Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Max Nathan

@maxnathan.bsky.social

3.3K followers 560 following 820 posts

Professor of Economic Geography, UCL. Also CEP, IZA. Cities, economics, innovation, diversity, and public policy. Views here are mine, not those of UCL, funders, data providers, etc. https://max-nathan.github.io

Videos

Economics 42%

Political science 24%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Max Nathan

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 17h

I love how the Isle of Man - and actual Crown dependency a few miles off the coast - is completely ignored, while these guys fixate on petrostates thousands of miles away.

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 18h

Host kitchens and zombie brands: top rundown on London’s food delivery scene from @londoncentric.media

www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...

Your upmarket Deliveroo might be made by your local kebab shop

"On one hand, it’s a lifeline... But on the other hand, it’s a harbinger of doom.”

www.londoncentric.media

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 2d

🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

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UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Reposted by Max Nathan, Ian Loader, Jack Stilgoe

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 2d

By me this week - the happiest thing I've got to report of late, with a glorious trip over the summer to Montreal

"Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport."

www.economist.com/internationa...

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport

Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

www.economist.com

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 3d

See also: the great running joke in This Is London, where Ben Judah asks himself “where are the true Cockneys?” while being repeatedly mistaken for a Romanian / Spanish Bulgarian / Greek person

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 3d

"Here’s what is not a measure of whether someone is integrated: the colour of your skin. No one who looks at me and my grandmother, a white South African, in the street, can tell which of us is more integrated (it’s me, for obvious reasons) or frankly even that we are related."

on.ft.com/4gXsyX0

Thank the Tories for keeping Robert Jenrick out of high office

Shadow justice secretary’s comment about not seeing a ‘white face’ shows he does not understand integration

on.ft.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Ashish Arora, Steven French , and 2 more Anna O. Law, Ashish Arora, Steven French, American Library Association, Max Nathan

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 5d

😭

IG newberlinlibrary

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 6d

“Nobody knew health care could be so complicated”, 2025 edition

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Max Nathan

Gavin Kelly @gavin-kelly.bsky.social · 6d

Some of the most thoughtful social commentary atm is coming via @manchestermill.bsky.social

manchestermill.co.uk/jews-and-mus...

Jews and Muslims in North Manchester: A personal story

‘We thought we were the luckiest people in the world to be born in Manchester’

manchestermill.co.uk

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Reposted by Kelly Smith, Max Nathan

Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 8d

Very nice article co-authored by one of my former students, Mihai Codreanu, discovering how much of many documents eg press releases, job postings, have been written using LLMs (10-20% depending on type of document but it might have stabilised in late 2024) www.cell.com/patterns/ful...

The widespread adoption of large language model-assisted writing across society

This study explores AI-generated writing adoption across consumer complaints, corporate press releases, job postings, and international organization communications, revealing widespread use following ...

www.cell.com

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 9d

Careful, powerful reportage by @manchestermill.bsky.social. Thank you for writing this.

The Mill @manchestermill.bsky.social · 9d

On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’.

Our story about today’s attack.

manchestermill.co.uk/on-their-hol...

On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’

Amid fasting and prayer, terror comes to Crumpsall

manchestermill.co.uk

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Reposted by Smith, Max Nathan, Nathan P. Kalmoe

The Mill @manchestermill.bsky.social · 9d

On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’.

Our story about today’s attack.

manchestermill.co.uk/on-their-hol...

On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’

Amid fasting and prayer, terror comes to Crumpsall

manchestermill.co.uk

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Reposted by Max Nathan, Federica Genovese, Christina Pagel

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 9d

Terrible news that two people were killed in Manchester attending their place of worship at the synagogue in Manchester, with others seriously injured.

Community Security Trust @cstuk.bsky.social who do so much to keep Jewish people safe at faith and community spaces have issued this advice.

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 10d

👇👇👇

Per Engzell @pengzell.bsky.social · 19d

1/ So you’re thinking about applying for an academic job in the UK but don’t know how? This thread will walk you through the essentials.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 14d

There are eight million stories in the naked city; feels like the @londonermag.bsky.social is telling every one of them, and that’s good

www.the-londoner.co.uk/londons-braz...

London’s Brazilian Blood Couriers

'If you’re delivering food, nobody gives a fuck about you. With blood it’s more respect.'

www.the-londoner.co.uk

Reposted by Max Nathan

Resolution Foundation @resfoundation.bsky.social · 14d

Hitting ambitious housebuilding and affordable homes targets will be key to reducing private rents.

Read the latest Housing Outlook here ⤵️ buff.ly/pQXp2Sc

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Reposted by Max Nathan

Andrea Morrison @andrea-morrison.bsky.social · 16d

📣 Want to know more about the links between #Migration and #Innovation? 🚀
Check out this new book I co-edited with Francesco Lissoni

👉https://lnkd.in/d6Eav8AW
👉 lnkd.in/dESBJeFQ

@inaganguli.bsky.social @maxnathan.bsky.social @profzeke.bsky.social @dariodiodato.bsky.social

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 17d

“King of The Wirral”

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 17d

From this very interesting FT piece on how Paris is doing social housing atm

on.ft.com/429d4sZ

The left’s radical plan to fix housing in Paris

Authorities are using an arsenal of interventionist tools to make city homes affordable. Critics call it an attack on property rights

on.ft.com

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 17d

Social housing stocks across the OECD. The UK is doing much better than I expected!

Graph of OECD data showing number of social rental dwellings as a % of total stock (2022 or latest year available, by selected countries). OECD average 7%, UK 16%.

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 17d

@londonermag.bsky.social is also very good

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Reposted by Tim Bale, Max Nathan, Calvin Jones , and 1 more Tim Bale, Max Nathan, Calvin Jones, Paul Nightingale

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 17d

Almost 1.5m homes could be built on brownfield sites in England, report finds

Exclusive: CPRE study suggests housebuilding targets can be met without encroaching on green belt land Almost 1.5m new homes could be built on brownfield sites in England to avoid encroaching on green belt and meet the government target for housing growth by the end of this parliament, new figures suggest. But despite the scale of brownfield land available, developers are pushing to build on green land, including increased housebuilding on and adjacent to areas of outstanding natural beauty. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Max Nathan

Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 18d

A cool use of AI in newsgathering, this. US companies are talking more and more about the risks rather than the benefits of AI in their SEC filings (while still being super-optimistic in earnings calls). By @melissahei.bsky.social @chriscook.news & @claradoodle.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/e93e...

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Reposted by Stephen P. Jenkins, Kelly Smith, Max Nathan , and 3 more Stephen P. Jenkins, Kelly Smith, Max Nathan, Amy W. Ando, James A. Benn, Jan Fuhse

Per Engzell @pengzell.bsky.social · 19d

1/ So you’re thinking about applying for an academic job in the UK but don’t know how? This thread will walk you through the essentials.

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Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 19d

And this is asking about ILR for new arrivals. Imagine the polling if you asked about taking leave to remain from people *already here*.

Max Nathan @maxnathan.bsky.social · 19d

Also: hardly anyone wants this 👇

bsky.app/profile/robf...

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 19d

I'll have more to say on Reform's proposals to scrap ILR at some point but for now I'll just note this - anyone telling you this is a popular idea doesn't know the polling. Overwhelming majority of public back giving people who work and pay taxes most or all rights after 5 years or less

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Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Will Jennings , and 7 more Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Will Jennings, Sara B. Hobolt, Steve Peers, Anand Menon, Max Nathan, Ben Rosamond, Simon Usherwood, Maria Sobolewska

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 19d

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Reposted by Gillian Douglas, Max Nathan, Catriona Seth

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 19d

Confessions of an Early Career Researcher. We've released a new 'warts and all' podcast, in collaboration with @leverhulme.ac.uk which might be of interest to anyone thinking of starting a career in research
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/confess...

Confessions of an Early Career Researcher: A new podcast by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust

A new podcast for early-career researchers has been launched by the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust.

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Tim Bale , and 7 more Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Tim Bale, Charles West, John Foot, Jonathan Hopkin, Max Nathan, Andrew Livingstone, James Connelly, Tim Leunig

Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 19d

Retrospectively removing indefinite leave to remain would be immoral and economically damaging. It would tear families apart.
Attacking it as ‘potentially illegal’ is completely beside the point.
Argue with the (awful) idea. Don’t try ’well, actually you can’t do that’.

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law , and 10 more Anne Applebaum, Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, Guy Grossman, Jonathan Hopkin, David R. Miller, Max Nathan, Mark Rice, Noah L. Nathan

Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 21d

The H1-B visa thing is, like everything else in the Trump administration, set up to carve up exceptions for friends and punish enemies. It’s the authoritarian thru-line that stitches everything together.

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