Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LSE Blogs

@lseblogs.bsky.social

3.3K followers 1.6K following 670 posts

The world's largest dedicated social sciences blogging platform hosted by The London School of Economics and Political Science. Explore our website 🖥 https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/ Subscribe to our newsletter 📬 http://eepurl.com/iwXSu-/

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by LSE Blogs

LSE British Politics and Policy blog @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 1h

💡New! Transhumanism is quietely influencing UK tech policy. Laurence Radford of @lseblogs.bsky.social argues for more transparency and democratic accountability to control these powerful emerging technologies seeking to integrate tech with the human body.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

Transhumanism is quietly influencing UK tech policy | British Politics and Policy at LSE

As the UK aims to be a leader in AI and frontier tech, ideas rooted in transhumanism are starting to influence national policy, often without public debate.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 3h

#Islamophobia in Western Europe is driven by nativism and authoritarianism, not religiosity.

@kai-arzheimer.com @powimz.bsky.social for @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Islamophobia in Western Europe is not driven by religiosity

Are Christians more likely to be Islamophobic than other citizens in Europe? New research finds European Islamophobia has no link to a person’s religiosity.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 23h

As the global #economy gets increasingly #digital, #Nepal is lagging in developing infrastructure and practices to connect to this network.

Madhav Dhakal @lsesouthasia.bsky.social explains why the nation can't afford to miss out.

Read more 👉 blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/20...

a blue abstract background with lines and dots

Reposted by LSE Blogs

LSE EUROPP Blog @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social · 2d

Andrej Babiš’s ANO won the Czech election on 3–4 October, but was this a Pyrrhic victory?

ANO’s unexpectedly strong performance at the expense of smaller radical parties will make forming a coalition challenging.

✍ @jrovny.bsky.social @sciencespo-cee.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

The 2025 Czech election – Andrej Babiš’s Pyrrhic victory

Andrej Babiš’s ANO won the 2025 Czech election on 3–4 October. Yet as Jan Rovny explains, Babiš will find it challenging to form a stable government.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 1d

Last Wednesday the #US federal #government shut down because of disagreements over funding for #ForeignAid and health insurance subsidies, halting pay for millions of federal workers.

What might resolve the crisis? Thomas Gift @ucl.ac.uk analyses the situation for @lseusablog.bsky.social

Why there may be no end in sight for the US government shutdown | USAPP

Thomas Gift writes on the state of play on the shutdowns’ sixth day and gives four scenarios of how it might eventually come to an end.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 1d

Citizens of a #democracy are meant to have a say over how it is governed. But authoritarian actors have grown bolder & major democracies have turned inward.

What #constitutional frameworks are resilient? @tomginsburg.bsky.social @uchicagolaw.bsky.social @tarunkhaitan.bsky.social @lselaw.bsky.social

Designing democracy – constitutional resilience in authoritarian times - LSE Review of Books

The Entrenchment of Democracy edited by Tom Ginsburg, Aziz Z. Huq, and Tarun Khaitan compiles analysis from political scientists and legal scholars on how constitutional law shapes electoral…

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 2d

#LabourRights agreements are reshaping global supply chains.

Agreements like the Bangladesh Accord are reshaping global supply chains, offering stronger protections for workers. But researchers lack a deeper understanding of how they work.

Pauline Jerrentrup (LSE Management) for @lsebr.bsky.social

Labour rights agreements are reshaping global supply chains - LSE Business Review

Enforceable brand agreements offer stronger protections for workers. Many call them landmark. But researchers don't know exactly how they work.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 2d

Are European citizens turning away from foreign aid and development cooperation?

A new dataset shows a notable decline in support for foreign aid in France, Germany and the UK since 2022 @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social.

Is there still public support for foreign aid? - EUROPP

Do people in Europe still support foreign aid? New data shows that concern for poverty abroad persists but is sensitive to political shocks and crises.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 3d

Elite school students end up in better universities than expected, based on their grades.

@lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social @cep-lse.bsky.social

Elite school students end up in better universities than expected, based on their grades | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Students of private and grammar schools are over-represented in elite universities, but only part of that is explained by better grades.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 3d

Discussing the current state of open educational resources and e-textbooks, @niamhtumelty.bsky.social & @heroicendeavour.bsky.social argue they should form a central part of university strategies for public engagement @lseimpactblog.bsky.social.

@lsepress.bsky.social @lselibrary.bsky.social

Open educational resources should be central to the public mission of universities - Impact of Social Sciences

Discussing the current state of open educational resources and e-textbooks, Niamh Tumelty and Caroline Ball argue they should form a central part of university strategies for public engagement.…

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 4d

Should lab animals have rights?

A Mouse in a Cage by Carrie Friese @lsesociology.bsky.social @nyupress.bsky.social explores the #ethical challenges of using #animals in scientific #research.

#Review by Luciano Magaldi Sardella @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social.

Should lab animals have rights? - LSE Review of Books

A Mouse in a Cage by Carrie Friese explores the ethical challenges of using lab animals in scientific research.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 5d

Our newsletter is out today 📬 exploring the weaponisation of victimhood in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death, Thomas Piketty on inequality, AI & animals, tackling inflation, an emerging world order, and more.

Read 👉 mailchi.mp/lse/lse-blog...

Subscribe 👉 lse.us21.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

Banner with text LSE Blogs newsletter 3 October How the far right weaponises victimhood and photo of RIP Charlie Kirk T-shirt

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 5d

What explains the rise in framing #migration into Europe as an "invasion"?

On @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social, @tarsisbrito.bsky.social shows how conceptions of white nativeness have combined with the legacy of #colonialism to portray racialised migrants as invaders & migration as a state of siege.

Is migration an invasion? Whiteness, borders and colonialism in Europe

Are migrants invading Europe? Tarsis Brito shows how notions of white nativeness have combined with colonial legacies to portray migration as a state of siege.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 5d

Who climbs the income ladder? Evidence from tax records on income mobility.

Javier Terrero Dávila @oecdsocial.bsky.social @lseinequalities.bsky.social

#OECD #Income #Inequality

Who climbs the income ladder? New evidence from tax records

Using surveys to track short-term social mobility – how much people move up or down the income ladder – has limitations. How can using administrative data help?

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 6d

As the #US undermines the geopolitical order, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit showed #China is offering an alternative.

History indicates the result may not be a new global system, but shifting power & contested rules, writes Terry Mullan @lseir.bsky.social @lseusablog.bsky.social

The US-led world order is breaking—here’s what history tells us may come next | USAPP

The US is undermining the very order it built, and the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit shows how China is seizing the moment.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 6d

The UK’s #inflation is still stubbornly high, the highest of the G7.

On @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social, Paul Whiteley @universityofessex.bsky.social puts it down to the previous long period of low #InterestRates combined with the fact that the now higher interest rates are yet to fully take effect.

How do we bring inflation down? | British Politics and Policy at LSE

The UK's inflation is still the highest in the G7. This is due to the Bank of England's previous low interest rate policy, and inflation's inherent innertia.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 7d

If the #FarRight cannot offer better living standards to the masses whose support it relies on, what does it offer them?

The answer Richard Seymour proposes in Disaster Nationalism is communal violence, but is that enough to explain it?

@vladimirbortun.bsky.social for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

What fuels far-right nationalism? - LSE Review of Books

Disaster Nationalism by Richard Seymour examines the rise of the far right worldwide, a radicalised neoliberalism along ethno-nationalist & protectionist lines.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 7d

The #AwardingGap refers to the persistent disparity in degrees awarded to white & racially minoritised students: the latter receive lower awards on average.

But the name for this issue is reductive, writes @j-gabi5.bsky.social on @lseheblog.bsky.social.

Read more 👉 blogs.lse.ac.uk/highereducat...

A group of university students in a lecture

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 8d

The #ChildPenalty is the drop in #women’s paid work and earnings after having a child.

The childcare stretches long beyond the hands-on care required for early-years to being "on call" for teenagers – Almudena Sevilla @lsesocialpolicy.bsky.social @cep-lse.bsky.social for @lsebr.bsky.social.

Being on call for teenagers is the missing piece in the gender pay gap debate - LSE Business Review

Even once the childcare years have passed, mothers spend twice as much time as fathers providing supervision and support to their teenagers.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 8d

"If people are central to AI, the social sciences must play a key role in AI advancement."

On @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social @helenmargetts.bsky.social and Cosmina Dorobantu @lsedatascience.bsky.social argue that AI needs to be shaped not just by computer science, but by #SocialScience.

Why AI needs social science | British Politics and Policy at LSE

AI is about humans, that's why it needs to be shaped not just by computer science, but by social science.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 9d

#Spain's Pedro Sánchez has committed to pursuing democratic regeneration.

Yet as Fernando Casal Bertoa and @josejavierolivas.bsky.social argue on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social, international indicators point to declining democratic standards since Sánchez came to power in 2018.

Spain under Pedro Sánchez – from democratic regeneration to degeneration - EUROPP

Pedro Sánchez has committed to democratic regeneration in Spain, but international indicators point to declining democratic standards since he came to power.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 9d

At his second speech at the #UN,#DonaldTrump attacked the host institution & his European allies.

Michael Cox @lseideas.bsky.social @lseir.bsky.social analyses the speech in the context of the polarisation of US politics & the US, Russia & China's undermining of the UN @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

Trump and the United Nations crisis | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Donal Trump's second speech at the United Nations should be read in the context of polarization of US politics and the undermining of the UN by the great powers.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 10d

On @lseimpactblog.bsky.social Eleonora Colangelo @frontiersmedia.bsky.social considers how scientific publishers can exercise #SoftPower through managing peer-reviewed, politically neutral and evidence-based research that responds to global challenges.

How scholarly publishers wield soft power - Impact of Social Sciences

Scientific publishers exercise 'soft power' through their role in managing and curating research, but how is this role changing in an open research landscape?

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 10d

#AI is transforming the lives of animals at speed, but these huge impacts are going unchecked.

Isabella Logothetis, Spencer Jury @birchlse.bsky.social @lsephilosophy.bsky.social argue more must be done to make sure AI works for, not against the interests of other species @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social.

Should you let AI train your dog? The lawless world of AI and animals

Artificial intelligence could transform our relationships with animals, but more must be done to make sure AI works for the interests of other species.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · 11d

As a city in the Amazon – Belém, #Brazil – prepares to host #COP30 researchers show that #rainforests can be a key part of the answer to the #ClimateCrisis.

Securing robust, long-term finance poses a challenge, but one that we can meet – Juliano Assunção @theigc.bsky.social @lsebr.bsky.social.

COP30 must back tropical forests for carbon removal now - LSE Business Review

Rainforests can be part of the answer to climate change. A financial mechanism could place them at the centre of the fight against climate change.

blogs.lse.ac.uk