• Research dataclose
• Other research productsclose
• LSE Research Online close

In recent weeks the US Department of Commerce has threatened to slap a 220 percent tariff on to sales of C-series jets manufactured by the Canadian company, Bombardier. Boeing has alleged that Bombardier - which also employs thousands in Northern Ireland - has received generous state aid from the Canadian government, and is selling its jets below cost. Hervé Morvan ...

Researchers have been asking participants to record their experiences and thoughts in traditional, paper-based diaries for many years. But the advent of digital technologies, especially apps for mobile devices, has encouraged some to ask whether these could become the new norm for capturing diary-based data for qualitative research. Laura Radcliffe and Leighann Spencer have pioneered the use of diary apps in their research and, whilst encountering challenges throughout the development phase, have found them to be easier and more efficient for researchers and participants, offering quicker and better access to the data.

Jenny F. Mbaye recently completed her PhD at LSE, and is now a postdoctoral research fellow at the African Centre for Cities of the University of Cape Town. Jenny’s research interests focus on the phenomena of cultural entrepreneurship and music economy in Africa; in this post, she says that with the right kind of support from governments, the arts could help boost economic growth within African countries.

After spending 18 years in the House of Representatives, Republican Steve King of Iowa, will no longer be heading to Washington DC following his recent primary election loss. Álvaro J. Corral writes that while King may be leaving national politics, during his time in office, the Republican Party has moved to be aligned much more closely with King’s once fringe anti-immigration views such as building a border wall and linking immigration with terrorism.

It is generally accepted that constituents punish and reward their elected representatives at the ballot box for their legislative actions. But there is surprisingly little research on the link between politicians’ legislative activities and their chances of re-election. Using evidence from Canada, and by controlling for other influences on election vote shares, Peter Loewen and Royce Koop find that those MPs that are able to introduce legislation via private members (the ‘power to propose’) bills do reap a small reward in their subsequent elections.

After a night and morning of great uncertainty about who has won what seats, the UK’s results are now known. Patrick Dunleavy analyses what they mean for the next UK government.

The sudden death of North Korea ruler Kim Jong-Il has casted a long shadow over the strategic balance in North East Asia (NEA). His youngest son has taken the reins of power under his father’s promotion in the past three years. Kim Jong-Eun has just turned 29 and has a Swiss educating background. His lack of governing and military experience may have lead the real power of ruling North Korea to lie in the competent hands of his uncle Jang Song Taek and his aunt Kim Kyong Hui (Kim Jong-Il sister) together with the top military and Labour/Communist Party members. In the short term, there will be a de-facto power vacuum existed in the North Korean/Party government. This is because Kim Jong-Il’s approval is the only legitimacy that his son has so far. To this extent, some countries consider this is a great opportunity to tilt the balance of power in NEA. However, an unstable North Korea is clearly not at China’s strategic interests both externally and domestically. According to the official condolence letter from the Chinese government, it referred to the word “trust” to re-affirm Kim Jong-Eun’s legitimacy. The Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rarely used the word of “trust” when it addressed to a foreign country leader. This signals two crucial points of current North Korea leadership: 1) Kim Jong-Eun is the legitimate leader of North Korea after his father. 2) China will do its best to guarantee a smooth power transition and to facilitate a calm situation in Korean Peninsula. My blog post will explain the reasons why does China want to have an absolutely stable North Korea both in a short run and a long run.

Several of the world’s largest arms manufacturers are located in Western Europe, but how has the arms industry developed in Central and Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War? Yudit Kiss writes on the development of companies involved in weapons production in the region. She highlights three key global trends which characterise the industry: the impact of globalisation, the emergence of multiple new players, and the existence of blurred boundaries between civilian and military companies.

Individual electoral registration has not been kind to students. Previously, they were automatically enrolled by their universities; now they are not, and many have fallen off the electoral roll as a result. But an amendment passed in the Lords last night would let them register at the same time as they enrolled at university. Toby S James, Lord Chris Rennard and Josh Dell say automatic invitations to register ought to be extended to non-students – as happens when US citizens renew a driving licence – to ensure some of the millions of unregistered people have the right to vote.

Councillors are currently limited in how much influence they are able to have over their local area, locked in local governance networks in which they feature but don’t control. Assessing these networks and their democratic credentials, Colin Copus concludes that the right to pass primary legislation, over for example the legal drinking age or fox hunting, would refocus politics on local government at the expense of the centre.