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Helen Yaffe

LSE Fellow, Economic History, London School of Economics and Political Science

My training, research and university teaching have given me multidisciplinary expertise across the fields of economic history, political economy, Latin American studies, and human geography. My research interests include:

The ‘economic performativity’ of Latin American integration and ideas and institutions that have emerged to promote regionalism, past and present
The historical contexts in which economic ideas develop and are turned into policy
Cuban economic history
The political economy of socialist transition (debates) past and present
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, trade and cooperation treaty

I am currently leading (with Dr Nick Kitchen) on a project set up between two LSE research centres - the Latin America and Caribbean Centre and the United States Centre – to examine the resilience of Cuba’s economic and political structures to the domestic reform process and rapprochement with the United States. The project has been awarded seed funding from the Institute of Global Affairs (IGA)-Rockefeller fund at LSE to enable me to carry out research in Cuba from December 2016 to January 2017. In 2013 I spent time in Venezuela, advising a government ministry (Ministerio de Poder Popular para las Comunas y los Movimientos Sociales) on a new economic management system they were developing and gave a series of lectures and presentations about my work on Cuban & Latin American political economy.

Global Geopolitics Series

Cuba is poor, but who is to blame – Castro or 50 years of US blockade?

Dec 04, 2016 02:40 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Alongside his depiction as a brutal dictator, negative reflections on Fidel Castro since his death on November 25 have focused on his mismanagement of the Cuban economy and the consequent extremes of poverty suffered by...

Economy

China’s AI Manufacturing Boom Masks Weak Consumer Economy, Citi Says

Chinas economy continued to show a sharp divide in May, with a booming artificial intelligence (AI)-driven manufacturing sector helping sustain growth while domestic demand remained weak, according to a recent research...

Trump Says No Hormuz Strait Tolls During 60-Day Iran Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that no tolls will be charged for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the proposed 60-day interim ceasefire period with Iran. Trump also stated that no fees...

Russia Stocks End Flat as MOEX Index Hits New 52-Week Low; Gold Falls and Oil Mixed

Russian stocks closed flat on Saturday, with the MOEX Russia Index ending unchanged at 0.00% and touching a fresh 52-week low during trading. The lack of movement across the market reflected cautious investor sentiment,...

Oil Prices Steady as U.S.-Iran Truce Uncertainty and Middle East Tensions Keep Markets on Edge

Global oil prices stabilized on Friday, but Brent crude remained on track for a weekly decline of more than 8% as investors assessed the uncertain future of the U.S.-Iran peace agreement and ongoing geopolitical risks in...

Asian Stocks Surge as Oil Prices Fall and Strong US Dollar Weighs on Markets

Asian stock markets rallied on Friday, with Japan and South Korea reaching record highs as easing tensions in the Middle East and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices lower, reducing global inflation...

Politics

Andy Burnham Leadership Speculation May Boost FTSE 100 as Gilt Yields Rise

Andy Burnhams recent victory in the Makerfield by-election has sparked speculation about a potential future challenge to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, raising questions about the outlook for U.K. government bonds, gilt...

US Military Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Open Despite Iran Closure Claim

The U.S. military has rejected Irans claim that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, emphasizing that one of the worlds most important oil shipping routes remains fully operational. Speaking to Reuters on Saturday, U.S....

Keir Starmer Faces Growing Pressure as Reports Suggest Possible Resignation

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting political pressure after reports emerged that he could announce plans to step down, although government officials insist he remains focused on leading the country....

Gaza Death Toll Rises as Israeli Strikes Kill Nine Amid Ceasefire Stalemate

At least nine Palestinians, including a child, were killed in separate Israeli strikes and shootings across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local health officials, highlighting the continued violence despite an...

Zelenskiy Returns Polish Honor as WWII History Dispute Strains Ukraine-Poland Relations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has returned Polands highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle, after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the award over a growing dispute surrounding World War II...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race

John Jumper, the Google DeepMind researcher who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on the AlphaFold artificial intelligence system, has announced that he is leaving Google DeepMind to join...

Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer views artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat, marking a significant shift from his stance just a week earlier. The comments came during an...

Meta Seeks Legal Shield From Child-Harm Lawsuits Amid KOSA Talks

Meta Platforms is reportedly lobbying U.S. lawmakers to include legal protections for social media companies in the proposed Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a move that could significantly impact thousands of lawsuits...

SpaceX Stock Slides After IPO Rally as Valuation Concerns Grow

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) shares extended their pullback on Thursday after a remarkable post-IPO rally, as investors locked in profits and questioned the companys lofty valuation. The stock, which dropped nearly 10% earlier in...

US Raises Concerns Over Possible ASML EUV Machine Transfer to China

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reportedly raised concerns with Dutch semiconductor equipment giant ASML regarding the possible transfer of one of its advanced extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to...