Professor Andrés Velasco
The London School of Economics and Political Science has today appointed Professor Andrés Velasco as the inaugural Dean of the new School of Public Policy.
Professor Velasco brings an exceptional breadth of experience in a distinguished career spanning academia, policy and politics. He was the Minister of Finance in Chile between 2006 and 2010 and held professorial roles at the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia University´s School of International and Public Affairs. He has advised governments around the world and formulated policy at the highest levels.
Professor Velasco commented on his appointment, “I am delighted to be joining LSE, which from its foundation has sought to improve society and public policy-making through teaching and research. The School of Public Policy will play a leading role in public policy analysis and design, which in turn will help us understand and tackle the challenges of contemporary governance across the world. We will recruit and train the political and policy leaders of the future.”
Commenting on the appointment of the new Dean of the School of Public Policy, LSE Director Minouche Shafik said, “We are honoured to welcome Professor Velasco, an outstandingly talented leader. The School of Public Policy is an exciting step for LSE, driving forward our founding purpose: to bring a social science vision to solving the world’s challenges. LSE will benefit from his remarkable experience both as a policy maker and academic.”
The School of Public Policy will build on existing intellectual strengths of LSE, incorporating the two-year interdisciplinary Master of Public Administration (MPA), the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) for working professionals, and the Executive Master of Public Policy, a semi-bespoke degree for future leaders of the UK Civil Service.
In addition, from September 2019 the School of Public Policy will offer a new one-year Master of Public Policy (MPP), aimed at students with relevant professional experience in policy-making.
The School of Public Policy’s teaching will be complemented by direct interaction with policy-making professionals in the UK and internationally. In the heart of London, close to both the City and Westminster, LSE is ideally situated to develop a global network of practitioners who will reinforce students’ understanding of policy-making in the real world.
The School of Public Policy will be located in the new LSE Centre Building on Houghton Street, where it will sit alongside departments such as Government and International Relations. The LSE Centre Building is designed by the world-leading architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, and is one of LSE’s largest ever capital development projects.