Student Yuni Lee (Korea), Dr Chris Williams and student Raluca Stoica Romania

Dr Chris Williams launched his new book Researching Power, Elites and Leadership at Kings’ College London, last week. The seminar was organised by the International State Crime Initiative, in the Law School at the new Somerset House building which was opened by the Queen this year. Dr Williams explained that he hates methods books because they are usually “dreary lists of truisms and nonsense”. Researching power is enlivened with student experiences and illustrations, and goes beyond academic methods to include investigtaive journalism, military research, and inputs from Amnesty International.

A Korean banknote showing the metal ‘turtle ship’.

 “The message is that anyone can study powerful people.” Dr Williams said. An easy start is to explore the figures on a banknote. In 1971, Korean industrialist Chung Ju-yung was trying to get funding for a shipbuilding company. British bankers argued that Korea had no industrial tradition. He took a banknote from his pocket and showed that Koreans had invented a metal ship 600 years before Britain. He got his money, and Hyundai shipbuilding was born.

Find out more about the new Book launch