Editing London School of Economics (section)

=== 21st century ===
[[File:lse initials.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Stonework featuring the initials of LSE]]

In the early 21st century, the LSE had a wide impact on British politics. ''[[The Guardian]]'' described such influence in 2005 when it stated:
<blockquote>Once again the political clout of the school, which seems to be closely wired into parliament, Whitehall, and the Bank of England, is being felt by ministers. ... The strength of LSE is that it is close to the political process: [[Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury|Mervyn King]], was a former LSE professor. The former chairman of the House of Commons education committee, [[Barry Sheerman]], sits on its board of governors, along with Labour peer [[Frank Judd, Baron Judd|Lord (Frank) Judd]]. Also on the board are Tory MPs [[Virginia Bottomley]] and [[Richard Shepherd]], as well as [[Maurice Saatchi, Baron Saatchi|Lord Saatchi]] and [[Elspeth Howe, Baroness Howe of Idlicote|Lady Howe]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |last=MacLeod |first=Donald |url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/columnist/story/0,,1515788,00.html |title=A Time Honoured Tradition |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=27 June 2005 |access-date=4 April 2010 |archive-date=19 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219133041/http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/columnist/story/0,,1515788,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

Commenting in 2001 on the rising status of the LSE, the British magazine ''[[The Economist]]'' stated that "two decades ago the LSE was still the poor relation of the University of London's other colleges. Now... it regularly follows Oxford and Cambridge in league tables of research output and teaching quality and is at least as well-known abroad as Oxbridge". According to the magazine, the school "owes its success to the single-minded, American-style exploitation of its brand name and political connections by the recent directors, particularly Mr [[Anthony Giddens|Giddens]] and his predecessor, [[John Ashworth (biologist)|John Ashworth]]" and raises money from foreign students' high fees, who were drawn to LSE by the prominence of its academic figures, such as [[Richard Sennett]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/687641 |title=The brain trade |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |date=5 July 2001 |access-date=18 January 2016 |archive-date=6 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306061735/http://www.economist.com/node/687641 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2006, the school published a report disputing the costs of [[Identity Cards Act 2006|British government proposals to introduce compulsory ID cards]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4619218.stm |title=Politics ''"Ministers press on with ID cards"'' |date=17 January 2006 |access-date=6 January 2010 |archive-date=27 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627233201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4619218.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2005/06/27/identityreport.pdf |title=LSE ID Card Report |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=4 April 2010 |archive-date=27 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327092305/http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2005/06/27/identityreport.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4711178.stm |title=Government staves off ID rebels |work=BBC News |date=14 February 2006 |access-date=6 January 2010 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115093939/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4711178.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> LSE academics were also represented on numerous national and international bodies in the early 21st century, including the UK Airports Commission,<ref>{{cite web|title=UK Airports Commission|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ricky-burdett|publisher=UK Government|access-date=9 December 2013|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030052414/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ricky-burdett|url-status=live}}</ref> Independent Police Commission,<ref>{{cite web|date=25 November 2013|title=Policing for a better Britain|url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/website-archive/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2013/11/PolicingReport.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215175545/http://www.lse.ac.uk/website-archive/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2013/11/PolicingReport.aspx|archive-date=15 December 2018|access-date=9 December 2013|publisher=London School of Economics}}</ref> Migration Advisory Committee,<ref>{{cite web|title=Professor David Metcalf|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/management/people/emeriti-visiting-staff/dmetcalf|access-date=26 May 2021|publisher=London School of Economics|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526090706/https://www.lse.ac.uk/management/people/emeriti-visiting-staff/dmetcalf|url-status=live}}</ref> UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation,<ref>{{cite web|title=Professor Judith Rees|url=https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/profile/judith-rees/|access-date=26 May 2021|publisher=London School of Economics|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526090910/https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/profile/judith-rees/|url-status=live}}</ref> London Finance Commission,<ref>{{cite web|title=LSE Professor calls for London to have a greater say over its taxes|url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2013/05/LondonFinanceCommission.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215175553/http://www.lse.ac.uk/website-archive/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2013/05/LondonFinanceCommission.aspx|archive-date=15 December 2018|access-date=9 December 2013|publisher=London School of Economics}}</ref> [[High Speed 2|HS2 Limited]],<ref>{{cite web|title=HS2 report overstated benefits by six to eight times, experts say|last=Topham|first=Gwyn|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/05/hs2-report-overstated-benefits-expert|work=The Guardian|date=5 November 2013|access-date=9 December 2013|archive-date=10 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710220721/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/05/hs2-report-overstated-benefits-expert|url-status=live}}</ref> the UK government's Infrastructure Commission<ref>{{cite web|date=5 October 2015|title=LSE recommendations behind UK government's new Infrastructure Commission|url=https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_NEW/NEWS/abstract.asp?index=5277|access-date=26 May 2021|publisher=Centre for Economic Performance|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526094546/https://cep.lse.ac.uk/_NEW/NEWS/abstract.asp?index=5277|url-status=live}}</ref> and advising on architecture and urbanism for the London 2012 Olympics<ref>{{cite web|title=Professor Ricky Burdett – Commissioner A|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ricky-burdett|access-date=9 December 2013|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030052414/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/ricky-burdett|url-status=live}}</ref>

The LSE gained its own degree-awarding powers in 2006 and the first LSE degrees (rather than degrees of the University of London) were awarded in 2008.<ref name=LSEHistoryAbout/>

Following the passage of the University of London Act 2018, the LSE (along with other member institutions of the University of London) announced in early 2019 that they would seek university status in their own right while remaining part of the federal university.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2019/mar/ucl-statement-university-london-act-2018|title=UCL statement on University of London Act 2018|date=11 March 2019|accessdate=2 August 2022|publisher=University College London|archive-date=7 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707024002/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2019/mar/ucl-statement-university-london-act-2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Approval of university title was received from the Office for Students in May 2022 and updated Articles of Association formally constituting the school as a university were approved by LSE council 5 July 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/our-community/Update-from-Chair-of-Council-summer-2022|title=Chair's Blog: Summer Term 2022|accessdate=2 August 2022|publisher=London School of Economics|last=Liautaud|first=Susan|archive-date=6 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706135516/https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/our-community/Update-from-Chair-of-Council-summer-2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Articles of Association|url=https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/services/Policies-and-procedures/Assets/Documents/Articles-of-Association.pdf|date=5 July 2022|accessdate=2 August 2022|publisher=London School of Economics|archive-date=2 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802163005/https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/services/Policies-and-procedures/Assets/Documents/Articles-of-Association.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>