London School of Economics and Political Science

The London School of Economics and Political Science is one of the foremost social science universities in the world. Its motto, “rerum cognoscere causas,” means “to know the causes of things” and was chosen to complement the school’s founding purpose, “for the betterment of society.” Together, those two phrases reflect the university’s enduring commitment to be the leading social science university with the greatest global impact. This grant will be used to support the creation of a new center that will engage in research and curriculum development, working with other university centers to develop a network devoted to new thinking on political systems, political economy, economy, and society. The center will focus on producing knowledge usable by policymakers, especially in emerging and developing countries, and on training the next generation of policy leaders.

ARENA is a newly launched program at the London School of Economics’ Institute of Global Affairs. ARENA’s work will seek to understand and address the problem of disinformation and 21st-century propaganda. ARENA is committed to promoting political debate grounded in facts, enabling dialogue between increasingly polarized communities, and empowering citizens to overcome spin and manipulation. This grant will seed fund the program’s innovative work with government, journalists, and the tech community, ultimately seeking to create new tools and approaches that will strengthen democracy by encouraging political debate to take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust.

Arena, housed at the London School of Economics’ Institute of Global Affairs, leads work to understand and address the problem of disinformation and 21st-century propaganda. Arena is committed to promoting political debate grounded in facts, enabling dialogue between increasingly polarized communities, and empowering citizens to overcome spin and manipulation. This grant will continue to support the program’s innovative work with government, journalists, and the tech community, ultimately seeking to create new tools and approaches that will strengthen democracy by encouraging political debate to take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust.