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Keith Hyams has been awarded a Leverhulme Research Project grant for his project ‘Anthropogenic Global Catastrophic Risk: The Challenge of Governance’. The project looks at long term threats to humanity arising from advances in emerging technology, aiming to identify the political obstacles that stand in the way of progress on governing these risks, and ethical guidelines within which new governance solutions for specific risks will be advanced. The project focusses on three case studies, in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, and will be undertaken in collaboration with Co-Investigators in the departments of biology, chemistry and computer science.

On 23 November Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, The President of Malta and Honorary Professor in PAIS, gave a lecture entitled ‘Ensuring Equity: The Importance of Wealth Distribution in a Globalised World’.

Introduced by Nick Vaughan-Williams, Head of PAIS, Her Excellency spoke of the escalation in inequality, discrimination, and poverty globally, and argued for sustainable investment in human rights and dignity. She called for students to be activists in support of the transformations required for more equitable patterns of wealth distribution. Before becoming the 9th President of the Republic of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca served as an MP in the Maltese National Parliament and is former Minister of State for the Family and Social Solidarity. In 2016 Her Excellency received the ‘Agent of Change’ award, conferred by the United Nations, in recognition of her work as a champion of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Mediterranean region.

Photos from the event can be found on Her Excellency's and the President's features commentary of her lecture.

The full text of Her Excellency’s lecture at The Shard can be found in the following press release:

We are delighted to announce that the UK Political Studies Association has launched a new prize in recognition of Professor Shirin Rai’s "significant contributions to the discipline of feminist International Relations and International Political Economy."

The Shirin M. Rai dissertation prize, for the best dissertation in International Relations, has now officially been launched. A blog announcing the PSA’s new framework for prizes and awards, and further information about the application process, can be accessed here: .

While many professional associations name prizes after those who have retired, the PSA’s new framework is designed to acknowledge active and leading scholars in the discipline; very many congratulations to Shirin on this hugely impressive accolade, which is yet further recognition of her leading status in the discipline and an important projection of PAIS’ standing in the field.

The Politics Society recently hosted Baroness D'Souza, former Lord Speaker, who discussed her vision for the House of Lords.

The event was filmed by RaW and is available to view below:

After her talk, she also was interviewed by RaW, you can find the link for the interview .

Annual IPE Lecture: Both Sides, Now: Paradigms, Power, Psychology, and Pragmatism at the Midpoint of Crisis

Wesley Widmaier, Griffith University, Australia

2nd November, 17:00-18:30, MS.04 (Zeeman Building)

This year's Annual IPE Lecture offers an overview of IPE and IR debates on ideas, crises and change from a social psychological constructivist perspective. Wes Widmaier is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Centre for Governance and Public Policy at Griffith University. His research interests include International Political Economy, International Relations Theory, in particular constructivist thought, and the specific role of wars and crises as mechanisms of large-scale change. Wes is also the editor-in-chief of the Review of International Political Economy.