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David Spencer

@davidaspencer.bsky.social
165 followers 56 following 471 posts

Prof of Economics and Political Economy (Uni of Leeds, UK). Work; Work Time; Work Reform. Authored: "Making Light Work" (2022) www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book…

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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Hunan extinction was predicted by the end of this decade. I guess this latest prediction can then be seen as a positive sign www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Nuclear war and malicious use of AI threaten end of humanity by 2100, says Lancet assessment
Newly established commission identifies 17 catastrophic threats to human health but says ‘realistic route to act’ on each exists
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Not another spreadsheet error. Faulty economic policy seems to depend on them www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Will it impact their wage demands? Asks a nervous BoE governor www.theguardian.com/money/2026/o...
theguardian.com
UK motorists can now see live fuel prices on Google Maps
Move expected to make pump pricing more transparent and encourage competition after diesel hits record £2 a litre
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A reminder that inheritance tax is progressive and helps to alleviate intergenerational inequality. It was supported by the liberal J.S. Mill for this reason www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Kemi Badenoch says Tories would scrap inheritance tax on family homes
Tory leader says her party is "coming back", as she aims to convince voters it has changed after 2024 election defeat.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Add his name to the list of famous Belgians www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Ghost particles' from space telescope wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics
Belgian physicist Prof Francis Halzen has won for his pioneering work on an observatory that detects particles from space.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Good to see this positive piece on Keynes. I would add that he did more than ask the right questions; he also offered a positive vision of the future www.ft.com/content/c13f...
ft.com
John Maynard Keynes and the search for the good life
Playwright James Graham on an economist who asked the right questions in bad times — and why he matters so much today
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Voodoo economics reborn (zombie-like) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Andrew Griffith to unveil Tory plans to cut taxes and regulations
Shadow ministers will unveil a series of policies on day two of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Useful straw man argument here to stimulate discussion in a level one macroeconomics class www.ft.com/content/dfa0...
ft.com
Britain’s Budget needs to tame spending and boost growth
Chancellor Healey can still make a low-key fiscal event a constructive one
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Economists rediscovering Marx (though via toy models) www.nber.org/papers/w35815
nber.org
The Commoditization of Labor
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The weekend was not invented a century ago (at least there was no "big bang" due to H. Ford's adoption of a 5 day work week). Rather there is a more complex story of industries moving to a 5 day week under the influence of unions etc These headlines just annoy me! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
A century after the weekend was invented, it has disappeared. Let’s reclaim leisure | Richard Morgan
Henry Ford’s 1926 policy held for decades before eroding into a 24/7 mindset. Here’s what we can do about it
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We should channel the old and still-valid ideas of Keynes to create a better future economy. Lessons here for the PM (and for economists and policymakers generally) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Rightwing economic myths could derail Burnham’s project – to destroy them, look to Keynes | Larry Elliott
Borrowing can be good, there is no such thing as the ‘nation’s credit card’, and, yes, you can buck the markets – as previous governments have shown, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Schools in the state system (with their timetables, bells, and hierarchies) have always been about preparing kids for work. The problem is work, not schools www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Employers should teach primary-age children about work, Milburn says
The author of a major report into youth activity in the UK says children as young as four should be learning about careers.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Quite something. Apparently if we take into account the fact that we took more annual leave than previously thought, the much-discussed "productivity puzzle" disappears. Indirectly the data makes the case for more leave (and shorter working hours in general)
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I wouldn't trust the output... if the use of AI opens space for more critical thinking about what economics is and should be then that would be a good thing. My head tells me this hope may not be realised, however.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I guess the hope is that not all economics research is alike and that there will be more opportunities in the future to do other kinds of economics research beyond that which gets in published in top-tier econ journals. Well that's the hope anyway.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
His namesake Denis Healey uttered similar words in the past. The truth is that to deliver on his ambition to reindustrialise Britain he will need to spend more. Investing for the future is the only hope for economic renewal www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Healey vows to stick to fiscal rules in budget built on hope
Chancellor tells Labour conference it’s ‘not progressive’ to fail to balance books amid rising welfare bill as borrowing costs climb to record high
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A warning against a “paradise of machines”. I could recommend a few references to counter the Pope’s pessimism
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Carrots for the rich, sticks for the poor www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tories would prevent long-term jobless spending benefits on alcohol and cigarettes
The proposals would also see benefits cut for people who are able to work but have failed to hold down a job.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Behind the scenes, I imagine economists advising club owners on the merits of price discrimination www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Slip sliding away: football season-ticket holders fear falling down pecking order
It is a symbol of the connection between the fanbase and club, but there is a growing fear executives would prefer stadiums full of one-off tourists
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Guesswork but it gets headlines (and shapes policy) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK economy will grow by less than expected next year, OECD says
Higher energy prices due to the conflict in the Middle East and climate change could hit growth.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A reminder that capitalists can strike as well as workers www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The sea surges - borrowing simply rises. Beyond the moral panic, we need a more sober discussion about the need and value of govt spending www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Unexpected UK borrowing surge adds to pre-Budget pressure on chancellor
Borrowing was higher than expected in August as inflation piles pressure on the government ahead of the Budget.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Remarkable fixture (and result) www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...
bbc.co.uk
Japan v India - Cricket - BBC Sport
Find out the in depth batting and bowling figures for Japan v India in the Men's International Twenty20 Match on BBC Sport.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The empirical question of whether jobs will stay or go with the development of AI (on which, see below) crowds out the normative question of whether and how we should use AI to work less and better cepr.org/voxeu/column...
cepr.org
New jobs in 140 years of data: Why the AI displacement fear is overstated — and what to worry about instead
Forecasts of AI-driven job destruction rest on counting automatable tasks. But labour markets hire, pay, and fire whole occupations, not tasks – and occupations have proved far more durable than task ...
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
He should know more than anyone that life entails taking the rough with the smooth www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke...
bbc.co.uk
Sandpapergate: Steve Smith says he is 'traumatised' and was 'thrown to wolves'
Australia batter Steve Smith says he is still traumatised by the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and still gets flashbacks.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The idea that small rises in interest rates can combat inflation driven by higher energy prices is fanciful to say the least www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Interest rates held but Bank signals rise if energy prices stay high
Rates are held for the sixth time in a row but the Bank of England says high energy prices make a future rise more likely.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Fascinating on how Leeds pioneered the wearing of replica kits (and what great away kits we had in the 70s) #lufc www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
When did football fans first start wearing replica kits? | The Knowledge
Plus: more costly (and beneficial) red cards and attacks with triple half-century of international goals
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Stock market falls fuelled by expectations of lower profits rather than predictions of the end of the world neatly sums up the end times we are now living through www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
AI-linked stocks fall after tech bosses call for slowdown in ‘reckless’ development
Shares in tech firms tumble across Asia with Nasdaq also likely to dip later after Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX leaders back call
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I mean the numbers are tiny and the data probably unreliable but why let this get in the way of a catchy AI-focused headline? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK economy sees surprise growth in July helped by AI boom
The economy expanded by 0.4%, official figures show, whereas analysts had predicted no growth.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"Meetings are the broccoli of work – widely disliked, but probably good for us anyway". One to read and digest www.nber.org/papers/w35706
nber.org
Meetings
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
By historical standards this is low growth. That it is viewed as a positive sign now shows how far our expectations have shifted www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
UK economy defies forecasts with surprise 0.4% growth in July
Unexpected GDP rise comes as borrowing costs and inflation risks mount ahead of Healey’s first budget
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As far as raising tax revenue is concerned I am not sure tourists would be high on my list of people to target www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tourist tax plans for England set to be outlined
The government is expected to outline how local leaders will be able to impose levies on overnight stays.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
From the archive and for Labor Day - why we should have a three-day weekend every week time.com/4017683/alwa...
time.com
We Should Always Have Three-Day Weekends
Working less is the basis for a better standard of life
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Animal spirits www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Chancellor John Healey to say UK economy 'turning a corner' despite debt concerns
John Healey will detail plans to spread growth more widely across the UK, ahead of his first Budget.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The support given here for government “thrift” effectively offers a counsel of despair (and risks repeating the economic mistakes of the past). Keynes will be spinning in his grave www.ft.com/content/e1af...
ft.com
Is Keynesianism dead?
When debt is the disease, fiscal medicine may be as likely to harm as heal
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I read this as a working paper. It is an effective critique of "business education" though for me the colonisation of the latter by economics seems the real (hidden) story www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
aeaweb.org
Eclipse of Rent-Sharing: The Effects of Managers’ Business Education on Wages and the Labor Share in the US and Denmark
(Forthcoming Article) - We provide evidence that CEOs with a business degree reduce wages and the labor share in the US and Denmark. Firms appointing business managers are not on differential trends a...
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
More work-creating AI (this time to cleanup AI-created slop) www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Freelancers are getting buried with ‘soulless’ AI slop cleanup: ‘It’s a shame we need to do it’
As more companies turn to AI, they’re hiring freelancers to cleanup its mistakes rather than create original work
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Just as support for a four-day working week is on the rise... The truth is that a shorter working week will remain contested and its achievement in Germany and elsewhere will require collective action www.ft.com/content/76a9...
ft.com
German industry pushes to increase working week to 40 hours
Big employers including Mercedes-Benz say longer hours for the same pay would help stem country’s industrial decline
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Better than paying for expensive consultants, I guess. But translating ideas into reforms will face opposition, not least from economists in the Treasury www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Any ideas, anyone? Healey asks for budget pitches from apprentices and IT staff
Chancellor opens up brainstorming to Treasury staff of all levels, and says some will be asked to pitch to him in person
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Good read. As the author says, Acemoglu is no heterodox economist. He is ultimately not radical enough (including on the scope for repurposing technology) and the danger (ironically) is that his work supports mainstream economics rather than encourages it rethinking jacobin.com/2026/08/acem...
jacobin.com
For The Economist, Mentioning Workers’ Interests Is Heresy
Daron Acemoglu, who won the Nobel Prize in 2024, is no heterodox economist. But now The Economist magazine has damned his work, because it challenges the untrammeled power of Big Tech elites.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I see this paper has now been published - if you are interested in ideas (past and present) on work time reduction, then please read at your leisure www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Work time reduction: old ideas and new possibilities
I address the goal of work time reduction from two distinct angles. Firstly, I review some old ideas (linked to the writings of Marx, J.S. Mill and Keynes) that imagine a better society where const...
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
To what extent is the protection of "human-reserved" jobs really about shoring up capitalism? Discuss with reference to essays written by tech billionaires www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Bill Gates calls for ‘human reserved’ jobs in face of AI takeover
Microsoft co-founder also expresses concern governments not prepared for technology’s impact in 6,000-word essay
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Work-creating AI www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
AI flooding public bodies with complaints and requests
AI flooding public bodies with complaints and requests
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
It was the lack of a catchy acronym/slogan that ended his interest www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Burnham economic advisor O'Neill rules out government job but urges boldness on devolution
Lord O'Neill, former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, was tipped to become Andy Burnham's chief economic adviser.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Does the word “clearing“ in the context of university admissions derive from the idea of market clearing used in economics?
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
work intensification and longer work hours does not bode well for a future of work under AI
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
For all the hype, we are still a long way from an AI-led transformation in and of work though this will not stop those (like me!) speculating on possible effects in the future www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
AI was supposed to destroy jobs. Where’s the carnage?
The AI jobs apocalypse never showed up. Still, jobs are changing and economists expect more to come.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
My memories of The Day of the Triffids make me a reluctant viewer www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Three ways to watch the solar eclipse safely without glasses
With some shops running out of stock, it may be too late to buy eclipse glasses - but you can still safely watch the spectacle using some household items.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
No surprise here. AI is designed for making higher returns for tech owners, not for work time reduction. Unless and until it is democratised, its use will add to work, not reduce it. This starts with tech firms themselves www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tech leaders say AI means less work - their staff say they work up to 90 hours a week
Tech companies are not modelling their own claims of the technology giving people more free time.
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David Spencer @davidaspencer.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
OK but will they be served in bread buns, baps, cakes or rolls? www.theguardian.com/food/video/2...
theguardian.com
Stacked! How the north of England fell in love with American deli sandwiches - series
Restaurant critic and award-winning author Jimi Famurewa discovers how American subs are being reinvented in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.  From hoagies to hero rolls, Jimi samples the supersized s...
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