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Neil Lee

@neillee.bsky.social
3.5K followers 676 following 614 posts

Professor of Economic Geography, LSE

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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Sorry to hear that - great show
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
sorry: how we *train* phd students (we obviously still avoid talking to them where possible)
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yes it is changing how we talk to PhD students as well - more emphasis on presentation, more on novel data, less on volume of words. the literature review has to change as well. I'm not sure this is all bad
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Asking them questions face to face should address this - but the final output can still be highly AI influenced, of course
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yes but it happens mid-way through, weakening AI protection but providing feedback
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
We are shifting towards assessed, seminar-style presentations for ours, teaching our students valuable skills in awkwardness and humiliation
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Excellent thread this:
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I'm not so sure: this is more of a debate than the authors credit, with studies finding evidence both consistent with and against the idea (plus Goodhart's theory too woolly to really test) academic.oup.com/cjres/articl... onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Individual residential mobility, immobility, and political attitudes: The case of Brexit voting intentions in the 2016 UK EU Referendum
One explanation of the results of the UK EU Referendum and the US Presidential Election in 2016 has been as a triumph of citizens of ‘somewhere’—localised and rooted—over the cosmopolitan and spatial...
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NEW Weekend reading for geeks: Mobile internet connectivity increases household wealth in the Philippines - in J. of Development Economics Using submarine cables as an IV, we show that internet access increases household wealth, via flexible work, remittances authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
authors.elsevier.com
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This was of course our secret plan
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NEW Weekend reading for geeks: Mobile internet connectivity increases household wealth in the Philippines - in J. of Development Economics Using submarine cables as an IV, we show that internet access increases household wealth, via flexible work, remittances authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
authors.elsevier.com
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LSE Inequalities @lseinequalities.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
How do workers adapt when technology transforms an industry? Research by Hillary Vipond, III Visiting Fellow & @afsee-lse.bsky.social fellow, was featured in a @financialtimes.com article by @joelsuss.ft.com, examining the effects of mechanisation in bootmaking. www.ft.com/content/bf0a...
ft.com
The AI Shift: What can Victorian bootmakers tell us about AI disruption?
The industry transformed when sewing machines took off — but widespread unemployment wasn’t the outcome
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Katja Bego @katjabego.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Absolutely delighted to see my book reviewed so positively by Tim Judah in the @financialtimes.com! www.ft.com/content/f5ca...
ft.com
Undersea cables: the battle for the ocean floor
Two books take a deep dive into the hybrid wars over the vital arteries without which most of modern life would grind to a halt
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
We just replaced an average looking rail bridge for £237m 👍 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Botley Road in Oxford finally reopens after upgrade works
Botley Road, a main route into Oxford city centre, has been shut to traffic since April 2023.
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Maurice Lange @mauricelange.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
A seriously impressive and useful report out today from my colleagues @oscarselby.bsky.social and @antbreach.bsky.social They've worked out how fiscal devolution can start in a fair and growth incentivising way, in superb technical detail. Give it a read 👇
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Carolin Ioramashvili @ioramashvili.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We have fully funded PhD studentships @sussexunibusiness.bsky.social. If you’re interested in a PhD at the intersection of in innovation, technological change and geography, please get in touch! There are routes for applicants with and without an MSc too www.findaphd.com/phds/program...
findaphd.com
FindAPhD : The South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc) at Royal Holloway, University of London
Apply for a PhD: The South East Doctoral Training Arc (SEDarc) at Royal Holloway, University of London
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LSE British Politics and Policy @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
What is the Burnham-Healey theory of economic growth? By @neillee.bsky.social of @lsegeography.bsky.social. lsebritishpolitics.substack.com/p/what-is-th...
lsebritishpolitics.substack.com
What is the Burnham-Healey theory of economic growth?
by Neil Lee
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LSE European Politics @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Two years ago today, Mario Draghi published his landmark report on European competitiveness. But is Europe any further forward? ✍ @mdbherbertson.bsky.social, @neillee.bsky.social | @martinapardy.bsky.social, David Soskice & Michael Storper @lsegeography.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Europe needs a coalition of the willing to overcome its first mover innovation deficit
Europe’s weakness in breakthrough technologies remains a constraint. Escaping it will require a coalition of the willing ready to commit jointly and move first.
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LSE British Politics and Policy @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
John Healey, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, made his first big speech about his economic outlook. @neillee.bsky.social of @lsegovernment.bsky.social tries to decipher what his underlying theory of economic growth is. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
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Sean Canty @seancanty.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
To get up to speed on the mechanism by which fiscal devolution improves growth, here is one of the key briefings from Centre for Cities 👇 www.centreforcities.org/publication/...
centreforcities.org
Fiscal devolution for England - Centre for Cities
This briefing provides evidence to support the Government’s decision to advance fiscal devolution and explains how it can use these reforms to achieve both higher growth and greater fairness across th...
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
it was the OECD met area database so I *think* City, South, and East
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I think generally the banks are better when bigger as you can hire good people, choose investments more wisely, etc. But trade off with local finance. No expert on the Scottish one, though!
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Shenzhen - the other city referred to in this - is notable as the university is much less well regarded (for now at least), but much more focused on the local economy
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Paul Nightingale @paulnightingale.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
As @neillee.bsky.social notes in 2000 Cambridge was 0.7% of UK GDP, and in 2020 after billions of concentrated investment, knowledge economy support and cluster policy, it was.... .... 0.7% of UK GDP. There are international research projects looking at this www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
Why Cambridge and Cambridge need each other
Two of the world’s most innovative cities have the same name and completely opposite problems. That is leading to closer collaboration
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Aveek Bhattacharya @aveek18.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
It is absolutely true that Britain should take economic (not fiscal policy) more seriously. And @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is spot on that educational outcomes often downstream of the economy... But for years (maybe even today?) our leading theory of growth implied education was our best lever
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LSE Inequalities @lseinequalities.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
📢 New III working paper by Kattalina M. Berriochoa, Katy Morris & Andrew McNeil This paper examines whether perceptions of local income position are more accurate than national perceptions, and whether correcting local misperceptions has a stronger effect on inequality beliefs. 🔗 buff.ly/EDGu7t4
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Also implications for everyone focused on hyper local democracy and neighbourhood governance
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Great example of problems of fragmentation - a single veto player, facing localised costs, makes sub optimal decisions for the rest of us
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LSE Methodology @lsemethodology.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
💡 We're hiring for an Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science Read more and apply before 11 October 👉️ jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
LSE Department of Methodology hiring — Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science; applications close 11 October 2026; apply at www.jobs.lse.ac.uk and follow @lsemethodology.
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I’m also a fan of your village’s chimneys. Discovering unexpected new interests in my middle age
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Lovely. No witches getting down those!
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Those twisted chimneys are the real star of this photo
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Glad someone senior from the sector is pushing back. Labour MPs need to understand the serious real anger from graduates and the people who produce them. And the dangerous financial situation they have allowed to fester, or indeed worsened, in one of Britain’s leading sectors.
ft.com
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic student fees freeze, international student limits and rise in employers’ national insurance
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Ant Breach @antbreach.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
My immediate thoughts on today's Devolution Document It's a huge set of proposals that will fundamentally change British politics and the national economy Making mayors accountable for growing their taxbase + committing to giving them what they need to do this is a gamechanger Thread:
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I think we will all be disappointed if the next devo white paper doesn't include some references to mesopotamia or a graph of city sizes through history
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This is crucial: Flexibility will help mayors provide leverage when they need to, and the system should provide strong incentives for growth
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Thomas Pope @tompope.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Some thoughts on the government's devo announcement today: Overall, this is a great start on the govt's flagship agenda 1/
gov.uk
Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
On today's announcements from Number 10: scale of ambition is bold, pace of change rapid, but end result will be a more normal European country
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Owen Garling @ojgarling.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Quite some agenda. www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Rewiring the State – Cabinet Statement (HTML)
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Centre for Cities @centreforcities.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Today’s set of announcements amount to the most significant rebalancing of power from Whitehall to local areas in a generation. www.centreforcities.org/press/centre...
centreforcities.org
Centre for Cities welcomes "unashamedly pro-growth" income tax sharing for mayors - Centre for Cities
"The devolution announcement today marks a new era for the British economy."
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Centre for Cities @centreforcities.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Allowing mayors to keep a share of local income tax is unashamedly pro-growth and will remove anchors that have held back the UK’s cities for decades. It will be the most significant and welcome transfer of fiscal powers since the foundation of the modern welfare state.
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Andrew Carter @andrewcities.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This is big deal. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Andy Burnham to give regional mayors share of income tax
The prime minister says the move will give power to "every postcode" but critics say the plans lack detail.
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Burnham's fiscal devolution shouldn't be seen as radical - just a step towards making us a more normal country It will help but it's nowhere near a strategy for growth either
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
(From this excellent @resolutionfoundation.org piece www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/...)
resolutionfoundation.org
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Crazy policy failure here 🤯
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Lovely woman X
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William Cullerne Bown @williamcb.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I am starting a new newspaper, sort of like the old newspaper, but better. Tell your friends
open.substack.com
Coming soon: a new publication on research, higher education and industrial strategy from the guy who brought you the old one (me)
Research Professional News, which I founded, is being closed on 31 December. My new, independent publication will start up on 1 January
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Ant Breach @antbreach.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This would be the most important local finance reform since Elizabeth I. Finally introducing local revenue sources that aren't property taxes will ensure places really benefit from local growth - more jobs and/or higher wages in a place will translate into more investment and services:
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Joël Cariolle @joelcariolle.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
🌊 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 : " #𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 #𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀" #Underseacables 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 #𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, keeping cross-border payments flowing, enabling trade coordination, and supporting the data layer of production networks.
joelcariolle.github.io
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Neil Lee @neillee.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Agree - As far as I've heard the mood in both departments is 'not another change of systems' rather than 'this isn't going to work'
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