iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Mile End Institute @mileendinstitute.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Fancy some weekend reading? In their latest piece for the MEI blog, @drdarcyluke.bsky.social, Bradley Ward and @nathancritch.bsky.social explore what the abolition of DSIT might mean for AI policy and the Government's mission to "unleash AI's full potential". www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/news-and...

qmul.ac.uk

What DSIT’s breakup mean for the UK’s AI and digital ambitions?

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BRAID UK @braiduk.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

As AI becomes increasingly embedded in #PublicServices, how do we measure its impact beyond efficiency/cost savings? New BRAID blog! @drdarcyluke.bsky.social explores, & considers how impact assessment could support #ResponsibleAI adoption & better outcomes for the public braiduk.org/learning-les...

braiduk.org

How can we better measure the social value of AI? Learning lessons for UK public services

Efficiency savings. Productivity gains. Headcount reduction. This is the language commonly used to describe the proposed economic benefits artificial intelligence (AI) will bring.This commerci

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Short piece for @theconversation.com with @nathancritch.bsky.social. We explore what the Mandelson vetting controversy can tell us about issues of political accountability and the role of independent scrutiny in UK governance. theconversation.com/mandelson-ve...

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Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

After news that OpenAI has signed a deal to use AI to increase productivity in the UK's public services, what do we know about Labour’s AI policy plan? And importantly, will it work? By @nathancritch.bsky.social & @drdarcyluke.bsky.social politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/what-do...

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Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight www.cityam.com/the-british-...

cityam.com

The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care?

The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity

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Rob Blackie @robblackie.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Is AI driving productivity in aggregate? New figures from McKinsey suggest not: 1. Deployment is still fairly early stages - and in limited parts of companies - most commonly marketing, IT, knowledge management.

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Pleased to have this piece out in @politicalquarterly.bsky.social. @nathancritch.bsky.social & I place Labour's ambitions for AI in the context of nearly a decade of AI policies to critically engage with the increasingly 'techno-solutionist' hype around AI. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

A Critical Appraisal of Labour's AI Agenda

This article critically evaluates Labour's ambitious AI agenda, situating it within the historical trajectory of UK AI policy and the techno-solutionist assumptions underpinning current strategies. W....

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Really great review of literature on public inquiries across disciplines! Goes far beyond the more Pol Sci one I did a few years back, and good to see acknowledgement that the big issue is fragmentation of scholarship, not necessarily that nothing is out there. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

What we do and do not know about public inquiries: a narrative review

Public inquiries have become a common governmental response to high-profile organisational failures, disasters or flagrant abuses of professional standards. Inquiries are detailed investigations ch...

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David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Education is a public good which should be funded out of general taxation. Anyone who wants to defend our universities needs to firmly and repeatedly insist on this point, and not concede an inch to the facile Thatcherite logic that got us into this mess. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

Tuition fees are rising again and nobody is happy – it’s time to actually fix our broken university sector | Zoe Williams

The figures simply don’t add up for higher education in England and Wales. Yet delusional politicians from all parties seem intent on avoiding the issue, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Pleased to see evidence submitted with @nathancritch.bsky.social, Patrick Diamond, @profdaverichards.bsky.social, @samwarner.bsky.social & @andywestwood.bsky.social was referenced in the 7th Report on Industrial Strategy by the Business & Trade Committee. publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

publications.parliament.uk

Industrial StrategyUK ParliamentDownload iconShare icon

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The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Read the latest policy commentary on our website, which looks at whether the #SpendingReview2025 is far-reaching enough for the government's growth mission. #productivity #growth #governance #policy

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Quite a good analysis of the SR here. Key points for me are governance reform is focussed on efficiency rather than transformation, and that missions remain goals rather than new joined-up approach: re-state.co.uk/react/react-...

re-state.co.uk

Re:Act: Spending Review 2025 - Re:State

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akashpaun.bsky.social @akashpaun.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Ah this is interesting devo news. London will get an integrated settlement after all from next year. It'll be interesting to see how the model differs in London compared to the combined authorities, and whether it'll require constitutional change in the GLA-Council relationship to make it work

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Andy Westwood @andywestwood.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Where we should be building new towns if we want to prioritise growth - by Jack Shaw and me for @productivity.bsky.social

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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

The Government said it’d cost £99bn to publicly own our water. But this drew on calculations by — drumroll — water company lobbyists. The true cost is closer to zero. Here’s why. 🧵

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

Really happy that my paper on Jim Bulpitt's statecraft interpretation is now properly out in the latest issue of the BJPIR. This is especially exciting given the issue marks the 25th anniversary of the journal and is chock-full of great stuff! Check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/toc/bpia/27/2

journals.sagepub.com

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

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Stephen Holden Bates @stephenholdenbates.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

📢📢📢 CfP: What is a Parliament? Interdisciplinary workshop on 19th September 2025 in London. Full details below. Kindly sponsored by Birkbeck, the University of Birmingham and @psa-parliaments.bsky.social Please apply and/or spread the word!

Call for Papers: What is a Parliament?
Are parliaments institutions, organisations, corporations or something else? Does it make sense to ask the question Who is Parliament? or should parliaments always be considered a thing or set of relations of some kind?
This interdisciplinary one-day workshop will consider such questions from all points of view, from the metaphysical to the political, historical, legal and anthropological, as well as how our different understandings of parliaments affect the way we study, critique and run them.
We welcome papers operating at all levels of abstraction and those concerned with concrete cases. Our aim is for the workshop to include scholars working in different academic disciplines, from different intellectual traditions, and who are at all career stages from PhD onwards.
If you are interested in presenting a paper, please send a title and abstract of no more than 250 words to Stephen Holden Bates (s.r.bates@bham.ac.uk) by 4th July 2025.
The workshop will be held on Friday 19th September 2025 in Birkbeck’s Keynes Library (46 Gordon Square, London). It is being co-convened by Stephen Holden Bates (University of Birmingham), Paul Seaward (History of Parliament Trust) and Ben Worthy (Birkbeck, University of London) and co-sponsored by the School of Social Sciences at Birkbeck, the Department of Political Science & International Studies at the University of Birmingham and PSA Parliaments.
The workshop will be free, and refreshments and lunch will be provided. Early career researchers who have a paper accepted will be able to apply for funding from PSA Parliaments to cover some or all travel expenses on a case-by-case basis.

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Will be really interested to see where DSIT ends up in the spending review, will be key to seeing how serious government is on driving AI proliferation across the economy and growing Britain's AI sector.

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Written evidence from @nathancritch.bsky.social, @profdaverichards.bsky.social, @samwarner.bsky.social, @andywestwood.bsky.social, Patrick Diamond and myself to Business & Trade Committee inquiry on Industrial Strategy has been published You can read here: committees.parliament.uk/work/8882/in...

committees.parliament.uk

Industrial Strategy - Written evidence - Committees - UK Parliament

Written evidence submission publications for Industrial Strategy.

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Glad to see this out - A critical examination of Labour's economic strategy, which we see as oriented around a devo agenda and industrial strategy, but one still shot through with the pathologies of the British state.

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Gavin Freeguard @gavinfreeguard.com · 09/05/2025

Roles currently needing filling: - National Statistician - DSIT perm sec - Govt Chief Data Officer - Govt Chief AI Officer - Govt Chief Digital Officer Reshuffle rumours around DSIT ministers too (though aren't there always etc) Any others?

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Agree wholeheartedly with this. Inquiries should make recommendations that would actually solve the problems they are tasked with investigating. When systems are in crisis, that will likely necessitate radical action, overhauling existing institutional arrangements, not "fine-tuning" them.

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Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute @sperishefuni.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

💭NEW BLOG💭 Chris Saltmarsh and Dillon Wamsley develop Seven Theses on Crisis in capitalism, illuminated by their discussions with experts in their recent 12-part podcast series 📝Read the blog: shorturl.at/sfKqO 🎧Listen to the series: shorturl.at/wxXZJ

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Really enjoyed this panel. Great presentations and interesting questions and comments all round!

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LSE British Politics and Policy @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement seems to be a continuity of Treasury fiscal conservatism, guided by short-term economic projections rather than a long-term vision, argue @nathancritch.bsky.social, @drdarcyluke.bsky.social, David Richards and @samwarner.bsky.social. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Pleased @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social have published this piece on the Spring Statement co-written with @nathancritch.bsky.social, @samwarner.bsky.social & David Richards. We argue the Spring Statement signals a return of Treasury orthodoxy which may undermine Labour's bolder plans for change.

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Dillon Wamsley @dillonwamsley.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Check out our new article on the unique crisis shaping British politics 👇

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

New blog piece contextualising Labour's approach to AI in light of the Paris AI summit. @nathancritch.bsky.social and I argue that the UK is plotting it's own course on AI regulation as part of an ambitious domestic agenda for AI. Thanks to @mileendinstitute.bsky.social for publishing!

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

New blog out with @drdarcyluke.bsky.social on the government's AI strategy and approach to regulating AI, which situates it in the broader context of the approaches previous UK governments developed towards AI. A fascinating and increasingly important topic! www.qmul.ac.uk/mei/news-and...

qmul.ac.uk

The UK in the AI regulation debate: In hoc with Trump’s America or going their own way?

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Adam Vaughan @adamvaughan.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claims the UK goal of net zero emissions by 2050 is impossible. • No alternative date offered • No report/analysis showing impossible • No detail on how/why impossible • No figure on £ impact of net zero despite claiming will "bankrupt us" • No new plan to cut energy bills

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Cath Haddon @cathhaddon.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Good time to reread @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social piece analysing the resignation of NHSE chief executive. www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/aman...

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Hannah Keenan @hannahkeenan.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

The PM’s speech this morning didn’t have much detail on system-wide civil service reform – despite some welcome pitch rolling by McFadden over the weekend. But for what it’s worth, here’s my initial take on what was in there on civil service reform 🧵 (1/6)

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

What is the political economy of Starmer's Labour? Join a stellar panel for this @mileendinstitute.bsky.social webinar on 13 March, featuring @samfr.bsky.social @colmpm.bsky.social @katealexandershaw.bsky.social @theobertram.bsky.social & @morganj0nes.bsky.social. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Darcy Luke @drdarcyluke.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

A short piece I was asked to put together on the devolution deal for Cheshire & Warrington. Very happy to be given the opportunity to write for a local paper that is doing great work reporting on important local issues. www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/2493409...

warringtonguardian.co.uk

"Devolution 'revolution' lets Cheshire play to strengths and fix its own problems"

Dr Darcy Luke is a research associate for the Productivity Institute at the University of Manchester. He is a political scientist with expertise in…

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Good to see the response to this report. Overall good to see govt acknowledge value in moving away from one-size-fits-all approach, but disappointing to not have more concrete resources for the Inquiries Unit. www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...

civilserviceworld.com

Government to explore potential for ‘wider reform’ of inquiries system

Cabinet Office sets out approach to reform in response to House of Lords report

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Nathan Critch @nathancritch.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

The history of the now-revived "Ox-Cam Arc" is a really good primer on some of the most corrosive pathologies of the British state and policymaking. www.ft.com/content/5728...

ft.com

UK revives plan for Oxford-Cambridge Arc

Government aims to double economic output of science-rich region between Britain’s two best-known universities

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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

@politicalquarterly.bsky.social: @mathewlawrence.bsky.social sets out ten steps to expand public ownership, asking who owns Britain, and why does it matter? 🔗⬇️ politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/childre...

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