerships in East Asia
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LSE: The Ballpark | The US-China AI race with Professor Angela Zhang
30/06/2025 Duración: 34minIn January 2025, the release of a new model and chatbot by Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek, sent shockwaves through the tech industry in the US and elsewhere.