New working paper: The implications of generative AI for organisational intangibles. @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social argues that as firms adopt AI, tacit, relational knowledge with employees, suppliers & customers will be their lasting edge. bit.ly/4zugDrP

Is ChatGPT bad for students? Affiliated researcher Sam Gilbert argues that policymakers should take the potential link between declining educational performance and the use of AI chatbots seriously. Read the blog: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/is-chat...

New blog: England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) spent £15bn between 1999 and 2007. PwC found every £1 generated £4.50 in regional GVA. Then the RDAs were abolished in 2010 and the report virtually vanished. Geoff White says it's time to dig it out. 🧵

A new survey of UK professional services firms found 2 in 5 already use AI, but nearly half say no government policy would change their plans. @johnlpoquiz.bsky.social, @alturobov.bsky.social & @ninajorden.bsky.social discuss the barriers to adopting AI & what's needed to overcome them. Link below ⬇️

🆕 When AI can draft a briefing in seconds, what are policy schools for? @ninajorden.bsky.social, @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social, @michaelkenny.bsky.social & @terzibus.bsky.social explain why knowledge, judgement & human relationships matter even more in this age of AI. 🔗 bit.ly/4dbSJbR

We're delighted to welcome Mary MacLennan to the Bennett School as an Affiliated Researcher. Mary is a behavioural scientist working at the intersection of behavioural science, AI & public policy—driving behavioural science integration across the UN. Watch this space for her insights & expertise!

📢 We’re hiring We're looking for a Research Assistant/Associate to join a research project exploring the relationship between wellbeing & productivity at work, in a Cambridge University-wide partnership with KPMG. Apply by 8 October 2026: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/57112/

🆕 Beyond the market: What AI tells us about productivity in the household @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social, Mihai Codreanu & Arthur Turrell explore how AI is changing household activity—& why measuring productivity means looking beyond the market economy to what happens at home. 🔗https://bit.ly/4dDLmKj

🤖💡 New thought piece: Where are the AI productivity gains? 📈 Outside software development, the evidence that AI is improving productivity remains thin. The barriers are less technical than organisational, argues Affiliated Researcher Sam Gilbert. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/ai-prod...

What if AI’s biggest productivity gains happen outside paid work? @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social explores how AI could transform unpaid household work, save us time & money, & challenge how we measure productivity. Read her latest piece in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social bit.ly/4A1HI6I

Unpaid Work in the AI Age

Diane Coyle highlights an under-appreciated benefit of the technology: escaping the household administrative slog.

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📢🎙️New podcast: How does culture shape us? Richard Westcott talks to Prof Tim Whitmarsh & Cammie Curtin about how culture shapes our identities, behaviour & relationships – from the ancient Greek & Roman worlds to the societies we live in today. 🎧Listen on your favourite platform: pod.fo/e/5e32c8

New research by @terzibus.bsky.social & Francesco Nicoli published in @pnasnexus.org shows the cost of launching cargo into space is now falling faster than steamship freight did during the 19th-century transport revolution, & even faster than solar photovoltaics.

How is the way we connect changing in a world increasingly shaped by online communities & algorithms? @profsanderlinden.bsky.social & Marion Hoffman explore how digital spaces influence social cues, opinions, trust, decision-making & the way we understand each other. 🎧https://pod.fo/e/4ec503

🚨The Cambridge Phenomenon—what can we learn about the role of institutions & infrastructure? Dr Julia Wdowin traces some of the historical developments behind the Cambridge phenomenon & what it can teach policymakers about enabling sustainable, place-based growth across the UK. tinyurl.com/46shdwbu

Important point by @ojgarling.bsky.social Local government reorganisation offers an opportunity to rethink how we ensure people have access to essential infrastructure & services needed to thrive. Universal Basic Infrastructure (UBI) provides a valuable framework for this. 🔗https://bit.ly/3U2p527

Economics Observatory@econ-observatory.bsky.social · 2mo ago

NEW on the Economics Observatory – Local government reform: what role for universal basic infrastructure? By Owen Garling (@ojgarling.bsky.social), Bennett School of Public Policy (@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk) buff.ly/Yw77zyW

The 'missing middle' - or how to fill the gap at the regional scale. Nice piece for our @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk blog series from @jacktshaw.bsky.social.

jacktshaw.bsky.social@jacktshaw.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I've written for the Bennett School this morning. If the Prime Minister’s devolution agenda is to succeed, England needs stronger regional and pan-regional institutions to drive growth and investment across boundaries. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/the-gov...

Today’s environmental, economic & social challenges share the same root cause: fragmented policymaking. In the concluding Reynolds Lecture, Dame Fiona Reynolds made the case for putting nature, beauty & belonging at the heart of public policy. Read the write-up & watch the recording bit.ly/4fTkrMh

Excellent summary of new report by @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social @profdaverichards.bsky.social @samwarner.bsky.social & Martin Smith on how the UK’s public spending system is no longer fit for purpose—making it harder to improve public services, invest strategically & secure long-term value for money

Giles Wilkes@gilesyb.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Quotes: "during our period of study (1993-2024), mechanisms designed to regulate spending tended towards input control and short-term decision-making, struggled to support strategic investment and often failed to deliver sustained improvements in outcomes."

The AI race isn't just about the US & China. New #AIxGeo research from Dr Siyi Liu is exploring how middle powers like the UK & South Korea can build influence through trusted partnerships, not AI self-sufficiency. Read the blog: bit.ly/4g0FcVe

📢 New research identifies five fundamental problems with the UK's public spending system: short-term budgeting, fragmented governance, blurred accountability, weak incentives for long-term investment, and a gap between evidence and political decision-making. Read the report: bit.ly/4g9xgSB

We're delighted to welcome Elise Antoine as an Assistant Professor to the Bennett School where she'll teach on our MPhil in Public Policy. Elise's research examines how politics shape the governance of new technologies, & how those technologies reshape policy processes.

The UK's public spending system is no longer fit for the challenges of the 21st century New research shows the UK's public spending system remains focused on short-term control, compliance & annual budgeting, despite the complex realities of modern governance & public service delivery bit.ly/4xbMAny

New research by top economists reveals the UK's spending system is no longer fit for the way public services are delivered today. Fundamental reform is needed to create a spending system that supports long-term investment, better public services and stronger outcomes. Report: bit.ly/4pMQ7WM

Is space trade the next global transport revolution? 🚀 New research led by @terzibus.bsky.social shows that the cost of reaching orbit is falling faster than steamship freight did in the 19th century. Here is why space is the new frontier for economists. 👇 1/6

We are on the cusp of Andy Burnham being appointed as the seventh UK Prime Minister since the 2016 Brexit vote. As the national conversation turns toward his upcoming policy agenda, the team at the @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk is highlighting key insights from our ongoing work. 🧵 1/7

Last night, we welcomed Dame Fiona Reynolds for the final Reynolds Lecture, challenging us to place nature, people & place at the heart of governance. She reflected on how 'beauty' is fundamental to human wellbeing, good public policy, & a sustainable future. View the photos: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCYKPm

How can governments make better decisions in an increasingly uncertain world? In a new blog, Geoff White argues that decades of centralisation have limited the UK's ability to learn & adapt. Could "devolution plus"—championed by Andy Burnham— create a more resilient state? shorturl.at/fNwBL

🎙️ New Crossing Channels podcast: What's behind the rise of populism? Richard Westcott chats with @d-luca.bsky.social (@cam.ac.uk) & Laurenz Guenther (@tse-fr.eu) about how place, inequality, and everyday lived experiences shape political attitudes. 🎧 Listen: shorturl.at/77gHX

Beyond the AI arms race: the cooperation we’re missing In a new anthology of essays offering an alternative narrative to the AI arms race, @alturobov.bsky.social explores why cooperation—not just competition—is shaping the future of global AI governance. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/beyond-...

A fine example of the Bennett School's @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social advising government and making an impact. ⬇️

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Good analysis from @richardaljones.bsky.social on @andyburnham.bsky.social’s economic and innovation policy agenda including this lovely reference to @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social softmachines.org?p=3324