London School of Economics

This course introduces the science of strategic decision-making. Students learn to identify the key elements of any strategic situation: who the players are, what actions they can take, what information they have, and how they value different outcomes. Building on these foundations, students explore core concepts such as Nash equilibrium, the power of commitment, and the principles of effective mechanism design, all with minimal mathematical prerequisites but strong emphasis on conceptual insight.

The course moves from basic models to more sophisticated scenarios, each grounded in real-world applications. It examines how telecoms spectrum auctions raised billions, why Brexit negotiations unfolded as they did, how matching algorithms assign doctors to hospitals and support kidney exchanges, and how AI agents learn to interact strategically. Course outcomes include thinking more clearly and systematically about strategic situations in any context: equipping students with frameworks that are valuable across economics, business, politics, and technology.

The course starts in Ancient China at the time of the Warring States Period. Several schools of thought flourished during these 250 years: Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism or Legalism. Next, the course takes students to south Asia, at the beginning of Buddhism. Buddhist ethics promotes a deep-rooted work on human behavior through ethical conduct, meditation and perception of the world. Walking in the Spaniards’ footsteps, students witness the "Destruction of the Indies" through war, genocide, enslavement and colonization. The course ends in Africa where post-colonial philosophers ask fundamental questions about the definition and purpose of philosophy. Students then focus on the work of Nkiru Nzegwu; she argues that the feminist movement is a Western construct that may adequately identify and address the issues of women in the West, but that is not adapted to the status and role of women in a society such as the Igbo one.

Through rigorous analysis of policy theories, historical transitions, and contemporary challenges, students develop sophisticated frameworks for understanding and governing complex change. The course bridges academic theory with real-world application, and equips students with analytical tools used by policymakers, consultants, and researchers worldwide.

The course provides an introduction to key areas of analysis in contemporary sociology. Students learn about critical research and debates within the discipline, and of how sociology engages with topical real-world issues. The course centers on the ways in which power relations, social and economic inequalities, forms of identity and difference are shaped in contemporary societies – focusing on both political and socio-economic structures and everyday experiences and identities. These issues include: class, capitals and social mobility; race, ethnicity and culture; gender and sexual identities; politics, social movements and the nation-state.

This course uncovers the realities of diplomacy in action. Students explore how nations negotiate, respond to crises, and manage relationships behind the scenes. From drafting urgent communiqués in the early hours to navigating the complex rules of protocol, students gain insight into the skills and strategies that shape international affairs—and discover what it truly takes to succeed in the field.

The course teaches what diplomats do and how they do it with an exceptional group of LSE faculty including Professors who have served as the former Deputy Foreign Minister of Mexico, the Chief Economist of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, an advisor to the Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street, a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of State, and acting High Commissioner (Ambassador) to India and Pakistan.

This course explores the complex relationships between economic development, poverty, and the environment. Over five, inter-related themes, the course covers a range of critical natural resource and environmental issues in low-and middle-income countries, that is, issues at the interface of environment and development. Using concepts and analytical tools grounded in applied economics, primarily environmental and development economics, the course begins with an examination of the relationship between poverty and environmental change related to resource use, and the role of population growth in this relationship (theme I). It then moves to a discussion of the design and implementation of policies to effect change in conservation and/or development outcomes, in weak institutional settings (theme II). A key institution is that of property rights, with common property playing an important role in resource management and conservation (theme III). Some key conservation and poverty alleviation efforts attempt to address market failures associated with the demand for, and supply of, food and energy (theme IV). While food and energy are typically supplied in rural settings, changes in the extent and compositiion of demand are associated with rapid urbanization, trade, and sectoral shifts in the economy (theme V).

The course examines the theory of financial decision-making by investors and examines the behavior of the capital markets in which these decisions are taken. The main topics covered are the theory of capital markets, portfolio theory, equity and bond markets, the capital asset pricing model, efficient markets, and derivative pricing. This course covers the same topics as FM214. Thus, both FM210 and FM214 are equivalent content-wise. However, compared to FM214, this course puts less emphasis on the underlying statistical theory and relies less on the use of mathematical methods. Nonetheless, the course is quantitative in nature, and familiarity with mathematical and statistical methods taught in first-year courses will be assumed.

One person’s carelessness causes another to suffer a broken leg, damage to their car, or a financial loss. Someone plays music too loudly all through the night, disturbing their neighbours’ sleep. One person defames another, or touches their body without their consent. These are examples of torts. Tort law tells us when the person who has suffered injury has a civil right to require the injurer to make repair. Our course examines the fundamental principles and functions of tort law; the general tort of negligence and its application in specific settings (e.g. actions of public authorities, occupiers’ liability); the distinction between negligence and strict liability; liability for defective products; defamation; private nuisance; trespass to the person; and special topics on the kinds of injury that tort law deems worthy of compensation (especially the complex position with regard to psychiatric and economic harm); and the kinds of remedy that it provides to claimants.

This course provides students with a foundational understanding of globalization, focusing on its challenges and opportunities in the context of China’s rise. The course is structured in three parts: Theoretical Foundations: The course begins by exploring classic political economy theories of globalization; Geopolitical Challenges: The course then examines how geopolitics and China’s rise challenge and reshape these traditional frameworks; Applied Analysis: Finally, students apply these analytical tools to real-world topics, including industrial policies, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic sanctions, and the green transition.

This course introduces the essential tools and frameworks of sustainable finance and impact investing. It explores how ESG principles shape investment decisions, how to evaluate the trade-offs between financial returns and social impact, and how sustainable finance drives capital allocation and firm behavior. Drawing on cutting-edge research from LSE's Department of Finance, students navigate the complexities of responsible investing and understand where investors and industry need to focus to support the transition to a more sustainable economy.

Focusing on two key areas, the course equips students to analyze how sustainable finance and impact investing create value while also developing the skills to lead organizational change toward more sustainable practices.