One accurate way of thinking about the Trump bill is that is is a massive wealth transfer from the poorest to the richest. That wealth transfer is built on administrative burdens: the savings depend on making it harder for eligible claimants to receive benefits. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/u...

Today bills go up. @jrf-uk.bsky.social October cost of living tracker found 60% of low income families had gone without essentials in the previous 6 months - a figure barely changed in 2.5 years. This increased to 88% where a family receives disability benefits. And that’s before the cuts

New article: Navigating Digital Welfare: A Multi-Level Maze? In Social Policy & Administration. I argue that greater conceptual and empirical engagement with welfare state complexity is needed in studies of digital welfare. (OPEN ACCESS) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Spread the word! Exciting new fully funded PhD opportunity to research disabled people's lived experiences of benefit reform and the costs of disability. Deadline: 10 April @uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social @sgsss.bsky.social @clemmiehilloconnor.bsky.social

My Women and Welfare Conditionality book shows how hard it already was for disabled women to manage work and welfare before the new cuts. Research shows that poverty worsens health.

Important new publication from my top colleague @jaywiggan.bsky.social…

Exactly this.👇 There’s a colossal amount of evidence that people on sickness benefits are, erm, sick… driving people into poverty is not going to change that…

Trump Says Recession Unfortunate But Necessary Step To Get To Depression theonion.com/trump-s...

Thought I'd seen the dumbest, most ignorant take on Bluesky last year, but I was wrong. This person is living in a world that only exists in their own mind. As far as I can tell, the author is not even on Bluesky, so they've just fantasized what must be happening here.

Lovely story here from @glasgowbell.bsky.social… 🙂👇

Hugely enjoyed this excellent event with top Scottish author Lisa Ballantyne…

Reminder that "free speech" champion Niall Ferguson, as a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, commissioned "opposition research" on an undergraduate whose politics he didn't like...😉 archive.ph/gJwoL

CONFERENCE: How can policy boost productivity growth? Tuesday 25 March | 9:30 – 16:30 | Church House, Westminster Four panels and keynote speaker Jonathan Haskel will give expert perspectives on the UK’s productivity problems. Join the waiting list to attend here:

If you are reeling from Trump & Vance's disgusting performance towards Zelensky last night, might you consider donating to www.hospiceukraine.com, the tiny charity I set up with Henry Marsh to support local Ukrainian palliative care teams? We delivered this Land Rover to a rural hospice in Dec...

DOGE is dismantling all aspect of civic tech in the federal government - both 18F and the US Digital Service were the hubs for skilled technologists who wanted to improve public services. They are now being pushed out of government.

Interesting article for us from @ianelliott.bsky.social asking whether the UK government's mantra of mission-driven government has given way to economic growth at all costs #localgov lgiu.org/blog-article/sticki...

Tonight!

Saint Mungo on the facade of Saint Ninian's Church on Pollokshaws Road on the Southside of Glasgow. You can tell it's Saint Mungo because of the dead fish with the ring in its mouth at the base of the statue. Cont./ #glasgow #architecture #sculpture #stmungo #pollokshields

An ambitious child poverty strategy must put cash in the pockets of the worst off. Hope this article is just flying a kite - a strategy that ignores the evidence would be embarrassing www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Looking forward to a terrific evening with brilliant Scottish author Lisa Ballantyne @ballantyne-writer.bsky.social this Tuesday at the Institut français d’Écosse in Edinburgh… still a few tickets available… www.ifecosse.org.uk/events-agend...

Opinion: The talent pipeline for the UK’s £100 billion creative arts industries is under threat as universities shutter loss-making arts degrees, says Ravensbourne vice-chancellor Andy Cook #AcademicSky #EduSky

The old Marlborough sign is up ahead of tomorrow's reopening 😍 Every time I post something about this old haunt, it seems like half the south side got married there back in the day 😂 Will be curious to see what they've done with the place. #Glasgow

Fascinated by Lisa Nandy’s theory of being DCMS Secretary.

Excellent piece by @tomcalver.bsky.social debunking the myth that migrants who come on "dependant" visas don't work/contribute (1/2) www.thetimes.com/article/48e9...

Probably just me but the guy on the left of row two looks helluva like Noel Gallagher … mural on gable wall of University of Strathclyde building on Nth Portland St, Glasgow

This new website is phenomenal: 3 million records covering 5,000 years of Scottish history, pulling together various resources from Historic Environment Scotland into one platform. Great stuff 👏

Not sure how often this link works for free, but here is my latest article, 'The Right Kind of Growth for Everyone': academic.oup.com/cjres/articl...

The most important thread you'll read today. In brief: Europe has the power to save Ukraine and slip into the leadership position America has vacated. It must grasp it. And Europeans must pressure their governments to do so.

Can #AI fix #PeerReview? In a new IZA DP @patpat.bsky.social et al. tested an LLM on 9,030 submissions. It ranks quality well but favors elite institutions, famous economists & men—while struggling to distinguish AI-generated papers from real research. newsroom.iza.org/en/archive/r...

"For GB News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos, countering the threat from Stop Funding Hate (SFH) has been a constant worry since the station was founded" - Daily Telegraph Your support can help keep up the pressure: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stop-gb-news

"Europe is often presented as this massive bureaucracy that created all these rules. Actually, it does the reverse. It has harmonised the rules of 27 countries. And that makes trade easier, provides for economic growth, gives people lower prices and higher living standards." ~AA

UK Government ministers’ pronouncements on welfare benefits and economic inactivity are - to put it mildly - unhelpful. It makes it harder for those of us with some knowledge of these issues to engage with and inform policymakers. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🚨 We're hiring! 🚨 Senior Lecturer/Professor in Planning. Lead impactful research, teach in accredited planning programs, and engage with external stakeholders. 📅 Apply by: 3rd March 2025 🔗 Apply here: tinyurl.com/y9aac8zp #AcademicJobs #Planning #HigherEdJobs

Speaker announcement📣 @heejungchung.bsky.social (Director of @‌giwlkings.bsky.social) will join our webinar panel to discuss how the UK can balance its economic priorities against large & growing inequalities across society. 📅 26 Feb ⏰ 12.30pm-1.30pm 💻 Online Register now➡️ https://buff.ly/3CnXKPc

Exploring past episodes of technological disruption in the US labor market, with the goal of learning lessons about the likely future impact of AI, from David J. Deming, Christopher Ong, and Lawrence H. Summers https://www.nber.org/papers/w33323

Let’s deregulate the flammability of children’s pyjamas to improve growth says @economist.com www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

UK govt targets old, sick, disabled. Long-term sick need to find jobs. Face benefit cuts of £5k a year. This after two child benefit cap, winter fuel payment cut. 6.3m await hospital appointment, 2.8m chronically ill Govt won't tax wealth; increase capital gains, corporate tax archive.ph/zDPGT

Today is Imbolc, an ancient Celtic festival marking the beginning of Spring, and the return of both light and life to Scotland. Wouldn't this be the perfect time of year to highlight Glasgow's fantastic architecture by lighting up as much of it as possible? Cont./ #glasgow #architecture #imbolc

"New analysis shows that under central OBR projections, only Scotland will see child poverty rates fall by 2029, demonstrating the power of social security policy in tackling poverty." A Llywodraeth Cymru ar ei hôl hi eto, diolch i'r Blaid Lafur. www.jrf.org.uk/news/growth-...

After just over a week we're now within sight of our @crowdfunder.bsky.social target, with over 350 pledges so far! crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stop-gb-news Every share helps to spread the word - a massive thanks to everyone supporting the campaign!

Great to see this exciting new partnership being taken forward by Glasgow Science Centre and the University of Strathclyde! @unistrathclyde.bsky.social

🗓️ Tue 20 Feb. Free webinar and toolkit! With @fraserofallander.and @skillsdevscot, the @servingfuture project will launch help and advice on how to reduce low pay in Scotland's #tourism and #hospitality industry. 👉 Reserve your place here! https://buff.ly/4hs1DBR

📢 Stigma around people in poverty, benefits and welfare is key to understanding why poverty is still deemed acceptable in a country as wealthy as the UK. Read our recent report on stigma below: www.jrf.org.uk/stigma-power...

📢 Out tomorrow! Tomorrow, we'll be launching UK Poverty 2025, our flagship report giving you the most up-to-date picture of poverty's depth, geography and complexities across the UK. Stay tuned to our social channels from 8am (1/2)

Looking forward to seeing this in action with immigration policy/the forthcoming Immigration White Paper. www.ft.com/content/8ebc...

I wrote for The Contrarian about my decision to leave the New York Times contrarian.substack.com/p/departing-...

In the context of structurally weak business investment and - as we are told on a daily basis - significant opportunities in the low carbon economy, it's frustrating that SNIB risks missing its 2030 target www.ft.com/content/cb20...

We are looking for a Team Coordinator to join our Research team. They'll provide timely and high-quality administrative support, including Executive Assistant support to our Assistant Director of Research. Find out more and apply by 12 February ⬇️ https://buff.ly/3E93NaW

The biggest reorganisation of local government for decades is on its way – Will Brett-Harding of @WhatWorksGrowth.bsky.social explains the changes local policymakers need to know about. whatworksgrowth.org/...