letter from the president

King's Think Tank (KTT) has now, for over a decade, championed student voices in policymaking. Since our inception in the wake of the 2010 student protests, we have steadily grown into Europe's largest student-led policy institute. We firmly believe that students should have a meaningful voice in policymaking and participate in solving the thorniest issues of our time. The Spectrum especially exemplifies this vision, and I hope the insightful and innovative policy recommendations in this issue are read and shared as widely as possible.

Like everyone else, KTT had to adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic. While I am sad that we did not have the opportnity to host in-person gatherings, I am immensely proud of how the team responded to the challenge, and we were able to move virtually all our functions online. In total, we organised 16 events or discussions, ranging in topic from automation of the labour force to the future of the liberal world order. Although operating virtually has its advantages, such as reaching a more diverse audience and attracting speakers from across the globe, I am hopeful that come next term, KTT will return to hosting events on campus.

Even though 2020-2021 has been a challenging time to run a society, we did not stagnate but innovated to adapt to this new environment. Last autumn, we launched The Policy Plug podcast, which under the stewardship of Vice-President Katharina Fletcher, has been a tremendous success. Episodes have both included topical interviews with leading experts about Brexit and the NHS, as well as highlighting the work done by students across our seven policy centres. It is a new tool that allows KTT to communicate in a whole new way, and I hope the podcast will continue to grow and expand in the years to come.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the immensely talented students who have been part of KTT this year. It is your voluntary work, fuelled by a desire to change things for the better, which makes KTT a genuinely unique society. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our academic partners at the Policy Institute and the Department of Political Economy, as well as to our patron, Tim Hailes. On a personal level, the past year has been eventful, challenging, inspirational, but most of all, fun. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to work with such an excellent team of people. I have total trust and confidence that going forward, KTT is in good hands and will continue to reach new heights.

Matias Salo President King's Think Tank

Special Thanks

Thank you to our patron, Alderman Tim Hailes.

Mr. Hailes graduated from Kings College London with a BA (Hons) degree in History in 1990. Whilst at university he served in a political capacity for two members of Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet. Mr. Hailes is a Jelf medalist (1990) and served as a member of College Council and a sabbatical officer in KCLSU from 1988-89. Mr. Hailes has been the Alderman for the Ward of Bassishaw since May 2013 and served as Aldermanic Sheriff of the City of London in 2017/18.

Thank you to our academic sponsor, the KCL Department of Political Economy.

Founded in 2010, King’s College London’s Department of Political Economy is the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom. Its teaching and research recognise that one cannot fully understand political processes without understanding the economic context in which they operate, just as sound economic analyses require some appreciation of how resource allocation is conditioned by political institutions, ethical values, and the way these have been understood by different traditions in social thought.