LSE Blogs

Academic careers have become a professional sport - Impact of Social Sciences Academia like professional sports is increasingly a system defined by competition, precarity and quantification does this lead to a loss of meaning?

"Academic practice is not only a search for truth, but also a form of struggle and intellectual self-defence within a structured field, governed by rules, hierarchies, and resources."

Has academia become a professional sport? @swallaschek.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Climate litigation is surging amid faltering politics and diplomacy - LSE Business Review Climate litigation is leading the fight against climate change. Courts are shaping climate policy, enforcing human rights and challenging corporations.

As politics falters, litigation is leading in the fight against climate change.

Courts are shaping climate policy, enforcing human rights and challenging corporations.

Joana Setzer and Tiffanie Chan @granthamlse.bsky.social for @lsebr.bsky.social

blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

What we can learn from tracking research funding flows from North to South - Impact of Social Sciences How tracking global development research funding flows could provide valuable insights into key questions facing the international development sector.

💥New: What we can learn from tracking research funding flows from North to South

✍️Francesco Obino

#ResearchFunding #DevelopmentResearch #ResearchEquity

Progress is in the balance between innovation and implementation - LSE Review of Books How Progress Ends by Carl Benedikt Frey examines 1,000 years of technological development claiming progress has hinged on balancing innovation & implementation.

Are the US and China stagnating despite the AI boom and the drive for growth?

How Progress Ends by @carlbfrey.bsky.social @princetonupress.bsky.social looks argues that progress depends on a successful balance of innovation and implementation.

#Review by Phil Bell @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

The 2026 Midterms: What the government shutdown may mean for the midterms | USAPP As the US government shutdown continues its second week Peter Finn looks at how it may influence the 2026 midterms. Looking at what the first and second order effects might be, he cautions that while…

Trump’s $750bn energy deal with the EU promises economic gains & strategic realignment, but the numbers don't add up: neither US exports nor EU demand can support its scale.

With the EU committed to clean energy, it's more symbolic than substantial – Sagartirtha Chakraborty @lseusablog.bsky.social

The Broadwater Farm riots, 40 years on | British Politics and Policy at LSE The Broadwater Farm riots were at the forefront of racial justice struggle in Britain. Sharon Grant's testimony reminds us of the social and political context to the events.

On 6 October 1985, the Broadwater Farm riots in north London were at the forefront of the struggle for racial justice in Britain.

Forty years on, Roxana Willis @lselaw.bsky.social recounts the social & political context of the event through the testimony of Sharon Grant @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

Trump, Gaza and the US political maelstrom - EUROPP Donald Trump's success at brokering a peace deal in Gaza has done little to dampen his appetite for waging war against his domestic political opponents.

The Israel-Hamas peace plan brokered by Donald Trump has brought a ceasefire to Gaza.

Yet as Robert H. Wade @lseid.bsky.social argues on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social this success has done little to dampen #Trump’s appetite for waging war against his domestic political opponents.

The UK’s mandatory digital ID scheme is repeating the EU’s mistakes The UK's BritCard mandatory digital ID scheme is ignoring the lessons the EU learned from its own digital identity system, the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

The announcement of a new mandatory #DigitalID scheme in the UK has generated a backlash from citizens.

Ronnie Das, PhD writes the #UK is ignoring the lessons the EU learned from its own digital identity system, the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

@lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Nineteen must-read books for Black History Month - LSE Review of Books For UK Black History Month, we've compiled a list of 19 books by Black authors and books about Black history, culture and experience, recommended by LSE staff.

October is UK #BlackHistoryMonth @blackhistorymonth.org.uk

To celebrate, @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social has compiled a list of 19 exceptional books by Black authors and books about Black history, culture and experience, recommended by members of staff across LSE.

Will Japan’s Sanae Takaichi follow in the footsteps of Giorgia Meloni on gender equality? Much like Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen, Japan's new female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has a complex relationship with gender equality.

#SanaeTakaichi will be the first female Prime Minister of #Japan.

Miku Matsunaga @royalholloway.bsky.social & Jochen Rehmert @dgw.philhist.unibas.ch write that much like Giorgia Meloni & Marine Le Pen, Takaichi has a complex relationship with gender equality @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social.

Who Deserves the next Nobel? AI, genius and serendipity in science - Impact of Social Sciences AI is increasingly becoming a part of Nobel winning science, how is this reshaping serendipity and what it means to make a scientific breakthrough?

Who deserves the next #NobelPrize?

AI, genius and serendipity in science.

Chirantan Chatterjee for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

How to reconcile China leading in renewable energy capacity and CO2 emissions - LSE Business Review China leads in renewables capacity but also in greenhouse gas emissions. To reconcile these two, the debate needs to take nuance into account.

#China is a leader both in building #renewables capacity and in greenhouse gas #emissions.

Given this contradiction, how can one make sense of the country’s environmental performance?

@mathiaslarsen.bsky.social @granthamlse.bsky.social on @lsebr.bsky.social

The wage gap and far-right support for redistribution New study on beliefs and preferences about the wage gap (CEOs vs average worker). When the true gap is revealed, far right voters change their policy views most.

What do people consider a fair #wage for CEOs, politicians, doctors & the average full-time worker?

C. Hoy (World Bank) shows that people greatly underestimate wage #inequality.

Confronted with the data, far-right voters alter their views about #redistribution the most @lseinequalities.bsky.social

‘Life After Hope’: Integration Experiences of Families Returning from Al-Hol to Iraq - Middle East Centre What happens to refugees when they can finally leave the camp? For PeaceRep–Iraq, Kamaran Palani examines the challenges residents of Syria's Al-Hol camp face attempting to integrate in Iraq

#Iraq’s unprecedented repatriation of 20,000 ISIS-linked families from #Syria’s Al-Hol camp reveals deep challenges.

Returnees face documentation barriers, social stigma, economic hardship & limited support. Urgent reforms are needed for sustainable integration.

@lsemiddleeast.bsky.social

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.

As the UK positions itself as a leader in #AI and frontier #tech, ideas rooted in how technology can integrate with the human body – #transhumanism – are starting to influence national policy, often without public debate.

More accountability is needed – Laurence Radford @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

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.

💡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...

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.

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

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

a blue abstract background with lines and dots

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...

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.

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...

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.

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

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…

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

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.

#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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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...

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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.

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.

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?

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

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

#OECD #Income #Inequality

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.

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