tech 25_0001_Tuesday_1920x8306

Events

Tech and the future of the world economy

Hosted by LSE Festival: Visions for the Future

In-person and online public event (Marshall Building)

Speakers

Stan Boland

Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra

Dr Robyn Klingler-Vidra

Kanishka Narayan

Chair

Professor Neil Lee

Professor Neil Lee

Driven in large part by the rapid growth of the tech sector, the US economy has diverged from other advanced economies. Despite significant strengths in research, much of Europe has been unable to translate this into the type of large digital firms which have become so important to the modern economy.

What are the barriers to developing a thriving tech sector outside of the US? Can European states compete in the tech sector and should they try? What is the future of these advanced economies, if they cannot compete in the industries of the future?  

Meet our speakers and chair

Stan Boland is a British entrepreneur in the information technology sector. 

Robyn Klingler-Vidra is Reader in Political Economy & Entrepreneurship at King’s Business School. She is the author of Startup Capitalism: New Approaches to Innovation Strategies in East Asia (Cornell University Press, 2025, with Ramon Pacheco Pardo) and  The Venture Capital State: The Silicon Valley Model in East Asia (Cornell University Press, 2018). Robyn’s research focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and venture capital. She has led cross-country studies for Innovate UK, UNDP, and the Asian Productivity Organisation. 

Kanishka Narayan is the Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan, having been elected in July 2024.

Neil Lee is Professor of Economic Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment at LSE. His research considers economic development, innovation, and public policy. Recent studies have included work on institutions and economic development in Africa and China, regional inequality and political polarisation in Europe and the United States, and innovation policy in Kuwait. He is working on a major ESRC funded project constructing new measures of regional inequality. His book on innovation and inclusive growth is published by University of California Press.

More about this event

This event is part of the LSE Festival: Visions for the Future running from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June 2025, with a series of events exploring the threats and opportunities of the near and distant future, and what a better world could look like. Booking for all Festival events will open on Monday 19 May.  

The Department of Geography and Environment is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Hashtag for this event: #LSEFestival   

LSE Blogs

Many speakers at LSE events also write for LSE Blogs, which present research and critical commentary accessibly for a public audience. Follow British Politics and Policy, the Business Review, the Impact BlogEuropean Politics and Policy and the LSE Review of Books to learn more about the debates our events series present.

Live captions

Automated live captions are available at this live event. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription and is not 100% accurate.

Photography

Photographs taken on behalf of LSE are often used on our social media accounts, website and publications. At events, photographs could include broad shots of the audience and lecture theatre, of speakers during the talk, and of audience members as they participate in the Q&A.

If you are photographed participating in an event Q&A but would not like your photograph to be stored for future use, please contact events@lse.ac.uk.

Media queries

Please contact the Press Office if you would like to request a press seat or have a media query about this event, email LSE.Press.Events@lse.ac.uk. Please note that press seats are usually allocated at least 24 hours before each event.

Podcasts

We aim to make all LSE events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 1 week after the event. Podcasts and videos of past events can be found online

Social Media

Follow LSE public events on X for the latest updates on all our events and ticket releases. 

Livestreams and archive videos of past lectures are shared on our YouTube channel while event podcasts can be found on the LSE Player.

Event updates and other information about what’s happening at LSE can be found on our Facebook page and for live photos from events and around campus, follow us on Instagram

Attending our events in-person or online? Join the conversation using #LSEEvents.

Accessibility

If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, as well as on accessibility and special requirements, please refer to LSE Events FAQ.  LSE aims to ensure that people have equal access to these public events, but please contact the events organiser as far as possible in advance if you have any access requirements so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. If the event is ticketed, please ensure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. Access Guides to all our venues can be viewed online.

WIFI Access

LSE has now introduced wireless for guests and visitors in association with 'The Cloud', also in use at many other locations across the UK. If you are on campus visiting for the day or attending a conference or event, you can connect your device to wireless. See more information and create an account at Join the Cloud.
Visitors from other participating institutions are encouraged to use eduroam. If you are having trouble connecting to eduroam, please contact your home institution for assistance.
The Cloud is only intended for guest and visitor access to wifi. Existing LSE staff and students are encouraged to use eduroam instead.

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to attend this event you check back on this listing on the day of the event. 

How can I attend? Add to calendar

This event is free and open to all, but a ticket is required. Online booking for events in the LSE Festival will open at 12 noon on Monday 19 May 2025.

For any queries contact us at events@lse.ac.uk.

  Sign up for news about events