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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

Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act

The Federal Reserve has proposed a broad regulatory framework for payment stablecoin issuers, moving forward with implementation of the GENIUS Act and efforts to bring dollar-backed digital assets further into the...

U.S. Dollar Hits Two-Month High as Oil, Treasury Yields Surge

The U.S. dollar strengthened for a fourth consecutive session on Thursday, reaching its highest level in nearly two months as rising oil prices, surging Treasury yields and expectations for further Federal Reserve rate...

U.S. Treasury Yields Surge as 30-Year Hits 22-Year High

U.S. Treasury yields surged again Thursday as investors sold government bonds amid rising inflation concerns, strong economic data and growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue raising interest rates. The...

Soybean Futures Slip as Traders Await Trump-Xi Trade Signals

Chicago soybean futures edged lower on Thursday as traders closely watched Chinese President Xi Jinpings state visit to Washington for signs of progress on U.S.-China agricultural trade and future soybean purchases. CBOT...

European Stocks Fall as Bond Yields and Geopolitical Risks Weigh

European stocks closed lower on Thursday as rising bond yields, geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence weighed on investor sentiment. The pan-European STOXX 600 dropped...

Politics

North Korea Warns South Korea Over US-Led Defense Role

North Korea warned that South Korea could become a decisive target for collective retaliation if Seoul develops into a central hub for a US-led collective defense system, according to state media KCNA on Friday. The...

Pezeshkian Says US Must Choose When Iran War Ends

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States holds the key to ending the Iran war, signaling that Tehran does not want the conflict to continue but will not surrender under US pressure. Asked whether the war...

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Restore Third-Country Deportations

President Donald Trumps administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to continue deporting migrants to countries other than their homelands without automatically giving them an opportunity to raise...

Netanyahu Defends Israel at UN as Delegates Stage Walkout

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, defending Israels military actions as dozens of delegates walked out in protest. The speech came as...

US Backs Musk in Fight Against EU’s €120 Million X Fine

The U.S. government has formally moved to join Elon Musks legal challenge against a 120 million ($136.5 million) European Union fine imposed on his social media platform X, escalating a dispute over the reach of European...

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

Jeff Bezos Invests $32 Billion in Blue Origin as Space Firm Targets Major Growth

Jeff Bezos has invested about $32 billion in Blue Origin since founding the space company in 2000, underscoring the Amazon founders long-term commitment to competing in the rapidly expanding commercial space industry....

OpenAI to Preview GPT-6 Cyber AI Model for Cybersecurity

OpenAI is preparing to preview GPT-6 Cyber, a new artificial intelligence model focused on cybersecurity, within days as the company expands its push into AI-powered security tools, according to a Fortune report cited by...

Former OpenAI Data Center Chief Chris Malone Joins Nvidia

Chris Malone, the former head of data centers at OpenAI, has joined Nvidia as vice president of its DSX Platform, strengthening the chipmakers leadership team as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure continues...

Akamai Shares Surge on $11.6B Anthropic AI Cloud Deal

Akamai Technologies shares jumped as much as 20% in after-hours trading Thursday after the cloud computing company announced an $11.6 billion, seven-year agreement with artificial intelligence firm Anthropic. The contract...

Oracle Shares Fall as New Mexico AI Data Center Faces Power Delays

Oracle Corp. shares fell after reports that the technology giant is seeking protection from financial obligations linked to its massive artificial intelligence data center project in New Mexico amid regulatory and...