The Precariat and the Commons: Transformative Green Economics…

On Thursday 12 November at 6:30pm, LSESU Greens and the LSE International Inequalities Intitute are hosting Guy Standing in the Wolfson Theatre for a public talk, ‘The Precariat and the Commons: Transformative Green Economics’, followed by an audience Q&A, chaired by Professor Kirsten Sehnbruch.

We are in an era of rentier capitalism in which multiple forms of inequality have grown, most not captured by conventional statistics. The presentation will highlight the precariat, recognising that a progressive transformation must reflect the needs and aspirations of the emerging ‘working class’, and that the precariat is suffering from chronic uncertainty, time inequality and insecurity inequality. Drawing on a series of books, it will propose that a Green transformation must depend on reviving the commons, which Labour and other parties neglect, including the blue commons and the education commons. Finally, it will claim that an eco-fiscal policy coupled with Common Dividends should define today’s Green economics.

An economist based at SOAS University of London, where he is a Professorial Research Associate, Guy Standing previously directed a programme at the International Labour Organization and was a professor at Bath and Monash universities. He co-founded the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and serves as its co-president. He is best known for The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class, which has appeared in 24 languages, and his newest book is Human Capital: The Tragedy of the Education Commons (Pelican, 2026).

The International Inequalities Institute at LSE brings together experts from many of the School’s departments and centres to lead cutting-edge research focused on understanding why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.