LSE has climbed to sixth place in the Times Higher Education (THE) European University Top 200 Rankings, published today.

The rankings benchmark across key areas of higher education, with LSE scoring particularly highly for its international outlook and research. The School achieved the sixth highest score of all universities in the continent, and came fifth within the UK.

Border controls which allow migrants to bypass them may have been part of a deliberate policy to boost domestic economies and garner party-political support, according to new LSE research.

A study focusing on Greece, but with wider implications across European governments, found that migrants have often been essential to domestic political and economic interests such as serving the needs of large informal labour markets that rely on cheap labour.

A new report from LSE shows the deep impact the displacement of Syrian refugees has had on Lebanon and makes a series of recommendations to help resolve the crisis.

The Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon, state fragility and social resilience, by Dr Filippo Dionigi of the Middle East Centre, details the Lebanese government’s record since the Syrian civil war began in 2011 and sets out ways in which the different stakeholders can work together to stem the crisis and plan for Lebanon’s future.

On 11 and 12 February Jean-Paul Faguet, Professor of the Political Economy of Development, gave lectures on his book Is Decentralization Good for Development? Perspectives from Academics and Policymakers (OUP) at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, a video of which can be found here.

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Between June and September, Imperial College is offering three places to BAME staff at LSE to take part in an exciting learning and development initiative. 

IMPACT, which stands for Imperial Positive About Cultural Talent, is a talent development programme for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) employees.

For more information on IMPACT, to find out how taking part could benefit you, and to get an idea of how the programme will run, view the IMPACT booklet for 2016. The form can be submitted online until 5pm on Friday 21 May.

The School is due to close at the end of the working day on Thursday 24 March 2016 and open again for business on Friday 1 April 2016. Please note this is a change to the normal pattern of closure days from previous years.

For more information on School closure days and public holidays, please click here.

Thank you to everyone who has been helping encourage students to complete the 2015-16 Student Accommodation Satisfaction Survey. Over 45 per cent of all residents (nearly 2,000 people) have now given us their views.

The closing date is getting closer but students still have until Thursday 24 March to complete the survey and be entered into our Grand Prize Draw.

If you have a student facing role (particularly with first year undergraduates) please continue encouraging students to participate. All current residents have been sent a personalised email and unique survey link inviting them to take part.

Please get in touch with residential.life@lse.ac.uk if you would like more information or any branded materials.

The Programme Management Office (PMO) is recruiting for a Business Analyst to join their team for a fixed term of 18 months. The PMO is the central point of contact for IT project management expertise and resources at LSE.

As a Business Analyst you will work with key stakeholders across the School, you will support project delivery with expert problem solving skills and thorough project analysis.

The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 13 March. For the job description and person specification, please click here.

On Thursday 17 March the Fourth Floor Restaurant will be hosting a special St Patrick’s Day lunch menu with various traditional Irish food options for you to enjoy.

It should be a fun event and we encourage you to bring along friends and colleagues for an enjoyable lunch.

Four staff members from the Middle East Centre are embarking on a Swimpossible challenge to raise money for refugees. We will be swimming 8km on World Refugee Day, Monday 20 June.

To start our fundraising process, we will be selling delicious baked goods (savoury and sweet) on Wednesday 16  and Thursday 17 March between 11am and 2pm outside the Library. Please come and show your support.

We’ve just come to the end of a mini-series on the Teaching Blog inspired by the Assessment and Feedback Statements that LSE’s academic departments produced last autumn, that illustrates a range of interesting and innovative practice across the School. Read more at:

• ‘Inception’ reports, essay outlines and reflective writing: examples of formative assessment at LSE
  by Dr Esther Saxey (pictured)
• Assessment diversity at LSE
  by Dr Claire Gordon
• Feedback and the art of conversation
  by Dr Colleen McKenna

Our Week 6 podcasts for taught students, new for 2015-16 and delivered by Dr Helen Green (pictured), are proving very popular. This term’s topics were focused on dissertation writing and exam preparation and, together with last term’s on, among other things, reading for academic work and essay writing, they constitute a repository of valuable and easily accessible information for students. The podcasts, along with supporting documentation for each, can be found at our Week 6 podcasts page.

Last but not least, our final Academic Development Programme event of the term takes place at lunchtime on Monday 14 March. Evaluating Teaching: reviewing and planning for next academic year offers the chance for reflection and discussion of any formal and informal feedback on your teaching as well as the space to think ahead to next year.

Tuesday 15 March

The LSE Choir will perform Mozart’s Requiem. The LSE Orchestra will perform Mendelsohn’s Violin Concerto and Schumann’s Symphony No.2.

Tickets can be purchased online.

What Are Prisons For?
On: Tuesday 15 March, 6.30pm, Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speakers: Dr Christopher Bennett, Professor Kimberley Brownlee (pictured), and Andrew Neilson

Reconstructing the Law of Voyeurism and Exhibitionism
On: Tuesday 15 March, 6.30pm, Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speaker: Professor Stuart Green

Fraud at polls: can journalists and statisticians check? The Mozambican experience
On: Wednesday 16 March, 6.30pm, Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House
Speakers: Johan Ahlback, Dr Joseph Hanlon, and Dr Jouni Kuha

Lunchtime Concert
On: Thursday 17 March, 1.05pm, Shaw Library, 6th floor, Old Building
Performers: Cristian Grajner de Sa (violin), and Marina Nadiradze (piano)

In Conversation with Hilary Benn about Britain and Europe
On: Thursday 17 March, 6.30pm, Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Hilary Benn

Tuesday 15 March, 6.30-8pm, Old Theatre, Old Building

Through most of history, humans lived in tiny foraging bands with very low political, economic and gender hierarchy. After the invention of farming about 10,000 years ago, societies got much bigger and most forms of hierarchy increased; but since the coming of fossil fuels 200 years ago, although societies have become even bigger, hierarchy has declined.

Professor Ian Morris, Philippe Roman Chair, asks why changes in how we capture energy from the environment had these effects, and where inequality will go in the coming decades.

Wednesday 16 March, 1-2pm, room 2.13, New Academic Building

To  coincide with LSE Library’s exhibition on Women, Peace and Equality, Dr Laura Shepherd, Visiting Fellow of the Gender Institute and Centre for Women, Peace and Security, is to give a short lunchtime talk on 'Histories and Her-stories: Interrupting the Logics of Security Studies with Women’s Peace Activism', followed by questions and discussion.

Dr Shepherd will be introduced by Dr Marsha Henry.

This event is open to all but is first-come, first-served as space is limited.

Thursday 17 March, 6.30-8pm, room 9.04, Tower 2

British Ambassador to China, Barbara Woodward, will discuss how the UK and China are moving from old friends to strategic partners.

Panama: consolidating democracy, growth and human development
Speaker: Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado
Recorded: Wednesday 2 March

The Evening After the Night Before: analysing Super Tuesday
Speakers: Kate Andrews, Steve Erlanger, Gideon Rachman, Stephanie Rickard, and Peter Trubowitz
Recorded: Wednesday 2 March

Managing Europe – What is Germany's Responsibility?
Speaker: Dr Wolfgang Schäuble
Recorded: Thursday 3 March

Thanks to @awdeblock for sharing. #partofLSE #LSE

For more images like this, visit the Photography Unit or check out the School's Instagram page.

Evaluating teaching: reviewing and planning for next academic year
14 March, 12.30-2pm
During this session we will review our teaching over the past academic year. You will have the chance to discuss the feedback data you have been collecting on your teaching and also to discuss your plans for next year.

Moodle Surgery
17 March, 12-1pm
Whether you already are a proficient user or you have no idea what Moodle is (yet!) join these lunch time one hour surgeries with your queries and LTI will help you develop your skills in using the platform for administration or teaching purposes.

Writing for Blogs
17 March, 12-1pm
This course provides guidelines on good practice when writing web content with a specific focus on creating and writing for blogs. It is aimed at staff who are already blogging and those who are considering using a blog to communicate with their audience. This is a practical class with a mix of presentations, discussion and hands-on activities.

IGNITE! Briefing Session
21 March, 11am-1pm
An information session to learn about LTI's funding scheme, IGNITE. We will discuss each funding strand in detail and answer any project or application queries. More information on IGNITE! can be found on the Learning Technology and Innovation blog.