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paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley
@paullangley.bsky.social
2.9K followers 1.8K following 270 posts

Prof. Economic Geography, Durham, UK.
Managing Editor @econsocjournal.bsky.social
Finance, money, FinTech, and more.
https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/paul-langley/

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Economics 63%
Political science 15%
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paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 21d
Co-authored with @andrewleyshon.bsky.social for a forthcoming special issue of @finandsoc.bsky.social, this essay takes Elon Musk's planned FinTech makeover of X as a provocation for a critical analysis of so-called 'embedded finance' and the evolution of FinTech
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Embedded finance and FinTech disappearance | Finance and Society | Cambridge Core
Embedded finance and FinTech disappearance
www.cambridge.org

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 4d
A fantastical and unsustainable mega-project pushed by elites disconnected from reality and backed by huge volumes of fickle and self serving financial capital. Sounds familiar
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 6d
The dark side of Japanese convenience stores - on.ft.com/3Jvk9Ok via @FT @msteinbrg.bsky.social
The dark side of Japanese convenience stores
Rising wages and an ageing workforce put pressure on existing staff
on.ft.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 6d
Welcome to platform capitalism
anthonymoser.com Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 7d
nowadays every app wants to be a platform, and platform logic requires that they become the *only* platform.

that's why they all start as Specific: The Tool That Does A Thing and five years later announce they're rebranding as Totalizr: We Manage Your Life

Reposted by Paul Langley

anthonymoser.com
Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 7d
nowadays every app wants to be a platform, and platform logic requires that they become the *only* platform.

that's why they all start as Specific: The Tool That Does A Thing and five years later announce they're rebranding as Totalizr: We Manage Your Life

Reposted by Susan J. Smith, Paul Langley

econsocjournal.bsky.social
Economy & Society @econsocjournal.bsky.social · 10d
Pull up for a bumper issue, nine articles, from ecologization as a mode of economization to the prompting of generative AI models in UK government, with stops in Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and the US along the way!

www.tandfonline.com/toc/reso20/c...
Economy and Society
Dedicated to Michel Callon, 1945–2025. Volume 54, Issue 3 of Economy and Society
www.tandfonline.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 10d
One vision, fried chicken

Reposted by Paul Langley

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 10d
The AI bubble has reached its ‘fried chicken’ phase ft.trib.al/VGyrH8K
The AI bubble has reached its ‘fried chicken’ phase
This is nuts. When’s the crash?
ft.trib.al

Reposted by Paul Langley

econsocjournal.bsky.social
Economy & Society @econsocjournal.bsky.social · 10d
53 years young and still trending

Reposted by Andreas Bieler, Paul Langley

ripejournal.bsky.social
Review of International Political Economy @ripejournal.bsky.social · 12d
Racism, colonialism, and tax havens: tracing the offshore world’s hidden histories, by Miguel A. Rivera-Quiñones
Racism, colonialism, and tax havens: tracing the offshore world’s hidden histories
This article advances a decolonial intervention in International Political Economy (IPE) by examining the centrality of racism in the formation of offshore zones under British and American colonial...
www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 13d
Just in case anyone is listening, please note that UK universities cannot operate successfully on the basis of continuous reduction of academic staff and academic staff pay. No amount of staff wellness sessions will change this.

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 13d
FinTechs large (and small) are frantically updating their platforms so that AI agents can pay, borrow, invest, etc. This is the logical extension of the transformation of people into FinTech "users" (rather than consumers) which has already reordered social relations
thepaypers.com/payments/new...
Mastercard and PayPal accelerate agentic commerce | The Paypers
Mastercard expands partnership with PayPal to contribute to the adoption of agentic-driven transactions for consumers and businesses.
thepaypers.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 14d
I'm a little older

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 15d
Yet, when everything is in crisis, everything is still in crisis
logicallyjc.bsky.social John Collins @logicallyjc.bsky.social · 15d
When everything is unprecedented, nothing is unprecedented.

Reposted by Paul Langley

logicallyjc.bsky.social
John Collins @logicallyjc.bsky.social · 15d
When everything is unprecedented, nothing is unprecedented.

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 17d
The next General Election is a way off, but it seems likely that more people will vote against political parties that they don't want to be elected than will vote for the party that they want to be elected. Strange times in British politics

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 18d
This is from a couple of months ago, but I am adding it to the 'PE is in serious trouble' files on.ft.com/4oS7GEc via @FT
Private equity fundraising slides as sector’s downturn deepens
Firms are struggling to raise money even as they offer discounts to attract new investors
on.ft.com

Reposted by John Hogan

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 20d
'Alarm bells’ is central banking speak for big trouble on.ft.com/478INMg via @FT
Andrew Bailey warns ‘alarm bells’ ringing over private credit market
BoE governor draws parallel with practices before 2008 financial crisis
on.ft.com

Reposted by Daniela Gabor, Fabián Muniesa, Paul Langley

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 21d
The talks between the Trump administration and firms including Apollo and Cerberus mark an unprecedented effort to enlist some of Wall Street’s biggest investors directly in US national security on.ft.com/47juZ1S

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 21d
After more than a decade of below inflation pay rises (i.e pay cuts), very significant job losses and intensified workloads, absolutely no mention whatsoever of staff in this sticking plaster response to the crisis in UK universities.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
University tuition fees in England to rise with inflation every year from 2026
Bridget Phillipson confirmed the plans for the next two years, with fees to increase automatically after that.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Paul Langley

andrewleyshon.bsky.social
Andrew Leyshon @andrewleyshon.bsky.social · 22d
If you enjoyed @kateconger.com and @rmac.bsky.social's
Character Limit, and wondered about Musk’s ambitions to turn X into a fintech behemoth, then you might be interested in a new Open Access paper by @paullangley.bsky.social
and me on fintech's 'disappearance'.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Embedded finance and FinTech disappearance | Finance and Society | Cambridge Core
Embedded finance and FinTech disappearance
www.cambridge.org

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 23d
India has increasingly become the celebrated example of FinTech led financial inclusion and digital economic development.
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/dig...
The State and Software Capital | Mila Samdub
India’s digital public infrastructure and the promise of the world’s largest online consumer market
www.phenomenalworld.org

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 24d
FICO under fire
on.ft.com/4q5c9Uy via @FT
Let the US credit score wars begin
Competition is a good thing if it lowers the costs or expands the credit-rating system
on.ft.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 24d
A little weekend reading for the UK Prime Minister

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa, Paul Langley

guardian-uk-rss.bsky.social
Unofficial Guardian (UK) Bot @guardian-uk-rss.bsky.social · 24d
German far right setting agenda as opponents amplify its ideas, study finds
German far right setting agenda as opponents amplify its ideas, study finds
Normalisation of far-right stances likely to affect success of such parties at ballot boxes across Europe, say researchers
www.theguardian.com

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 25d
Insightful comparative historical political economic analysis of the coming AI bust.
A sobering read that gets past the sensationalism. Recommend.
jamesrball.com James Ball @jamesrball.com · 25d
Really enjoyed doing a deep dive for @transformernews.ai on what an AI collapse might look like – how much bigger than the dotcom boom would it be? Would it leave infrastructure behind to build upon? Could we get a 2008-style chain reaction? www.transformernews.ai/p/what-happe...
What happens when the AI bubble bursts?
The world is prepping for an AI crash. History points to what that might look like
www.transformernews.ai

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 25d
Existential conjuncture

www.forbes.com/sites/shanno...
When Knowledge is Free, What are Professors For?
Higher Education Must Stop Competing with AI on Information and Start Teaching What Machines Can’t Do
www.forbes.com

Reposted by Jamie Peck

paullangley.bsky.social
Paul Langley @paullangley.bsky.social · 25d
A stellar line-up has been assembled to support the development of early career economic geographers.
This annual Summer Institute has boosted many research trajectories, so it's definitely worth applying if you're eligible.
jamiepeck.bsky.social Jamie Peck @jamiepeck.bsky.social · 26d
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026

Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma

Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Toronto 2026 | Summer Institute in Economic Geography
www.econgeog.net

Reposted by Tom Griffin, Paul Langley

jamesrball.com
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 25d
Really enjoyed doing a deep dive for @transformernews.ai on what an AI collapse might look like – how much bigger than the dotcom boom would it be? Would it leave infrastructure behind to build upon? Could we get a 2008-style chain reaction? www.transformernews.ai/p/what-happe...
What happens when the AI bubble bursts?
The world is prepping for an AI crash. History points to what that might look like
www.transformernews.ai

Reposted by Ben Derudder, Brett Christophers, John Hogan , and 5 more

jamiepeck.bsky.social
Jamie Peck @jamiepeck.bsky.social · 26d
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026

Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma

Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Toronto 2026 | Summer Institute in Economic Geography
www.econgeog.net