Enabled by a transformative £10 million gift from LSE alumnus Johannes Huth, the Initiative will develop practical frameworks for a fairer, more cohesive economy and lay the foundations for a permanent institute.
In our video, Tim Besley explains why LSE is launching the Huth Initiative for a New Political Economy and why new approaches are needed to shape future economic thinking.
Explore more
For more than half a century, economic policy across much of the world has been shaped by a set of values and policies that came to be known as "neoliberalism".
It delivered real gains, but it has struggled with some of the defining challenges of our era: deepening inequality, insecure work, the concentration of economic power, the climate and ecological crisis, and the disruptive promise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence. As that era draws to a close, it is not yet clear what will replace it.
Our mission is to develop a positive and practical alternative for the twenty-first-century: one that generates broadly shared prosperity, strengthens democratic life, and treats meaning, community and respect as seriously as material wealth. We pursue this by bringing together outstanding researchers from economics, politics, philosophy, law and beyond, and by connecting their work directly with the policymakers, businesses and citizens who can put new ideas into practice.
We support ambitious, multi-year research programmes that bring scholars together across disciplines to work on shared questions.
By backing both established faculty and the next generation of researchers, and by drawing in outstanding visiting scholars from around the world, we aim to build a community capable of sustained, original inquiry into the defining economic challenges of our time.
Big ideas need a place to flourish.
We are building a vibrant community that encourages people to ask bold questions, collaborate across boundaries and pursue work that shapes both academic and public debate. Through seminars, workshops, lectures and long-term investment in early-career scholars, we aim to make LSE a magnet for the best thinkers in political economy.
Better ideas matter only if they reach the people who can act on them.
Our Policy Hub connects our research directly with policymakers, business leaders and journalists, translating new thinking into practical proposals, generating original policy ideas, and building the relationships that turn research into real-world impact. Through it, we aim to set the terms of debate about the future of our economies.
Keep up to date with our events and latest news.
Current opportunities with the Huth Initiative.
Contact or visit us