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LSE honours Lord Meghnad Desai with new student support fund, memorial lecture

British economist and LSE Emeritus Professor Charles Goodhart, who has supported the new fund, said that a student support fund was a fitting tribute to Lord Desai’s enduring contribution to the intellectual life of the institution and his lifelong commitment to mentoring young scholars.

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 30, 2026 09:30 AM IST

Meghnad Desai

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) commemorated the life and legacy of economist and public intellectual Lord Meghnad Desai with a memorial lecture, which also marked the official launch of a new student support fund in his name.

Lord Desai, who passed away on July 29, 2025, at the age of 85, was closely associated with LSE for more than five decades as a teacher, scholar, and mentor. The memorial event was opened by LSE president and vice chancellor Professor Larry Kramer, who formally launched the Lord Desai Student Support Fund.

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Announcing the fund, Professor Kramer said Lord Desai’s intellectual independence and commitment to debate set him apart as an educator and thinker. He said Lord Desai became a catalyst for transformation, inspiring countless students to think differently, argue boldly, and embrace complexity. Kramer added that the fund aims to support students whose work reflects Lord Desai’s belief in the power of ideas, dissent, and global engagement, and who have the potential to drive meaningful social impact.

Established in his honour, the fund will support students pursuing innovative and interdisciplinary ideas, ensuring that Lord Desai’s influence continues not only in memory but through action, Professor Kramer noted.

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Lord Desai joined LSE as a lecturer in 1965 and was appointed Professor of Economics in 1983. Over the years, he held several key leadership roles, including Convenor of the Economics Department from 1987 to 1990. He also founded the Centre for the Study of Global Governance in 1992 and served as head of the Development Studies Institute between 1990 and 1995. After retiring in 2003, he was named Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow of the School.

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Widely remembered for bringing warmth, wit and humanity to academic life, Lord Desai was described by colleagues as a generous and insightful teacher whose mentorship left a lasting impression on generations of students and faculty members.

The memorial lecture, titled Power and profit: stresses and futures of market economies, brought together leading economists and policymakers to discuss the challenges facing market systems globally. Speakers at the event included Montek Singh Ahluwalia, LSE’s Francesco Caselli, Professor David Hendry and Professor Stephen Nickell, with the session chaired by Professor Mary Kaldor.

British economist and LSE Emeritus Professor Charles Goodhart, who has supported the new fund, said that a student support fund was a fitting tribute to Lord Desai’s enduring contribution to the intellectual life of the institution and his lifelong commitment to mentoring young scholars.