@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk
Public policy research, teaching and engagement, enabling the right kind of growth, fairly shared. bennettschool.cam.ac.uk
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukNew 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.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukIs 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...
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukRead the blog: The lost £15bn lessons for good growth in the regions: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/the-los...
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukCaveat: the evidence is dated and regional, not local. Geoff calls for a joint performance framework with central government, devolved authorities and What Works Centres to update it and capture sub-regional variation. Devolved evaluation, with cross-area learning built in.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukGeoff's thought experiment on the PwC evidence: - business and cluster development look most cost-effective for jobs and GVA. - Land, science, public realm and tourism need careful appraisal. - Skills spend is cheap but returns are weaker. - Packages of demand and supply measures work best.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukNew 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. 🧵
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukRead their blog on what shapes AI adoption in UK professional services: insight from the survey:
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukA 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 ⬇️
@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk🆕 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.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukWe'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!
@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk📢 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/
@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk🆕 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
@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk🤖💡 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.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukWhat 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
@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk📢🎙️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
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukTheir research shows that space is rapidly transitioning from a scientific frontier into a highly commercialised, active marketplace.
Read the paper: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukNew 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.
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukHow 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
@bennettschool.cam.ac.ukNew 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
