LSE Blogs

The UK shouldn’t rush to a social media ban for children under 16 | LSE British Politics Australia's ban of social media for under 16s has re-ignited the same debate in the UK. Sonia Livingstone argues that more evidence is needed before such a ban.

The UK shouldn’t rush to a social media ban for children under 16

@sonialivingstone.bsky.social @lsemedia.bsky.social for @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

Social media age bans will fail because they are not radical enough - LSE European Politics Social media age bans are half-measures. To fix social media, we must ban the exploitative business models that profit from our attention.

Social media age bans are a only half-measure.

Only by banning toxic business models that exploit social attention can we address the problems with social media – @couldrynick.bsky.social @lsemedia.bsky.social for @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Why was New Labour so popular? | LSE British Politics The Labour Party was once very popular. New Labour enjoyed a persistent lead in the polls for over a decade. Having a clear ideology and a clear plan helped.

It may hard to remember these days that the Labour Party was once popular.

@gsoh31.bsky.social revisits the New Labour era and argues that having a clear ideology and a plan for how to enact it, were key ingredients to its long-lived popularity on @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

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.

C. 220,000 people are currently 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 all support this horrifying industry on @lsebr.bsky.social

The anatomy of a transatlantic divide - LSE European Politics As Donald Trump's United States grows increasingly unreliable, European leaders must go beyond damage control and lay the foundations for an independent Europe.

The Munich Security Conference has once again put the transatlantic relationship under the spotlight.

Teona Giuashvili @lseir.bsky.social argues that as the US grows increasingly unreliable, European leaders must now lay the foundations for an independent Europe @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Individual ill health weakens support for a fairer healthcare system New research finds that people in worse health become less supportive of a fairer healthcare system, with implications for public policy around healthcare equity

New research by Marcello Antonini @hope-uom.bsky.social and @jcosta-font.bsky.social @lsehealthpolicy.bsky.social shows that improving population health both enhances wellbeing directly and bolsters public backing for more equitable healthcare systems.

@lseinequalities.bsky.social

What’s app got to do with it? 💘 Premium love in times of emotional capitalism.

From the archives @lsemedia.bsky.social, @lukaszszulc.bsky.social & co-authors explain how dating apps bring capitalism into the process of finding love.

Read more 👉 blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/202...

Image: Shutterstock

Trump’s “America First” focus is reducing confrontation with China but risks greater regional instability | United States Politics and Policy Greater competition between the US and China has led to both countries pushing increasingly assertive policies towards one another. Sungmin Cho writes that this confrontation has become…

Trump’s “America First” focus is reducing confrontation with China but risks greater regional instability – Sungmin Cho for @lseusablog.bsky.social.

Who gets to speak at global conferences? Rethinking equity in academic exchange Academic conferences are vital for knowledge exchange. But participation is greatly unequal due to material (eg financial) barriers - and epistemic hierarchies

Academic conferences are meant to be centred around a spirit of openness.

In reality, participation is shaped by deep structural inequalities, write @zehrataskin.bsky.social, Ivan Kislenko, Ayça Nur Sezen and @guledadogan.bsky.social on @lseinequalities.bsky.social

How Kant can make sense of misinformation - LSE Impact How Kantian notions of appearances can inform misinformation interventions that address the root causes of why people believe fake news.

Drawing on Kantian notions of appearances and approaching misinformation as an issue of interpretation, policymakers and platforms can create conditions for a better public sphere – Uyiosa Omoregie and Kirsti Ryall for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Why good housing policy is key to strong communities - LSE Review of Books In Beyond Bricks and Mortar, Anne Power argues housing shapes & is shaped by the social conditions of its inhabitants, & housing policy should reflect that.

"The way housing is designed, developed, and managed is central to creating & sustaining communities. Housing policy, in short, shapes collective life."

Beyond Bricks & Mortar by Anne Power @lse-sticerd-case.bsky.social @policypress.bsky.social reviewed by C. Tarantino @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

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.

The UK government encourages schools to use education technology & AI so that children will gain skills for a digital future. But the sector is unregulated & tech use differs across schools.

Sandra El Gemayel details the findings of the Better EdTech Futures for Children project @lsebr.bsky.social

The Arctic is a stage for shifting power dynamics as China and Russia draw closer, driven by new trade routes, vast resources, and mounting Western attention.

The fate of this changing region is important to study – Daniel Balazs @lseideas.bsky.social

Read more 👉 blogs.lse.ac.uk/cff/2026/02/...

Should you believe the AI hype? Probably not Public discourse around AI has gone beyond what its technical specifications warrant, limiting the space for democratic engagement and control.

Is hype about AI justified?

Cristobal Garibay-Petersen @lse-ei.bsky.social @mlorimer.bsky.social and @neuralisa.bsky.social argue AI discourse has gone too far, limiting the space for democratic engagement with and control of the technology @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Middle powers are rising – here’s how they can shape global governance | United States Politics and Policy Middle powers can work together to reshape global governance

Can middle powers work together to reshape global governance? In a post on the @sjrickard.bsky.social @lsegovernment.bsky.social finds that they already have.

She finds that coalitions of middle powers – and not the largest countries – made the largest contributions @lseusablog.bsky.social.

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.

New analysis by Aniket Baksy, Daniel Chandler and Peter John Lambert shows that rather than taking jobs away, automation in British factories is linked to higher employment. Via @lseblogs.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...

Theresa Squatrito: “It’s important for us to understand how International Courts arrive at their decisions” - LSE Review of Books Judging under Constraint by Theresa Squatrito explores international judicial decision-making, how international courts defer to states & courts' independence.

How do international courts arrive at their decisions?

Read an interview with Theresa Squatrito @lseir.bsky.social about her book, Judging under Constraint @universitypress.cambridge.org for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

Will the French right be reborn as the far right? If a governing alliance were to be formed between the centre-right Republicans and the far-right National Rally in France, it would be unique in Europe.

Could the centre-right Republicans join forces with the far-right National Rally in France?

@phmarliere.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk writes that if a governing alliance were to be formed between the two parties, it would be unique in Europe @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

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…

Moltbook is social media for AI – the way they interact will surprise you.

Chatbots forming friendships, synthetic entities warning each other about security threats, and other strange quirks – Prashant Saxena and Nikita Gundala for @lsebr.bsky.social

How does evidence travel through global policy networks? - LSE Impact The COVID-19 pandemic saw an unprecedented mobilisation of new and existing research to support policy at the local, national and global scale. Drawing on evidence from the Overton policy citation…

How does evidence travel through global policy networks?

@kat-hart.bsky.social @overton.io shows how evidence used during the pandemic follows a hierarchical pattern and discusses the implications of this finding for “impactful” research @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Africa is at a strategic crossroads as US retrenchment reshapes global engagement - Africa at LSE Africa is confronting a pivotal geopolitical moment, writes Stephen Nduvi. As the US retreats from multilateral leadership and tightens mobility regimes, the continent faces not just a diplomatic…

Africa is at a strategic crossroads as US retrenchment reshapes global engagement.

Stephen Nduvi for @africaatlse.bsky.social

What exactly is misconduct in public office and could Peter Mandelson be convicted? | LSE British Politics Do Peter Mandelson's emails to Jeffrey Epstein while he was Business Secretary meet the criteria for for the legal definition of "misconduct in public office"?

Newly revealed emails between Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Mandelson while he was UK Business Secretary have triggered a criminal investigation.

Will Mandelson’s actions could meet the criteria for for the legal definition of “misconduct in public office”? Jeremy Horder @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

How revolutions can be a sign of moral progress | LSE British Politics Lea Ypi argues that revolutions have the ability to generate enthusiasm among spectators, changing our perception of what is feasible.

💡How revolutions can be a sign of moral progress | An excerpt from Lea Ypi's @leaypi.bsky.social inaugural lecture as Ralph Miliband Professor of Politics and Philosophy at @lselaw.bsky.social.

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

University journal publishers – global, messy and underestimated - LSE Impact Despite being systematically underestimated university presses are a widespread and structurally significant part of the journal publishing landscape.

💥New | University journal publishers – global, messy and underestimated

✍️ Maryna Nazarovets @mikaellaakso.bsky.social & @zehrataskin.bsky.social

#AcademicPublishing #UniversityPresses #AcademicSky

Theresa Squatrito: “It’s important for us to understand how International Courts arrive at their decisions” - LSE Review of Books Judging under Constraint by Theresa Squatrito explores international judicial decision-making, how international courts defer to states & courts' independence.

NEW: An interview with Theresa Squatrito @lseir.bsky.social about her book, Judging under Constraint @universitypress.cambridge.org.

Making decisions on issues from war crimes to climate change& antitrust cases, "it’s important for us to understand how these courts arrive at their decisions."

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Read research and analysis from across our blogs on the threat wealth concentration poses to democracy, the mounting backlash against AI and Big Tech, international orders in flux, and more.

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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.

How has American trade diplomacy changed under Donald Trump?

Stephen Woolcock @lseir.bsky.social outlines the recent history of trade diplomacy in the US, how it shapes outcomes and the impacts of Trump's approach on @lsebr.bsky.social

The shifting politics of Big Tech – why Elon Musk pivoted to the right and embraced Donald Trump - LSE Review of Books Gilded Rage by Jacob Silverman traces a rapid rightwards shift in Silicon Valley's politics, including Elon Musk's unlikely embrace of US President Donald Trump

The shifting politics of Big Tech – why Elon Musk pivoted to the right and embraced Donald Trump.

Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley by @jacobsilverman.com @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social reviewed by @martincwwalker.bsky.social for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

Michio Morishima, economics and LSE - LSE History Michio Morishima (1923-2004) was an internationally renowned economist from Japan. He accepted his first post at LSE in 1970 and was founding Chair of STICERD research centre in 1978.

LSE marks 130 years celebrating scholars who shaped our history. @lseechist.bsky.social Prof Janet Hunter (former STICERD Deputy Director) reflects on Michio Morishima, whose vision and leadership founded STICERD as a successful multidisciplinary centre. blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2...

The two bloc polarisation of Britain’s voters and Party members | LSE British Politics In the past elections were won when Labour or the Conservatives managed to attract floating voters from the other Party. But as Tim Bale argues, new research reveals that Britain's voters and Party…

In the past, general elections in the UK were won when Labour or the Conservatives managed to attract floating voters from the other party.

But new research reveals that Britain’s voters are becoming more polarised, moving less easily across divides @timbale.bsky.social @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social