The Long Run Institute
USING THE PAST TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
THE LONG RUN INSTITUTE
The Long Run Institute (LRI) is an independent, non-profit forum for academic experts, business leaders & public policymakers. It provides insights from the historical analysis of long-run forces and trends to provide context and deepen understanding of the grand challenges facing businesses and government.
We believe that by understanding the past, we can better appreciate the processes that have created the present and how they will shape the future trajectory of businesses, economies and societies.
Through the organisation of high-impact events, the LRI creates a platform for dialogue to exchange knowledge and stimulate ideas, giving participants the opportunity to reflect on and discuss parallels from the past, and consider how these lessons apply to their own organizations.
NEWS & ARTICLES
A Cup of Tea: The Human Consequences of AI
In this new University College London Press series, host and LRI Director Judy Stephenson asks 10 serious questions of some of UCL’s leading academics. Over this particular cup of tea, Professor Stephenson explores the human-AI connection with anthropology Professor Daniel Miller. Noting that AI is becoming increasingly anthropomorphised, the discussion explores how we assign meaning and value to technology as we integrate it ever more deeply into our lives.
How the ledger controls monetary sovereignty and global power
Writing in the World Commerce Review, Dr. Laurence B. Mussio and Dr. Paul Samson argue that global power increasingly hinges on who controls the ledger—the infrastructure that records and settles financial value. From ancient Sumer to the Medici bankers to SWIFT, ledgers have always been instruments of authority. Today, that contest is being rewritten through stablecoins, tokenized assets, and central bank digital currencies. Do nations that fail to control their own digital monetary architecture risk losing sovereignty—perhaps permanently?
The Swedish deal, the defence bank and the West’s awakening from its long dream
Canada is moving away from heavy dependence on the United States by rebuilding domestic defence production and helping create a new multinational “defence bank” meant to fund long term military capacity across democratic allies. Writing in The Globe and Mail, Dr. Laurence B. Mussio and Dr. Jessica M. Lomas analyze this shift in Canadian defence strategy. They look at what it is, why it’s needed and Canada’s role, examining the historical echoes and the challenges ahead.
LRI Research Fellow wins award
Our congratulations go to LRI Senior Research Fellow Dr. Tiarnán Heaney who was awarded the Conniffe Prize at this year’s Irish Economic Association conference for the best paper by a young economist.
His study of an early Irish development agency shows how smart place based policy reduced poverty in the west of Ireland by transforming agricultural practices and increasing capital investment. The takeaway: real regional development means expanding opportunity where people already are.
Comhghairdeas Dr. Heaney!
UPCOMING EVENTS 2026
The Long Run Institute is delighted to sponsor doctoral students to attend the Economic History Society's Centenary conference at the London School of Economics and Political Science from the 10th to the 12th of April 2026. See the program for some of the most fresh and innovative scholarship in economic and social history today. We are delighted to wish economic historians everywhere a scholarly, busy, and fruitful 100th birthday.
Managing Extreme Risk and Uncertainty in an Increasingly Volatile World
The video clips below are taken from a Long Run Institute conference, 'Managing Extreme Risk and Uncertainty in an Increasingly Volatile World', recorded live on 24 September 2021.
