Max Nathan

@maxnathan.bsky.social

3.3K followers 570 following 830 posts

Professor of Economic Geography, UCL. Also CEP, IZA. Cities, economics, innovation, diversity, and public policy. Views here are mine, not those of UCL, funders, data providers, etc.

https://max-nathan.github.io

Videos

Economics 42%

Political science 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 8h

👀 Super-interesting paper on remote work, productivity from Arpit and co-authors.

Also has some important lessons for big cities and smaller places👇

Arpit Gupta @arpitrage.bsky.social · 9h

There’s a paradox around remote work. Jamie Dimon says it will kill productivity, while startups are hiring for remote roles. Who is right?

With Abhinav Gupta and Elena Simintzi we try to resolve this dispute

Paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Substack: arpitrage.substack.com/p/remote-wor...

Reposted by Max Nathan, Aaron Sojourner, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

Arpit Gupta @arpitrage.bsky.social · 9h

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Max Nathan, Margot C. Finn , and 3 more Axel Bruns, Max Nathan, Margot C. Finn, Geoff Pearson, Katrina Navickas, David Stott

Jason Sinclair @jsinclair.bsky.social · 12h

Politicians: don't use AI to make your maps.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 6d

V useful on clusters and UK industrial strategy by @paulswinney.bsky.social @thedatacity.bsky.social

thedatacity.com/blog/where-d...

Where do the Government’s Industrial Strategy IS-8 sectors cluster across the country? - The Data City

Advanced Manufacturing Clean Energy Industries Life Sciences Creative Industries Digital and Technologies Financial Services Professional and Business Services Advanced Manufacturing 1.0 0.3 0.4 0.0 0...

thedatacity.com

Reposted by Max Nathan

JP Spencer @jpspencer.bsky.social · 6d

The renaissance in local news is an exciting trend driven by online platforms. And one of the largest of these, @millmedia.bsky.social, was founded by @joshih.bsky.social in Manchester in 2020. It has now expanded to over 200,000 people subscribed across its 6 cities; over 13,000 of these pay.

1/6

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 8d

A new paper by George Borjas—who served this past year in the Trump White House designing some of its anti-immigration policies—claims to display evidence of ideological bias among researchers who study immigration.

doi.org/10.1126/scia...

🧵 Thread—>

Reposted by Max Nathan

Adam Bell @adambell.bsky.social · 8d

NEW POST: The US will be unable to avoid occupying Venezuela if it is to achieve its stated objectives.
unbalancingmechanism.substack.com/p/its-not-ab...

It's not about the oil even if it is about the oil

The USA will be unable to avoid occupying Venezuela if it is to achieve its stated objectives

unbalancingmechanism.substack.com

Reposted by Max Nathan

Ant Breach @antbreach.bsky.social · Dec 15

Local government reform is tricky but incredibly important for the economy and public service reform.

Our new briefing sets out how to do it in the key areas facing a decision next year - by matching political geography to economic geography and allowing cities to grow.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Dec 11

Great to see this awesome paper out in EG. It’s a must-read 👇

Economic Geography Journal @econgeog-journal.bsky.social · Nov 18

⏳ What can 159 years of patents reveal about American innovation?

🤖 Crespo & Peiró-Palomino trace a long history of regional specialization in the US to uncover spatial concentrations and shifting innovation hubs.

🔗 Read more at
doi.org/10.1080/0013...
#EconomicGeography

Reposted by Max Nathan

Economic Geography Journal @econgeog-journal.bsky.social · Dec 1

🌍 How much does ethnicity influence global investment flows?

💰 Culture is shaping capital. Zhou et al. reveal that ethnic networks of intermediaries are central to how SMEs engage in foreign direct investments.

🔗 Read more at
doi.org/10.1080/0013...
#EconomicGeography

Reposted by Mark Tewdwr‐Jones, Max Nathan

Prof Andrew Hudson-Smith @digitalurban.bsky.social · Nov 27

The Album: Place and Space - Music directly inspired by the themes explored in the book Cities in the Metaverse. Mark your calendars: 📅 December 1st: Available on all streaming platforms. Read the academic book. Stream the album via @casaucl.bsky.social #metaverse #music #digital

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers, Tim Bale , and 2 more Ben H. Ansell, Steve Peers, Tim Bale, Max Nathan, Michael H. Whitworth

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Nov 27

Net migration fell sharply agaim to 204,000 in the year to June 2025, having been 344k in 2024 and 848k in 2023. But falling immigration has been the biggest secret - and it is time for the media and political debate to catch up with this change
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...

UK net migration fell to 204,000 in year to June - live updates

Net migration, the difference between those entering and leaving the country, was 345,000 in 2024 according to revised figures.

www.bbc.co.uk

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 26

Have been waiting for someone to write this paper #EconSky 📉📈

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The direction of innovation and work from home, Chungeun Yoon, new out in Research Policy

Highlights

• Work-from-home shifted innovation toward non–face-to-face technologies.
• Firms adopting work-from-home increased patents for non–face-to-face technologies.
• Smaller, younger firms in the ICT-related industry drove these results.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 21

Extremely on-point piece on Reform in local government 👇

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · Nov 16

New post just out:

"The Reality Trap"

On Reform's struggles running councils.

What it tells us about how they'd fare if they won a general elections. And about how broken our system of local government is.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...

The Reality Trap

Reform's struggles in local government

open.substack.com

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 20

100% on-brand for CASA I’d say

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 20

Lawrence Lek’s beautiful Bonus Levels does the same for 00s and 2010s East London, albeit with far more side-eye. I wrote about it here

maxnathan.medium.com/first-person...

First Person Flaneur

A review of Lawrence Lek’s Bonus Levels.

maxnathan.medium.com

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 20

A superb urbanist tour of Vice City, and its complex overlaps with real-world Miami

HT @lesurze.bsky.social

m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiM...

The Two Sides of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

YouTube video by Any Austin

m.youtube.com

Reposted by Max Nathan

Economic Geography Journal @econgeog-journal.bsky.social · Nov 18

Reposted by Lawrence Freedman, Steve Peers, Tim Bale , and 1 more Lawrence Freedman, Steve Peers, Tim Bale, Max Nathan

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · Nov 16

The Reality Trap

Reform's struggles in local government

open.substack.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Max Nathan

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Nov 15

Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war"

These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.

The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 14

Ouch

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 14

Feeling highly vindicated, and slightly attacked, by this excellent piece

Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · Nov 14

Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...

Reposted by Gavin A. Schmidt, Paolo Crosetto, Max Nathan , and 1 more Gavin A. Schmidt, Paolo Crosetto, Max Nathan, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Simon Hix, Stephen P. Jenkins , and 11 more Diane Coyle, Simon Hix, Stephen P. Jenkins, Michael A. Clemens, Ben Barr, Sabine Pahl, Richard Shaw, Max Nathan, Stephen Cushion, Ben Crum, Rory O’Connell, Dana R. Fisher, Nicolai von Ondarza, Pepper D. Culpepper

John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · Nov 10

Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:

One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Nov 9

Surely one could also ship YIMBYr, which would do the same for planning applications you like?

Reposted by Mel Bartley, Max Nathan, Christina Pagel

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · Nov 6

"There is simply no sign of a fiscal catastrophe from the 'Boriswave'. Recent migrants are very likely to be employed, paying tax and seem to be contributing to British society..it will help, rather than hurt, Britain’s fiscal position."

Analysis by @lgilbert.co

ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

Lower migration is bad news for the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe

Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, and that the recent collapse in immigration will harm the UK's economic p...

ukandeu.ac.uk

Reposted by Max Nathan, Pauline Stafford

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · Nov 5

Fantastic Inside Politics by Jen Williams today:

Nigel Farage’s army of councillors balance piracy and professionalism

Party rides high as it battles dropouts among the recently elected and struggles for ‘massive savings’

www.ft.com

Reposted by Dave O’Brien

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · Oct 24

Very happy for my @casaucl.bsky.social colleague and co-author Mateo - congrats!

AEA Journals @aeajournals.bsky.social · Oct 21

Forthcoming in the AER: "Gender Differences in Economics Seminars" by Pascaline Dupas, Amy Handlan, Alicia Sasser Modestino, Muriel Niederle, Mateo Seré, Haoyu Sheng, Justin Wolfers, and Seminar Dynamics Collective. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...

Gender Differences in Economics Seminars

(Forthcoming Article) - We assess whether men and women are treated differently when presenting their economics research. We collected data across thousands of seminars, job market talks and conferenc...

www.aeaweb.org

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Max Nathan , and 1 more Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, Max Nathan, Colm O’Cinneíde

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · Oct 23

Hadn’t, in truth, really absorbed the scale of what the Conservatives are proposing on ILR and immigration more broadly until this week’s Sunday Times interviews. Some thoughts on that in today’s note:

Tory deportation plan would upend Britain

Proposing such a radical bill with little public support is a gift to Nigel Farage

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