Softening or restructuring inequality? Rethinking gender budgeting in India India has widely adopted gender budgeting. Does this reduce vulnerability within an unequal system or transform the structures that generate gender inequality?

Do gender budgets merely reduce vulnerability within an unequal system, or can they transform the structures that generate gender inequality in the first place?

Ashraf Pulikkamath examines evidence from India @lseinequalities.bsky.social

Before AI agents act for us, we need to know how AI searches for us - LSE Impact Generative AI agents are pitched as being a new gateway to engaging with the Internet, but the way AI sees the Internet is both "conservative" and "stubborn”.

Generative AI agents are pitched as a new gateway to engaging with the Internet.

But AI's search patterns are "conservative" and "stubborn," argue @jannajoceliomena.bsky.social, Giulia Tucci and Aanila Kishwar, meaning we need greater observability in AI search on @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Mafia, local governments and money – how fighting collusion reshapes EU investment - New research from Italy shows what happens when EU funding reaches places where local governments collude with organised crime.

What happens when EU funding reaches places where local governments collude with organised crime?

@marcodicataldo.bsky.social @elenarenzullo.bsky.social & @rodriguez-pose.bsky.social @lsegeography.bsky.social present new research from Italy on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

What impact is the Iran war having on the British food sector? - LSE Business Review Even a quick resolution to the conflict in Iran could cause an increase on prices into 2027.

The war in Iran has revealed the reliance of many economies and sectors of fuel and chemicals produced in, and exported from, the Gulf.

What impact are disruptions having on the British food sector?

Cesar Revoredo-Giha and Montserrat Costa-Font for @lsebr.bsky.social

AI is reshaping children’s lives faster than existing safeguards can evolve. Researchers at LSE’s Digital Futures for Children centre reflect on regulating AI in the UK, and make the case for taking an approach centred around child rights.

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

David Harvey on Marx in the age of finance capital - LSE Review of Books Ann Pettifor reviews The Story of Capital by David Harvey which re-engages with Marx’s Capital and the rise of finance capital above industrial capitalism today

Revisiting Marx in the age of finance capital: The Story of Capital by @davidharvey.org @versobooks.bsky.social reviewed by @annpettifor.bsky.social for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

The myth of STEM only growth holds back the UK - LSE Impact The view that STEM subjects on their own drive growth is misguided and presents a lopsided view of the value of the social sciences and humanities.

An increasingly common view in government holds that STEM subjects alone drive growth.

Sir Geoff Mulgan argues such positions are fundamentally blind to the value of social sciences and humanities, even if they are at times not their own best advocates @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

It’s time for a more pragmatic EU-China trade relationship Rather than being led by national security concerns, the EU and China should build a pragmatic trade relationship and commit to maintaining open global trade.

Is it time for a more pragmatic EU-China trade relationship?

@lorenzo-codogno.bsky.social @lse-ei.bsky.social for @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

The missing catalogue – Why finding books in translation is still so hard - LSE Impact Finding a work in translation is harder than you think. Whilst a technical challenge, the benefits of creating a record for works in translation would be worth it.

Finding a book in translation is harder than you think. There is no global catalogue of translations, but Zenòdot is attempting to fill this gap.

The ethics of non-stun animal slaughter | LSE British Politics Religious freedom allows for an exception to the legal requirement of animal stunning, but it doesn't justify the high levels of non-stun slaughter.

UK law requires that animals killed for food should be stunned. An exception is made for religious reasons.

But @birchlse.bsky.social @lsephilosophy.bsky.social @lseanimalsentience.bsky.social argues that the resulting high level of non-stun slaughter is unjustified @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

Development is the wrong lodestar for Africa’s AI policy - Africa at LSE African countries are organising AI governance around "development", the same concept that has paralysed IP policy for decades, writes Samuel W. Ugwumba. In Nairobi, young Kenyan workers were hired…

Decades of IP policy in African countries has shown that development is a radically confused concept. AI governance is no different - like IP, "development" is the wrong lodestar for Africa's AI policy.

How Hungary’s Tisza Party won everything, everywhere, all at once Hungarian election results at the settlement level show that Fidesz’s collapse happened everywhere across the country, from large cities to rural villages.

Last Sunday, Orbán's regime collapsed: not in a few cities, but everywhere. New piece using election and admin data from Hungary. The gist of it is that Tisza won broadly, turnout increased across the board, and local economic conditions barely mattered. blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

From Suez to the New Cold War: What Middle Powers Get Wrong About Arbitraging Great-Power Rivalries - Middle East Centre Middle powers often perceive bipolar and multipolar world orders as spaces where they can exercise greater leverage. However, what begins as tactical leverage can quickly become a strategic trap.

What do middle powers get wrong when navigating power rivalries?
Middle powers often perceive the world order as spaces where they can exercise leverage. But the strategy of ‘playing the China card’ – or the Soviet card, or the American card – carries risks.

What should we expect from the next Hungarian government? After winning a historic election victory over Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz on 12 April, how will Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party govern Hungary?

Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party won a landslide victory in Hungary’s election on 12 April, ending 16 years of Viktor Orbán's rule.

What should we expect from the next Hungarian government? @bartazsofi.bsky.social & @jrovny.bsky.social @sciencespo-cee.bsky.social share insights @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Do doctors treat poorer patients differently? Our study in Tunisia found they do – in subtle ways New research in Tunisia examines whether doctors might indirectly contribute to health inequalities by communicating less effectively with poorer patients.

Do doctors treat poorer patients differently?

People with lower income get sick more often and have worse access to care. New research from Tunisia examines whether the behaviour of doctors changes depending on the socioeconomic background of their patients.

Is AI a scapegoat for destroying education and learning? - LSE Business Review Debates surrounding AI in education often reflect broader technological anxieties. Hitoshi Nishimura, Ranmaru Kishitani and Yudai Sakamoto argue that it is not AI itself that undermines learning but…

Is AI a scapegoat for destroying education and learning?

Hitoshi Nishimura, Ranmaru Kishitani and Yudai Sakamoto argue it is not AI itself that undermines learning, but its use primarily to accelerate task completion rather than for strengthening teaching-learning cycles @lsebr.bsky.social

Why don’t all immigrants support progressive parties? New research shows political socialisation can help explain why not all immigrants vote for progressive parties with pro-immigration policies.

Why don’t all immigrants support progressive parties with pro-immigration policies?

@korinlind.bsky.social @mzesunimannheim.bsky.social & @antvalentim.bsky.social
@lse-ei.bsky.social explain this by analysing the features of the countries where people migrated from on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

We long misjudged animal consciousness. Could AI be next? | Aeon Videos Why it’s difficult and perhaps even morally perilous to rule out the possibility of AI consciousness

Jonathan Birch, professor of philosophy at @lseblogs.bsky.social, argues that, while the ‘friendly assistant’ that LLMs serve up is certainly not aware, it’s difficult – and perhaps morally perilous – to write off the possibility of an ‘alien form of consciousness’ somewhere within these systems

How has Iran’s economy and society survived under sanctions? - LSE Review of Books How Sanctions Work by Narges Bajoghli, Vali Nasr, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani & Ali Vaez explores how Iran has endured decades of economic pressure under sanctions.

How Sanctions Work by Narges Bajoghli, Vali Nasr, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Vaez @stanfordpress.bsky.social explores how Iran's economy and society managed to endure decades of punitive economic measures.

Review by Zahra Niazi @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

How to follow the middle power playbook | LSE British Politics Both the world and the UK's place in it are rapidly changing. The best way for the UK to navigate this situation is to follow the middle power playbook.

The UK should follow the middle power playbook to regain its footing on the international stage @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

A judge’s perspective on the art of judging - LSE Review of Books Ross Cranston’s Judging examines the role of the judge in the justice system & what makes a good judge from the perspective of one now retired from the UK bench

What makes a good judge?

Ross Cranston’s Judging @lselaw.bsky.social examines this question from the perspective of a judge now retired from the UK bench.

A timely and important contribution to our understanding of the UK justice system, writes Daniel Clark @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

By linking national scholarly infrastructures we can better understand the impact of global research - LSE Impact Global scholarly information systems provide poor coverage for social science and humanities research taking place outside of the anglophone world and in languages other than English. Paul Donner,…

By linking national scholarly infrastructures we can better understand the impact of global research.

@lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Using college majors to assess the impact of high-skilled immigration in the United States - LSE Business Review High-skilled immigration is a contentious political issue in the United States, in part because its effects on native workers are uncertain.

Using college majors to assess the impact of high-skilled immigration in the United States

@lsebr.bsky.social

In the age of AI, citizens may become more critical of human decision-makers New research shows that when citizens are prompted to think about AI, they become more aware of the limitations of human decision-makers.

Could AI change the way we think about decisions made by humans?

@florianstoeckel.bsky.social @exeter.ac.uk presents new research showing that when citizens are prompted to think about AI, they become more aware of the limitations of human decision-makers @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

Three red flags for “evidenced-based” EdTech - LSE Impact Natalia I. Kucirkova outlines three ways claims about "evidence based" EdTech can be misleading and instrumentalised as part of market entry strategies.

Three red flags to watch out for from “evidenced-based” EdTech 🚩

Natalia Kucirkova @ioe.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

More evidence doesn’t mean more justice – The limits of visual technologies in human rights cases - LSE Impact Digital technologies have democratised the collection of visual evidence, but its use in courts is circumscribed. Could we draw on a wider range of expertise?

Digital technologies have democratised the collection of visual evidence.

But as Maxine Clarke, Jennifer Burrell and @sarakendall.bsky.social show, how this evidence is translated into evidentiary standards through the courts shapes what and whose expertise is recognised @lseimpactblog.bsky.social

Israel’s War with Iran Reflects its New Regional Strategy - Middle East Centre Israel’s decision to attack Iran be seen, in part, as an attempt to exploit the weakened position of Iran's regional allies, writes Amnon Aran.

Israel’s war with Iran reflects its new regional strategy on foreign and security policy.

Following 7 October 2023, Israel has shifted from long‑standing containment strategies to an activist‑offensive posture.

Amnon Aran for the @lsemiddleeast.bsky.social blog.

The real threat to trust in science isn’t outright fraud, but the pervasive tweaking of research designs and models - LSE Impact Thomas Plümper and Eric Neumayer argue that science's credibility issues stem from the deliberate manipulation of research designs and model specifications.

The real threat to trust in science isn’t outright fraud, but the pervasive tweaking of research designs and models.

Thomas Plümper and Eric Neumayer @mitpress.bsky.social @lsegeography.bsky.social on @lseimpactblog.bsky.social.

Europe has become a strategic spectator in the Iran war Despite being deeply invested in the stability of the Gulf, European states have so far operated on the margins of the conflict in Iran.

Though deeply invested in the Gulf's stability, European states have so far operated on the margins of the conflict in Iran.

Kristian Alexander describe's Europe’s approach as that of a strategic spectator: engaging on only on terms that minimise visibility and risk @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

A suggested framework to monitor progress made on the AfCFTA - Africa at LSE The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a landmark trade and investment integration project intended to create a single African market for goods and services. But, as Paul R. Baker, Smita…

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a landmark trade and investment integration project intended to create a single African market for goods and services.

But it won't succeed without supporting mechanisms, bodies, and policies @africaatlse.bsky.social