Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century – In Conversation with Professor Helen Thompson

If you want to understand this incredible geopolitical moment then Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy, is your person. Steeped in the history of how global energy interests and finance policy have interacted to shape the 21st century – not least in Ukraine – Helen offers an unrivalled analysis of the times we live in.

Helen has been at Cambridge since 1994. Her current research concentrates on the political economy of energy and the long history of the democratic, economic, and geopolitical disruptions of the twenty-first century. She was a regular panellist on the influential Talking Politics podcast and is a columnist for the New Statesman.

In her latest book Disorder, Helen explains why we in the West, live in the political times we do. Disorder has won praise from the likes of Diane Coyle and Adam Tooze who says “Defty weaving together the history of energy, economics, and politics, Disorder restores depth to contemporary history”.

Jericho Conversations is one of a number of initiatives that spontaneously emerged during the first COVID lockdown – part of a determination to use moments of crisis to pivot towards a better, fairer, more equitable and sustainable future for all. By popular demand, we have reignited the series to help find surprising and refreshing solutions and insights into a world in constant flux. Each conversation – led by an expert speaker – is designed to keep Jericho communities engaged and thinking about “what comes next?” for business and society.