LSE Business Review

Electric vehicles, and industrial policy, could transform African economies - LSE Business Review Africa is now at the helm of a global quest for critical minerals. Countries should follow China’s example of using a “guiding hand” in shaping its economy.

The EV industry could provide a twist on the fortunes of many of countries in Africa – if they can follow China’s example of using a “guiding hand” in shaping their economies.

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With TrumpRx is America reforming its pharmaceutical market, or simply rebranding prices? - LSE Business Review TrumpRX is largely performative and political. If countries want cheaper drugs then procurement reform, generics and supply chains matter more than portals.

TrumpRx aggregates manufacturer discounts and selected offers on prescription medicines. These are then marketed as Donald Trump himself delivering rapid savings for American patients. blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

The paradox of narcissism at work: impressive at first, costly over time - LSE Business Review Most research on narcissism at work focuses on the “toxic boss.” But narcissism exists at all levels, and colleagues high in narcissism can place enormous strain on individuals and organisations alike...

People high in narcissism often excel at work: they present well, speak with conviction, self-promote and often self-assured. They stand out in interviews, meetings, project work and performance reviews. But the same traits can become liabilities over time.
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Does artificial intelligence make banks safer? - LSE Business Review Does AI makes banks safer or amplify new forms of risk? How can lessons in innovation-driven economic growth, rewarded in the 2025 Nobel prize in economics, apply to banking?

Although banks use AI extensively, the technology’s implications for risk-taking and financial stability remain poorly understood. This blog investigates whether AI makes banks safer, or whether it amplifies new forms of risk.

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Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino are ruining FIFA and football - LSE Business Review Ahead of the football World Cup this summer the relationship between President Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino has been under the spotlight.

Ahead of the World Cup this summer the relationship between President Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, the boss of FIFA, has been under the spotlight.

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AI governance must move from “point-in-time” audits to “living” compliance - LSE Business Review The capabilities of AI are moving faster than the capabilities of those tasked with overseeing it. Time for "living compliance"

The financial sector is navigating a dangerous “velocity trap” where the speed of AI-driven business outruns the speed of manual compliance, leading to regulatory failure.

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AI productivity gains should be measured in more than minutes saved - LSE Business Review Productivity gains from AI are commonly measured by in time saved by using the technology. From a Schumpeterian perspective, this is a serious limitation.

Current measurement of AI productivity gains are mostly concerned with time savings and cost reductions, while saying very little about the quality or novelty of what is produced. From a Schumpeterian perspective, this is a serious limitation.

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Are jobs getting better? Reconciling the quantity and quality of jobs in an age of AI - LSE Business Review What impact do minimum wages, technology and flexible working have on labour markets and unemployment?

In response to high youth unemployment figures the British government may delay an increase in the minimum wage for young adults.

Why are young people struggling to find jobs? And what impact do minimum wages, technology and flexible working have on unemployment?

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Australia’s solar waste is piling up – reusing panels could be the key to fixing it - LSE Business Review Reusing old solar panels could cut waste and make solar power more accessible.

More than four million Australian homes have panels on their roofs. But when homeowners upgrade, they wrongly assume that their old panels will no longer work. So most are removed and sent to landfill, undermining the environmental benefits of reusable energy.

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Inside Southeast Asia’s industrialised fraud factories - LSE Business Review An estimated 220,000 people are currently trapped in “scam centres” in Cambodia and Myanmar, forced to coerce strangers into handing over money online.

Around 220,000 people are trapped in “scam centres” in Cambodia and Myanmar, forced to coerce strangers into handing over money online.

@drslazarus.bsky.social describes how economics, politics, organised crime and global business support this horrifying industry.

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Are jobs getting better?: The ability to work from anywhere will redistribute talent around the world - LSE Business Review How "work from anywhere" technology is reversing the brain drain.

How technology and "work from anywhere" employment policies are reversing the brain drain.
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What does “good” EdTech look like – and what do schoolchildren think about it? - LSE Business Review The British government encourages schools to use education technology and AI. But the sector is largely unregulated and its use differs considerably.

British teachers use EdTech extensively. But the sector is largely unregulated and how it is used differs hugely.

What do children think?

Ahead of an event at LSE on 12 February this blog introduces the findings of the Better EdTech Futures for Children project.

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AI tools are helping Mexican workers move into the formal economy - LSE Business Review Apps driven by AI are allowing Mexico’s informal workers to enter the formal economy by giving them access to healthcare, social security and finance.

New apps driven by artificial intelligence are giving informal workers in Mexico access to healthcare, social security and financial services
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How has American trade diplomacy changed under Donald Trump? - LSE Business Review The recent history of American trade diplomacy, and how it is wielded by Donald Trump.

Historically America has pursued three aims: supporting political alliances; building an international trade system that serves its interests; and unilateralism. Donald Trump has placed unilateralism above alliance-based and international economic co-operation.

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Moltbook is social media for AI. The way they interact will surprise you - LSE Business Review When AI evaluates AI, permission beats credentials; relationships beat (existential) philosophy; vulnerability beats polish.A social media platform for AI agents feels like science fiction. AI agents ...

Your brand’s chatbot is building a reputation. Not with customers. With other chatbots.

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Are jobs getting better? “AI has the potential for a massive productivity uplift” - LSE Business Review Fabien Curto Millet, the chief economist at Google, explains his excitement about AI and his scepticism that technology is harming labour markets.

Google's Fabien Curto Millet explains his scepticism that technology is harming labour markets and offers advice to young people entering the AI-economy.
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Meta’s $2 billion purchase of Manus raises concerns over AI valuations - LSE Business Review For investors and policymakers alike, the $2 billion Meta-Manus deal should be read as a warning.

Valuations are increasingly driven by FOMO and optimistic growth narratives rather than sustainable financial fundamentals.

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A trade deal between Canada and China infuriates America - LSE Business Review Closer economic relations between Canada and China will be mutually beneficial. But the two countries will have to tread a careful line not to irritate America.

Closer relations between Canada and China will be mutually beneficial. But the two countries will have to tread a careful line not to irritate America.

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Why public expectations of inflation matter - LSE Business Review Not for the first time the British public was able to predict the latest inflation much more accurately than the Bank of England’s policymakers.

Not for the first time the British public was able to predict the latest inflation much more accurately than the Bank of England’s policymakers.
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What is “fair” pay for a chief executive? - LSE Business Review CEOs are paid for performance not because they refuse to work hard without incentives but because it is human to want to be recognised for a job well done.

Bosses are paid handsomely not because they refuse to work hard without the carrot of an extra yacht, but because they wish to be recognised for a job well done blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

When climate discourse outpaces climate action - LSE Business Review Analysis of language used by energy firms reveals a distance between what they say about the energy transition and what they can currently deliver.

Companies are under pressure to communicate their climate strategies. But new analysis reveals a growing distance between what they say about the energy transition and what they currently deliver.
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Automation is not hollowing out British factory jobs - LSE Business Review Fears that new technology will wipe out jobs are as old as the factory floor. But automation in British factories is linked to higher employment.

Rather than taking jobs away, automation in British factories is linked to higher employment.
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If worker co-operatives work, why aren’t there more of them? - LSE Business Review Firms with majority workforce control are generally successful but increasingly rare. Why don’t more employees own and control the companies they work for?

Why don’t more employees own and control the companies they work for? blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

Why the “natural rate of interest” is no longer just a number - LSE Business Review Monetary policy debates increasingly revolve around whether interest rates are “above” or “below” the “natural rate of interest”.

“R-star” does not merely describe the economy. It participates in shaping it.

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Why strategic initiatives fail before execution even begins - LSE Business Review When strategic initiatives fail, the post-mortem almost always points to “poor execution”. This may be comforting for senior decision-makers. But is it correct? also incorrect.

The failure of large-scale strategy initiatives is usually blamed on the execution of the project rather than the integrity of the idea. This assumption is intuitively appealing but empirically weak.

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How China became the first middle-income tech superpower - LSE Business Review Middle-income countries are generally not leaders in innovation. But China’s development is a striking exception to this pattern.

Standard development models assume that technological leadership is the preserve of high-income economies. China broke this pattern. blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

Why companies use academic partnerships to invest in basic research - LSE Business Review New analysis finds that most industrial partnerships were not aimed at near-term applications. Rather their shared goal was to advance scientific knowledge.

New research shows that industry is surprisingly willing to initiate and fund basic research, even when immediate commercial applications are unclear.
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Stephen Witt – “Jensen Huang re-engineered Nvidia to make it the most valuable company in the world” - LSE Review of Books An interview with Thinking Machine author Stephen Witt about, Nvidia which the microchips powering the AI "industrial revolution” and its CEO Jensen Huang.

"Jensen Huang pivoted Nvidia overnight from gaming to AI, and that gamble paid off."

NEW✨ Read an interview with Stephen Witt about his book The Thinking Machine @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social, a deep dive into the towering microchip company Nvidia, the man behind it, and the future of #AI.

Venezuela’s economy under Maduro, and what happens now he has gone - LSE Business Review How responsible is Nicolás Maduro for Venezuela’s economic crisis? And how realistic are Donald Trump's plans for the country's oil industry?

Securing social stability and reviving a devastated economy are among challenges faced by Donald Trump and a Trump-compliment regime in Caracas.

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AI is changing the nature of economic goods - LSE Business Review AI is redrawing economics. The shift challenges business models, public administration and tax systems. And governments are unprepared.

Artificial intelligence creates goods that do not behave like anything classical economics textbooks describe. This shift challenges business models, public administration and tax systems. The gains, and the risks, are significant. And governments are unprepared. blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...