Max Nathan
@maxnathan.bsky.social
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
https://max-nathan.github.io
Extremely on-point piece on Reform in local government 👇
New post just out:
"The Reality Trap"
On Reform's struggles running councils.
What it tells us about how they'd fare if they won a general elections. And about how broken our system of local government is.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
"The Reality Trap"
On Reform's struggles running councils.
What it tells us about how they'd fare if they won a general elections. And about how broken our system of local government is.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
The Reality Trap
Reform's struggles in local government
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Extremely on-point piece on Reform in local government 👇
A superb urbanist tour of Vice City, and its complex overlaps with real-world Miami
HT @lesurze.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiM...
HT @lesurze.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiM...
The Two Sides of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
YouTube video by Any Austin
m.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:38 PM
A superb urbanist tour of Vice City, and its complex overlaps with real-world Miami
HT @lesurze.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiM...
HT @lesurze.bsky.social
m.youtube.com/watch?v=CyiM...
Reposted by Max Nathan
Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war"
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
November 15, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war"
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
Feeling highly vindicated, and slightly attacked, by this excellent piece
This week I wrote about the rise of the e-bike dad - this piece was originally going to run alongside the story I did in September about the bike boom in general, and we didn't have space in print, but here it is:
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
Parents on e-bikes are transforming the school run
They’re smug, snug and often faster than drivers
www.economist.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Feeling highly vindicated, and slightly attacked, by this excellent piece
Reposted by Max Nathan
Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...
November 14, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...
Reposted by Max Nathan
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
Reposted by Max Nathan
fish and chips, the native British dish invented by sephardic Jewish migrants in the 18th century using a vegetable no one on this island had encountered before the 16th
The British Right are just in total freefall into savagery at this point
October 18, 2025 at 11:49 AM
fish and chips, the native British dish invented by sephardic Jewish migrants in the 18th century using a vegetable no one on this island had encountered before the 16th
Reposted by Max Nathan
"There is simply no sign of a fiscal catastrophe from the 'Boriswave'. Recent migrants are very likely to be employed, paying tax and seem to be contributing to British society..it will help, rather than hurt, Britain’s fiscal position."
Analysis by @lgilbert.co
ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...
Analysis by @lgilbert.co
ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...
Lower migration is bad news for the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe
Lauren Gilbert argues that migrants to the UK are net fiscal contributors, adding much more to the economy than they take out, and that the recent collapse in immigration will harm the UK's economic p...
ukandeu.ac.uk
November 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"There is simply no sign of a fiscal catastrophe from the 'Boriswave'. Recent migrants are very likely to be employed, paying tax and seem to be contributing to British society..it will help, rather than hurt, Britain’s fiscal position."
Analysis by @lgilbert.co
ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...
Analysis by @lgilbert.co
ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...
Reposted by Max Nathan
Fantastic Inside Politics by Jen Williams today:
Nigel Farage’s army of councillors balance piracy and professionalism
Party rides high as it battles dropouts among the recently elected and struggles for ‘massive savings’
www.ft.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Fantastic Inside Politics by Jen Williams today:
Very happy for my @casaucl.bsky.social colleague and co-author Mateo - congrats!
Forthcoming in the AER: "Gender Differences in Economics Seminars" by Pascaline Dupas, Amy Handlan, Alicia Sasser Modestino, Muriel Niederle, Mateo Seré, Haoyu Sheng, Justin Wolfers, and Seminar Dynamics Collective. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
Gender Differences in Economics Seminars
(Forthcoming Article) - We assess whether men and women are treated differently when presenting their economics research. We collected data across thousands of seminars, job market talks and conferenc...
www.aeaweb.org
October 24, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Very happy for my @casaucl.bsky.social colleague and co-author Mateo - congrats!
Reposted by Max Nathan
"If you wanted to design a policy that would cause human misery and be about as popular as typhoid in a jacuzzi, it is difficult to imagine how you could do better than this. This is a more extreme policy position than, say, the BNP’s 2005 manifesto"
Hadn’t, in truth, really absorbed the scale of what the Conservatives are proposing on ILR and immigration more broadly until this week’s Sunday Times interviews. Some thoughts on that in today’s note:
Tory deportation plan would upend Britain
Proposing such a radical bill with little public support is a gift to Nigel Farage
www.ft.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
"If you wanted to design a policy that would cause human misery and be about as popular as typhoid in a jacuzzi, it is difficult to imagine how you could do better than this. This is a more extreme policy position than, say, the BNP’s 2005 manifesto"
Reposted by Max Nathan
Ready for a change in direction, want to step up your #gis and #giscience 'game', or interested in #AI, #datascience, #IoT and the #urban? Sign up to hear more about our four Masters programmes at a virtual postgraduate open data on 30 October from 1-2pm: www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/eve...
The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis Virtual Postgraduate Open Day
Join our virtual open day to discover how you can pivot your career into AI, data science and urban technology, using spatial data to shape the future of cities.
www.ucl.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Ready for a change in direction, want to step up your #gis and #giscience 'game', or interested in #AI, #datascience, #IoT and the #urban? Sign up to hear more about our four Masters programmes at a virtual postgraduate open data on 30 October from 1-2pm: www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/eve...
Reposted by Max Nathan
October 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM
🚨 📚 Heads up! Applications are open for fully-funded UCL PhD studentships via UBEL.
Please get in touch if you’re working on topics in economic geography, urban policy or urban economics.
Deadline: 10 November!
More info: ubel-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-student...
Please get in touch if you’re working on topics in economic geography, urban policy or urban economics.
Deadline: 10 November!
More info: ubel-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-student...
ESRC Studentships Main Competition - UBEL DTP
ESRC Studentships Main Competition The UBEL DTP’s fully funded ESRC studentships cover full payment of tuition fees per year and an annual maintenance stipend. What’s on offer UBEL DTP studentships co...
ubel-dtp.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 3:43 PM
🚨 📚 Heads up! Applications are open for fully-funded UCL PhD studentships via UBEL.
Please get in touch if you’re working on topics in economic geography, urban policy or urban economics.
Deadline: 10 November!
More info: ubel-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-student...
Please get in touch if you’re working on topics in economic geography, urban policy or urban economics.
Deadline: 10 November!
More info: ubel-dtp.ac.uk/esrc-student...
Reposted by Max Nathan
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."
www.economist.com/internationa...
Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
www.economist.com
October 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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."
www.economist.com/internationa...
Reposted by Max Nathan
It’s wild now much the Isle of Man actually resembles a certain rose-tinted vision of what Britain should be:
- Low and flat taxes
- Lax regulations on finance and gambling, attracting offshore industries
- Not much health and safety - no fluoride in the water, some roads without speed limits
- Low and flat taxes
- Lax regulations on finance and gambling, attracting offshore industries
- Not much health and safety - no fluoride in the water, some roads without speed limits
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.
October 11, 2025 at 11:27 AM
It’s wild now much the Isle of Man actually resembles a certain rose-tinted vision of what Britain should be:
- Low and flat taxes
- Lax regulations on finance and gambling, attracting offshore industries
- Not much health and safety - no fluoride in the water, some roads without speed limits
- Low and flat taxes
- Lax regulations on finance and gambling, attracting offshore industries
- Not much health and safety - no fluoride in the water, some roads without speed limits
Host kitchens and zombie brands: top rundown on London’s food delivery scene from @londoncentric.media
www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...
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
October 11, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Host kitchens and zombie brands: top rundown on London’s food delivery scene from @londoncentric.media
www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...
www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...
Reposted by Max Nathan
🧵🚨
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...
1/11
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...
1/11
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
October 9, 2025 at 3:47 PM
🧵🚨
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...
1/11
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...
1/11
"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
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
October 8, 2025 at 9:01 AM
"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
on.ft.com/4gXsyX0
Reposted by Max Nathan
😭
IG newberlinlibrary
IG newberlinlibrary
October 6, 2025 at 7:52 AM
😭
IG newberlinlibrary
IG newberlinlibrary
Reposted by Max Nathan
Some of the most thoughtful social commentary atm is coming via @manchestermill.bsky.social
manchestermill.co.uk/jews-and-mus...
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
October 5, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Some of the most thoughtful social commentary atm is coming via @manchestermill.bsky.social
manchestermill.co.uk/jews-and-mus...
manchestermill.co.uk/jews-and-mus...
Reposted by Max Nathan
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
October 3, 2025 at 7:51 AM
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...
Careful, powerful reportage by @manchestermill.bsky.social. Thank you for writing this.
On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’.
Our story about today’s attack.
manchestermill.co.uk/on-their-hol...
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
October 2, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Careful, powerful reportage by @manchestermill.bsky.social. Thank you for writing this.