Brett Christophers

@brettchristophers.bsky.social

3.9K followers 380 following 83 posts

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Brett Christophers is an economic geographer who is professor at the Institute for Housing and Urban Research at Uppsala University. He has written extensively on the history of the modern financial sector, the financial management of real economic assets, and the effect on the environment from financial management of land and natural resources. .. more

Economics 66%

Political science 16%

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Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · May 20

UK paperback of The Price is Wrong available from today, @versobooks.bsky.social

The Price is Wrong

RECENT TECHNICAL ADVANCES mean it is typically cheaper to produce electricity from renewable sources than from fossil fuels. Yet, around the world, the transition to green energy is happening too slow...

www.versobooks.com

Reposted by Daniela Gabor, Benjamin Braun, Brett Christophers

Lenore Palladino @lenorepalladino.bsky.social · 16h

excited to share that I am *officially running* to represent Massachusetts state employees on the MA public pension board!

I'm running because public pensions are *ours* and should serve the interests of state workers and our communities

I'm endorsed by @massteacher.bsky.social

www.mapension.com

PRIM

www.mapension.com

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Benjamin Braun @benbraun.bsky.social · 3d

“I graduated with £42,000 of debt and even though I’m paying it off, it’s now £72,000.”

It's truly an abomination: On a normal job you keep paying forever. 40 years!

“Why would I trust a government that mis-sold me a loan when I was a child?” is a very good question.
www.ft.com/content/7bf5...

The UK student loan system — and its danger for Labour
Growing anger among millions of graduates who face decades of debt is causing unease in Westminster

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 3d

I realise McSweeney is big news right now, but the story here should be about Josh Simons, a government minister www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Labour thinktank close to Morgan McSweeney paid firm to investigate journalists

Labour Together hired company to look at Sunday Times and Guardian reporters after article about donations, documents suggest

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 4d

Why private equity won’t rescue the UK’s housebuilding efforts ft.trib.al/Yp5cquS | opinion

Why private equity won’t rescue the UK’s housebuilding efforts

Investors have little interest in build-to-rent projects given the dismal level of profits

ft.trib.al

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d

A political think tank hiring a PR firm to investigate journalists is highly unusual.

Former Labour MP Jon Cruddas, who helped found the organisation in 2015, said our findings were “shocking” and “extraordinary”.

“This is dark shit,” Cruddas told me.

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d

When Labour Together hired ACPO to investigate the journalists in Nov 2023 it was run by Josh Simons - he's now a minister in Starmer's government

Morgan McSweeney, left LT in 2020 to join Starmer’s team. Sources close to him did not dispute he knew that Labour Together had hired ACPO

Reposted by Daniela Gabor, Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks , and 5 more Daniela Gabor, Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks, Peter Holmes, Alison Phipps, Brett Christophers, Prem Sikka, Stuart White

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d

🔴 BREAKING: Labour Together paid controversial PR firm £30k to investigate journalists who were digging into how its undeclared funding

Reporters from Sunday Times, Guardian and other outlets targetted

*And* Morgan McSweeney knew about it

Full story:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

BREAKING: McSweeney’s think tank paid PR firm to investigate journalists

Labour Together put private investigators onto journalists writing about its funding. Starmer's right-hand man knew.

democracyforsale.substack.com

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Noah Gordon @noahjgordon.bsky.social · 4d

The story of climate action is one of peaks—promised, assumed, or still to come. But who, and what, do those peaks ultimately serve?

My first essay for @the-breakdown.bsky.social !
Thx @johnmerrick.bsky.social & @adriennebuller.bsky.social
www.break-down.org/three-peaks/

Three Peaks

The story of climate action is one of peaks—promised, assumed or still to come. But who, and what, do those peaks ultimately serve?

www.break-down.org

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Robin Wigglesworth @robinwigglesworth.ft.com · 5d

As someone with a profound but unrepentant emdash addiction it is driving me mad seeing commenters yell “AI slop!!!” whenever there is even a single — anywhere in the copy.

Reposted by Brett Christophers, Henry Farrell

Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 7d

As depressing as it is to acknowledge, in academia, the fight over AI agents will be won over efficacy not abstractions.

"Is it conscious" is irrelevant. "Can it secure large multiyear grants" is what matters.

Reposted by Valerie Mueller, Felicity Callard, Keith Lilley , and 5 more Valerie Mueller, Felicity Callard, Keith Lilley, Nazita Lajevardi, Jason Dittmer, Katherine Brickell, Ian Bruff, Dan Immergluck

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 7d

We're recruiting 2 PhD candidates in human geography here in Uppsala, one position focused on urban/housing issues and one in political ecology.

Please spread the word/repost etc. Being a PhD student in Sweden is a good gig.

2 PhD student positions in Human Geography - Uppsala University

2 PhD student positions in Human Geography, Department of Human Geography, Uppsala University

www.uu.se

Reposted by Brett Christophers, Melinda Baldwin

Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 8d

Larry Summers, seen here somehow managing to have the worst gender politics in the room while in a one on one conversation with JEFFREY FUCKING EPSTEIN.

A screenshot of a text-message exchange. At the top, a contact labeled “Larry Summers” sends: “I’d be happy to have a rational affair w yellow peril.” Below, the recipient replies: “A rational affair?! Did you have a stroke since we last spoke?” followed by: “I would suggest you are looking to her to fill too many of your needs. Without you being able to fill hers.” A later message from “Larry Summers” reads: “Possibly right which leaves the question of what I should do. Not sure that deciding I don’t need any attention affection is so viable.” He continues: “I’m not so sure that being mentored by me, having me support her child, being elevated to a leader on China in global economy by collaborating with me and getting to have me as partner if she can find courage to tell her parents is really so useless.” Time stamps appear next to each message, and the recipient’s messages are shown as sent and read.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Cameron Campbell, Brett Christophers , and 1 more Lesley A. Hall, Cameron Campbell, Brett Christophers, Mark Rice

Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 8d

Venn diagram of ‘social science airport book author’ and ‘epstein files’ getting more crowded

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 9d

Don't buy it. Lots of reasons, but prob main one is that even if house prices do rise -- which is not a given, and of course not necessarily "good" in itself! -- it generally doesn't make building more profitable. Historically land prices just absorb the gains

Reposted by Laleh Khalili

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 9d

Nonsense, this. The idea that kicking Blackstone et al out of SFH rentals may "backfire" by choking investment in new construction presupposes they have any interest in increasing supply. They don't! Like, none. The opposite, in fact.

Why Trump’s crackdown on big investors in housing may backfire

Curbing institutional ownership of single-family homes does not tackle the affordability crisis and could make things worse

www.ft.com

Reposted by Brett Christophers

David Hall @dvdhll.bsky.social · 12d

My comments for Carbon News on the withdrawal of BlackRock from its proposed $2bn #CleanTech fund in #Aotearoa #NZ, plus the wider political economy of #ClimateFinance.

Also h/t to @brettchristophers.bsky.social for his due diligence at the time.

www.carbonnews.co.nz/news/36390/f...

Carbon News

Carbon News NZ Climate Policy Carbon Markets

www.carbonnews.co.nz

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Benjamin Braun, Brett Christophers , and 1 more Fabián Muniesa, Benjamin Braun, Brett Christophers, Béatrice Cointe

daniela russ @ueberdruss.bsky.social · 12d

what do we talk about when we talk about energy? my answer features (among many others) adorno, bogdanov, and the austrian communist wilhelm frank, who experimented with national exergy balances in the 1950s. out april 2026.

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Nick Bernards @nickbernards.bsky.social · 13d

Someone, somewhere in the University of Kent’s research office, is trying to work out whether they can put together a REF impact case study out of Matt Godwin.

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Naomi Klein, Caroline Krafft , and 6 more Marc Lynch, Naomi Klein, Caroline Krafft, Brett Christophers, Robert C. Richards, Claire L. Adida, Leah Stokes, Césari Laurent, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Jonathan Ladd @jonathanmladd.com · 18d

It’s hard to accurately describe what is happening in Minneapolis without sounding crazy.

Unmarked rental vans all over the city, with people in military gear and no id jumping out of them to take captive anyone who looks nonwhite or who makes political speech they disagree with.

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Brett Christophers, Paul Langley

Andrew Leyshon @andrewleyshon.bsky.social · 18d

Coming Soon! FinTech Capital, by @paullangley.bsky.social and me, accounts for the rise and ubiquity of fintech and its global transformation of everyday financial transactions. The book is out in July in the US, and in September in the UK. Available for pre-order here: tinyurl.com/bdz2pjn5

Fintech Capital

A thorough examination of the worldwide digital transformation of people’s everyday monetary and financial relations driven by the emergence of FinTech

press.princeton.edu

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Housing, Theory and Society @housingtheory.bsky.social · 18d

📖 Check out our recently published book review!
Andrea Lara-Garcia reflects on Joanna Kusiak's Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Radically Legal: Berlin Constitutes the Future

Published in Housing, Theory and Society (Vol. , No. , )

www.tandfonline.com

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 18d

Happy to share by email if you don't subsribe

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 18d

I've got a new piece in @thetls.bsky.social on the fraught relationship between taxation and democracy -- based on reading of 2 important and very good new books, by @vanessawilliamson.bsky.social & Ray Madoff

People’s budget

We live at a time of acute fiscal stress and conflict in large parts of the world. With public deficits bulging, little is as contentious as how much

www.the-tls.com

Reposted by Daniela Gabor

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 19d

Looking forward to the forthcoming book by @kbayliss.bsky.social (of SOAS), on the growing role of private equity in water, energy and housing

Manchester University Press - Privatising humanity

Privatising humanity - Browse and buy the Paperback edition of Privatising humanity by Kate Bayliss

manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Fabián Muniesa, Brett Christophers , and 4 more Dave O’Brien, Fabián Muniesa, Brett Christophers, Andrew Leyshon, Felicity Callard, John Hogan, Ian Bruff

Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 19d

Now available for pre-order and we're open for book talks to students, workshops and conferences, organisations etc.
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Reposted by Brett Christophers, Andrew Leyshon

Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 19d

Fascinating piece by @cedricdurand.bsky.social . A key issue here - as per Microsoft’s recent laments - is the impossibility of forcing firms to adopt a technology that demoralises them and delivers no near-term profit. The limits of financial and cultural hype. newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...

Cédric Durand, After AI — Sidecar

Legacies of the bubble.

newleftreview.org

Reposted by Brett Christophers

Benjamin Braun @benbraun.bsky.social · 20d

First shot fired from the financial cannon that is Denmark's teachers and academics pension fund.

Danish pension fund to divest its U.S. Treasuries: https://www.reuters.com/business/danish-pension-fund-divest-its-us-treasuries-2026-01-20/

Brett Christophers @brettchristophers.bsky.social · 20d

"Can’t wait to get back to even more active posting" writes Adam Tooze while publishing his newsletter twice a day 😂😂

Chartbook 428 To matter or not to matter: Two theories of Davos 2026.

There are two takes on the annual World Economic Forum meeting convening in Davos this week.

adamtooze.substack.com

Reposted by Markus Heße, Brett Christophers, Ian Bruff

Nick Bernards @nickbernards.bsky.social · 20d

Out now!

I've edited a special issue of New Political Economy on 'Centring exploitation in global political economy'.

Link to the intro:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Other articles (all brilliant!) and a short summary 👇

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