[FREE TO READ] Politicians aren’t the best judges of the merits of scientific research

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How the government nearly squandered an enormous opportunity

Bookshop chain says people are keen to escape their screens and says rise in sales is partly down to BookTok Times may be tough on the high street but the bookseller Waterstones is enjoying strong sales as younger adults embrace reading as an escape from their screens and as online competition eases. “People have come back to reading and buying books in bookshops as we have made a place which is an enjoyable and effective way to buy books,” says James Daunt, the CEO of the British retailer, which has 320 UK bookshops and owns the Foyles, Hatchards and Blackwell’s names, and whose parent group also owns Barnes & Noble, the US’s largest bookstore chain. Continue reading...

The ‘venture philanthropist’ on her journey from child refugee to billion-dollar businesswoman — and why Britain must do more for those fleeing war today

YouTube video by NPR

[FREE TO READ] What mattered most for these five buzzy restaurants — critics, influencers or awards?

Sir Jon Thompson tells a conference there is "no evidence high-speed trains interfere with bats".

Labour’s erratic, piecemeal approach will not deliver lasting change

Agenda item: 5 (Public session) Report by: Julian Kelly, Chief Financial Officer / Deputy Chief Executive Officer Paper type: For information

John Van Reenen believes he can help Labour solve the ‘peculiar British problem’ of chronically weak productivity

We set out how air pollution (PM2.5) has changed across England and explore inequalities by ethnicity, income deprivation, region and age.

I did not expect this! > [...] we are announcing today the general availability of a foundational open data set, Foursquare Open Source Places ("FSQ OS Places"). This base layer …

Welcome readers old and new to this week’s edition of the Best of Econtwitter newsletter.

William Playfair's An inquiry into the permanent causes of the decline and fall of powerful and wealthy nations ... , published in London by Greenland and Norris, 1805. First edition; second edition p...