Research & Innovation
At LSSE, research and innovation are integral to how we understand change, shape institutions, and contribute to long-term social and economic progress. Our work brings together inquiry, applied scholarship, and practical engagement across social enterprise, sustainable economics, leadership, public systems, and mission-led institutional development.
We are committed to research that is intellectually serious, socially relevant, and capable of informing better policy, stronger organisations, and more thoughtful leadership in a changing world.
LSSE approaches research as a vital part of education and institutional life. We believe research should do more than generate knowledge in isolation. It should deepen understanding, strengthen judgment, and support real engagement with the economic, social, and organisational challenges shaping contemporary society. Our research and innovation agenda is therefore designed to connect scholarship with application. It supports students, faculty, policymakers, institutions, mission-led organisations, and partners seeking rigorous thinking, practical insight, and meaningful contribution.
LSSE’s research direction reflects the distinctive field the institution occupies. We work at the intersection of social enterprise, sustainable economics, innovation, leadership, governance, public value, and institutional development.
This creates a research environment that is both interdisciplinary and purposeful. It allows LSSE to engage with questions that do not sit neatly inside conventional academic or professional boundaries, and to contribute to the development of ideas, systems, and practices that matter to organisations and societies alike.
Problem definition and mission clarity
Work exploring how economic systems, institutions, and policies can support more responsible, inclusive, and sustainable forms of development and long-term progress
Inquiry into the leadership, governance, decision-making, accountability, and organisational systems that shape institutional performance and public trust
Research into how organisations define impact, build evidence, evaluate performance, and strengthen learning through more disciplined measurement and reflection
Work examining entrepreneurship, innovation systems, applied capability, and emerging models for organisational adaptation, productivity, and growth
Research focused on how public-interest institutions, delivery systems, and implementation structures can become more effective, responsive, and citizen-centred professional engagement.
Research on the governance, institutional choices, and organisational capabilities required to support climate-aware development, resilience, and long-term sustainability
Work exploring how systems, organisations, and leadership models can better support inclusion, representation, and more equitable social and economic participation professional engagement.
Research on employability, enterprise capability, educational access, youth leadership, and the institutional conditions that support long-term human capital formation
LSSE’s approach combines academic seriousness with applied relevance. We value strong conceptual thinking, but we also recognise the importance of practical context, institutional realities, and responsible engagement with the environments in which research is used.
Our work may take the form of:
This approach enables LSSE to support both intellectual contribution and real-world usefulness without reducing research to consultancy alone.
LSSE is committed to the structures that support credible research. This includes research development, funding readiness, proposal support, ethics awareness, research integrity, data responsibility, and strong institutional oversight. We aim to create an environment in which research activity is well-supported, ethically grounded, and aligned with the wider educational mission of the school. This includes helping faculty and collaborators prepare competitive research applications and strengthening the institutional conditions needed for responsible and effective inquiry
Innovation at LSSE is not understood only as product development. It is also about new ways of thinking, organising, leading, and responding to institutional and societal challenges. Our innovation outlook therefore includes enterprise development, public-interest problem-solving, applied experimentation, and the creation of ideas and models with wider practical use.
We are interested in knowledge exchange that is thoughtful, purposeful, and mutually beneficial. This includes engagement with organisations, public institutions, entrepreneurs, educators, and mission-led leaders seeking stronger ideas, better systems, and more credible pathways to implementation.
The current page places strong emphasis on product development, government solutions, and consultancy services, but it does so in a way that weakens the school-like research identity. A more advanced version should keep innovation, but reposition it inside an institutional research frame.
LSSE welcomes collaboration with organisations, public institutions, academic partners, foundations, mission-led enterprises, and knowledge networks whose work aligns with our areas of focus.
Our partnership model is shaped by a commitment to:
We are particularly interested in collaborations that support research, applied inquiry, institutional learning, public-value innovation, and the development of stronger knowledge ecosystems across sectors and regions.
Research and innovation at LSSE are closely connected to the wider educational environment of the school. For students, this means access to ideas, inquiry, and perspectives that strengthen learning beyond the classroom. For faculty and academic collaborators, it means an institutional context that values thought leadership, research development, interdisciplinary engagement, and responsible contribution. We see research not as a separate activity at the edge of institutional life, but as part of the intellectual foundation that strengthens education, leadership development, and public relevance.
LSSE is interested in research that contributes to the world beyond publication alone. We value work that informs better leadership, sharper policy thinking, stronger institutional design, more effective organisational practice, and more thoughtful responses to real social and economic questions. Impact at LSSE should therefore be understood not only in academic terms, but also in terms of public value, organisational usefulness, intellectual influence, and the capacity to shape better decisions
Support for research design, proposal readiness, and funding development
Practice-informed research addressing real institutional and organisational questions
Research and innovation relevant to public systems, leadership, and delivery
Research that improves how organisations understand outcomes, performance, and value
Connecting scholarship, dialogue, and practical institutional learning
Collaborative work with academic, civic, and mission-led organisations
Whether you are a student, researcher, institution, policymaker, mission-led organisation, or prospective partner, LSSE offers a platform for inquiry, collaboration, and ideas that aim to contribute meaningfully to society, enterprise, and sustainable progress.
