Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · 1d

New paper "Geographies of Innovation and Well-being" with Fulvio Castellacci + @emilevenhuis.bsky.social: rdcu.be/eJJpO. We outline the pathways through which innovation can contribute to #wellbeing and how political considerations regarding well-being provide #directionality in innovation (policy).

Geographies of innovation and well-being

rdcu.be

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Victor Galaz @vgalaz.bsky.social · 8d

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring

Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 13d

The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Martijn Arets @martijnarets.bsky.social · 12d

Event: "Ghostwork, de onzichtbare arbeid achter AI
Hoe beschermen we de 150 miljoen datawerkers achter onze AI?" Kom op 15 oktober naar de Hogeschool van Amsterdam en neem deel aan een discussie over hoe we datawerk een plek kunnen geven in discussies over Responsible AI.

www.hva.nl/evenementen/...

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University @uugeo.bsky.social · 12d

Kom op zondag 5 oktober naar het Utrecht Science Park! Kan een rivier naar de rechter? Bouw met lego je eigen droomtuin! En hoe maak je olifantentandpasta? Ontdek dit en nog veel meer tijdens het Weekend van de Wetenschap, voor families met kinderen tussen de 8-12 jaar.
www.uu.nl/agenda/neem-...

Neem een kijkje achter de schermen van de Universiteit Utrecht en kom naar het Weekend van de Wetenschap!

Op zondag 5 oktober 2025 organiseert het Centrum voor Wetenschap en Cultuur (CWC) het Weekend van de Wetenschap: een publieksevenement met verschillende activiteiten gericht op families met kinderen t...

www.uu.nl

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Follow the Money @ftm.nl · 18d

Wat betekent het voor ons als tech-miljardairs en cryptobedrijven de heerschappij van de banken zullen doorbreken? In zijn nieuwe boek ‘Geld genoeg, maar niet voor jou’ neemt Thomas Bollen je mee naar goudkluizen, banktorens en cryptofeestjes. www.ftm.nl/artikelen/ho...

Hoe heroveren we de macht over ons geld?

Van woningnood en groeiende ongelijkheid tot de opkomst van autocratische leiders – in zijn nieuwe boek ‘Geld genoeg, maar niet voor jou’ legt FTM-journalist Thomas Bollen bloot waarom de grote proble...

www.ftm.nl

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Stefan ten Teije @stefantt.bsky.social · 19d

Onderzoeksjournalistiek is superbelangrijk. Gelukkig is het niveau in Nederland hoog. Maar het kost meer tijd en geld dan het formuleren van een mening... Word dus snel vriend van @investico.bsky.social en steun onderzoeksjournalistiek. Kan al vanaf 1 euro per maand. Je helpt ze er ontzettend mee.

Laat de feiten regeren. Word nu Vriend van Investico.

Antidemocratische krachten en cynische politici zijn in opkomst. Feitenvrije politiek bedreigt onze vrijheid. Steun onafhankelijke onderzoeksjournalistiek en laat de feiten regeren.

donaties.platform-investico.nl

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Patrick McCray @patrickmccray.bsky.social · Sep 5

If you think technology will solve your problems, you don't understand technology and you probably don't understand your problems either.

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Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · Aug 19

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is launching a new global policy tracker to provide a comprehensive overview of legislative initiatives concerning digital labour ('#gigeconomy') platforms. Great resource for all stakeholders. See: www.ilo.org/resource/new...

ILO launches Global Policy Tracker on Digital Labour Platforms

A new ILO resource to support evidence-based policymaking and social dialogue on platform work.

www.ilo.org

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Kean Birch @keanbirch.bsky.social · Aug 18

My new article "Do artifacts have political economy" out in @sthv.bsky.social - developing a constructivist #politicaleconomy as a way to understand the embedding of political economy in #technology (incl bridges, #generativeAI + #adtech)

Science, Technology, & Human Values @sthv.bsky.social · Aug 11

New OnlineFirst (OA) article: "Do Artifacts Have Political Economy?" by Kean Birch @keanbirch.bsky.social #constructivist #politicaleconomy #assetization #LangdonWinner #RobertMoses #adtech #generativeAI #techbros journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Do Artifacts Have Political Economy? - Kean Birch, 2025

Harking back to Langdon Winner's now classic essay “Do artifacts have politics?,” my aim in this article is to ask a very similar question—namely, do artif...

journals.sagepub.com

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Dom White @domw.bsky.social · Aug 5

Wanna see a crazy chart? Of course you do.

Spending on constructing datacenters and manufacturing facilities for computers & electronic products in the US now exceeds the entire retail and wholesale industry and almost as much as the rest of the office and manufacturing sectors combined.

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Mirko Tobias Schäfer 🇪🇺 @mtschaefer.bsky.social · Aug 2

Just out our paper on realities, politics & economics of so-called digital twins, and how the imaginary of "digital twins" is stifling dissemination & implementation.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 2

Enough of the billionaires and their big tech. ‘Frugal tech’ will build us all a better world | Eleanor Drage

Titans like Musk would love us to believe innovation means top-down solutions that only enrich the wealthy. In fact, we all have the power, says Eleanor Drage, research fellow at Cambridge University

www.theguardian.com

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Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · Jul 27

Roel Dobbe (TU Delft) in NRC: "De vloek van AI" (in Dutch): www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

@haroonsheikh.bsky.social @marleenstikker.bsky.social @claesdevreese.bsky.social @mtschaefer.bsky.social @algosoc.org @silvertje.bsky.social @fvandervlist.bsky.social @albertmeijer.bsky.social

Opinie | De vloek van AI

Kunstmatige intelligentie: Het AI-plan van Trump zal desastreuze gevolgen hebben voor de planeet, schrijft Roel Dobbe.

www.nrc.nl

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

@LaBonneLaB @labonnelab.bsky.social · Jul 26

Some journals are claiming that you need to pay big $$ for gold open access to comply with NIH's new public access policy. FYI that is total bs. You can comply by depositing the Accepted Manuscript into PubMed Central on the Date of Publication without embargo. Pass it on.

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Rop Gonggrijp @rop.gonggri.jp · Jul 15

Do not ever use WeTransfer to transfer files.

Use something that's end-to-end encrypted, like Wormhole, instead.

wormhole.app

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Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · Jul 15

David Autor and Gordon Hanson on US #innovationpolicy: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...

Opinion | We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Koen Frenken

Eu-SPRI Forum @euspri-forum.bsky.social · Jul 11

📢 PhDs & Postdocs: Join the Eu-SPRI Early-Career Training School📍Utrecht, 7–10 Oct 2025

🎓 Governance of Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) Policy in Times of Transformation

✅ Deepen your expertise
✅ Engage with global scholars
✅ Explore pathways to policy impact

🗓️Apply by 14 July. Link below👇

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Jul 12

This is very worrying. Making offering a "bowl of soup" to someone without legal papers a criminal offense. In times of far-right political experimentation, Dutch politics can ill afford a parliamentary "slip-up". It’s up to the Senate now to demonstrate its purpose of chambre de reflexion.

Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · Jul 12

The proposed Dutch law criminalising assistance to migrants
A critical analysis, by Huub Verbaten - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-du...

A Dutch dangerous experiment in criminalizing compassion: How a parliamentary "slip-up" could create Europe's harshest migration law

Huub Verbaten , Research Fellow at the Clingendael Institute Photo credit : Markus Bernet, via Wikimedia commons On the evening of Jul...

eulawanalysis.blogspot.com

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Lisa Rice @itslisarice.bsky.social · Jul 7

This piece by @alondra.bsky.social is too important. It’s a must read for anyone concerned about the state of scientific research.

Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · Jun 27

The bipartisan American Science Acceleration Project sounds promising, but "move fast and break things" isn't a strategy for trustworthy research. I write in @science.org about why we need acceleration that opens doors to participation and accountability.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Ten times faster is not 10 times better

As the Trump administration systematically defunds the American research ecosystem, while disingenuously promising a return to so-called “gold standard science,” hope can be drawn from the new biparti...

www.science.org

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Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · Jul 8

I wrote a blog for LSE-EUROPP on the mismatch between the 5% #NATO spending target and EU's innovation policy objectives (strategic autonomy, competitiveness, sustainability). See: blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

The new NATO spending target will hamper Europe’s innovation policy

NATO's new 5 percent defence spending pledge is unlikely to help create a more autonomous, competitive and sustainable Europe.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

LSE EUROPP Blog @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social · Jun 30

💥 New: The new NATO spending target will hamper Europe’s innovation policy

✍️ @kfrenken.bsky.social ‬ blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

The new NATO spending target will hamper Europe’s innovation policy

NATO's new 5 percent defence spending pledge is unlikely to help create a more autonomous, competitive and sustainable Europe.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

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Reposted by Koen Frenken

Sustainability Transitions Research Network (STRN) @transitionsnetwork.bsky.social · Jun 23

New here and not sure who to follow? 👀
We’ve created a starter pack of researchers working on topics related to socio-technical change. It’s a first attempt and will grow over time.
Know someone who should be on it or want to be included yourself? Comment below or send us a DM ✉️
go.bsky.app/7STgwpg

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Koen Frenken @kfrenken.bsky.social · Jun 29

Ik schreef een blog over de mismatch tussen de NAVO-norm van 5% BNP en de doelen van het innovatiebeleid (autonomie, concurrentievermogen, duurzaamheid). Zie: esb.nu/de-nieuwe-na...

De nieuwe NAVO-norm zit innovatiebeleid in de weg - ESB

Door de hogere NAVO-norm komt er in Nederland en in de Europese Unie 0,6 procent van bbp extra beschikbaar voor R&D-uitgaven. Door de aard van de investeringen en de fragmentatie in Europa zullen deze...

esb.nu

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Ingrid Robeyns @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social · Jun 27

I'm very honoured with the awarding of the 2025 Stevin prize for my research. And I'm particularly pleased that this prize goes to a philosopher, as it recognizes that we not only do blue sky research, but also analyses that can make a difference to the world.
www.nwo.nl/en/prof-dr-i...

Prof. Dr. Ingrid Robeyns | NWO

Is there a limit to how much wealth one person should be allowed to accumulate? Ingrid Robeyns believes there should be. She conducts research into inequality and is the founder of ‘limitarianism’. This is particularly relevant at a time when the wealth of the super-rich continues to increase. Limitarianism is a scientifically based worldview. It is an example of how the political philosopher Robeyns challenges thinking about justice, democracy and climate issues. She is receiving this year’s Stevin Prize in recognition of her achievements in knowledge utilisation.

www.nwo.nl

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