Geography and Environment Discussion Paper Series

About the series

The Department of Geography and Environment launched a new discussion paper series in June 2020, publishing high quality research from scholars across LSE.

Discussion papers feature drafts of departmental research prior to publication as journal articles or book chapters, as well as timely contributions to ongoing policy debates.

In addition to contributions from LSE staff and research students in the department, the series hosts occasional invited contributions from distinguished scholars from around the world.

All discussion papers appear on LSE Research Online and are indexed by REPEC.

Papers are associated with one, or more, of our departmental research clusters and are themed accordingly:

  • Papers in Economic Geography and Spatial Economics
  • Papers in Urbanisation, Planning and Development
  • Papers in Environmental Economics and Policy

How do I submit?

LSE staff and research students interested in submitting to the series should refer to the Style Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Economic Geography and Spatial Economics

Does my paper need to be empirical?

No. We welcome empirical, theoretical, and policy-focused papers. The nature, format, and co-authorship of your submission are at your discretion.

There is no peer review at the submission stage; it is up to the submitting faculty member to judge suitability. As a guide, ask yourself:

Would I submit this manuscript (in its current or revised form) to a top journal in your field such as the Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of Urban Economics, Economic Geography, or Regional Studies?

If yes, the paper is appropriate for our series. Reviewing past papers can also help you gauge typical styles and stages of development.

Can students be co-authors?

Yes. All contributors should be listed as authors. The only requirement is that an eligible member of the Department (see guidelines) is among the authors and responsible for the paper.

Is there a word limit?

There is no fixed word limit. Most papers are around 8,000 words (as most journal articles), but length is at the author’s discretion. The key is that the manuscript meets the standards of a fully developed academic paper suitable for submission to a leading journal.

Where can I find examples of past Discussion Papers?

You can browse previous papers on our website to see the range of formats, topics, and lengths we publish.

v.1 – 07.2025

 

Editorial board

Professor Riccardo Crescenzi
Professor Charles Palmer
Professor Hyun Bang Shin

Contact us

geog.comms@lse.ac.uk

Read the papers

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Mobile internet connectivity and household wealth in the Philippines

Zhiwu Wei, Neil Lee and Yohan Iddawela

Paper No. 51, July 2025

 

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Governance and the implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy

Viviana Celli, Riccardo Crescenzi, Guido de Blasio, Mara Giua

Paper No. 50, February 2025

 

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

Can investor coalitions drive corporate climate action?

Nikolaus Hastreiter

Paper No. 49, October 2024

 

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

Climate impacts on material wealth inequality: global evidence from a subnational dataset

Martina Pardy, Capucine Riom, and Roman Hoffmann

Paper No. 48, September 2024 

 

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

More Than Just Carbon: The Socioeconomic Co-Benefits of Large-Scale Tree Planting

Jeffrey Pagel and Lorenzo Sileci

Paper No. 47, August 2024 

 

 

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Startup stations: the impact of rail accesson entrepreneurship (self-employment)in England and Wales

Rosa Sanchis-Guarner, Nikodem Szumilo and Antoine Vernet

Paper No. 46, August 2024

 

 

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Urban land markets and city development: Sub-Saharan Africa

J. Vernon Henderson and Vivian Liu

Paper No. 44, June 2023

 

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

The local impact of closing undersized schools

Marco Di Cataldo and Giulia Romani

Paper No. 43, June 2023

 

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Economic complexity, exports and natural resources in the Gulf Cooperation Council

Margarida Bandeira Morais, Simona Iammarino and Neil Lee

Paper No. 41, May 2023

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Secondary housing supply

Andreas Mense

Paper No. 40, April 2023

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

The effect of air pollution on US aggregate production

Antonio Avila-Uribe

Paper No. 39, March 2023

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

High-speed broadband, school closures and educational achievements

Filippo Boeri

Paper No. 38, February 2023

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

How many jobs can be done at home? Not as many as you think!

Riccardo Crescenzi, Mara Giua and Davide Rigo

Paper No. 37, December 2022

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Localised effects of re-allocated real estate mafia assets

Filippo Boeri, Marco Di Cataldo and Elisabetta Pietrostefani

Paper No. 35, September 2022 

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

Biodiversity-food trade-offs when agricultural land is spared from production

Charles Palmer, Ben Groom and Steve Langton

Paper No. 34, September 2022

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

The geography of acquisitions and greenfield investments: firm heterogeneity and regional institutional conditions

Vito Amendolagine, Riccardo Crescenzi and Roberta Rabellotti

Paper No. 33, July 2022

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

What works best in promoting climate citizenship? A randomised, systematic evaluation of nudge, think, boost and nudge+

Sanchayan Banerjee, Matteo M Galizzi, Peter John and Susana Mourato

Paper No. 32, April 2022

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Why have house prices risen so much more than rents in superstar cities?

Christian Hilber and Andreas Mense

Paper No. 30, November 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ

Technology, resources and geography in a paradigm shift: the case of Critical & Conflict Materials in ICTs

Andreas Diemer, Simona Iammarino, Richard Perkins, Axel Gros

Paper No. 29, September 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Gathering round Big Tech: how the market for acquisitions reinforces regional inequalities in the US

Maryann Feldman, Frederick Guy, Simona Iammarino and Carolin Ioramashvili

Paper No. 28, May 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Barriers to humanitarian migration, victimisation and integration outcomes: evidence from Germany

Teresa Freitas-Monteiro and Lars Ludolph

Paper No. 27, May 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

Temperature variability and long-run economic development

Manuel Linsenmeier

Paper No. 26, May 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Judge Dread: court severity, repossession risk and demand in mortgage and housing markets

Piero Montebruno, Olmo Silva and Nikodem Szumilo

Paper No. 25, May 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Mind the clock: an evidence-based approach to the implementation of Next Generation EU

Riccardo Crescenzi, Mara Giua and Giulia Valeria Sonzogno 

Paper No. 24, March 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image upd (1)

Urban futures, past and present

Austin Zeiderman and Katherine Dawson

Paper No. 23, February 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

The impact of Chinese FDI in Africa: evidence from Ethiopia

Riccardo Crescenzi and Nicola Limodio

Paper No. 22, January 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image upd (1)

The micropolitics of speculative green urbanism at Forest City, Iskandar Malaysia

Sin Yee Koh, Yimin Zhao and Hyun Bang Shin

Paper No. 21, January 2021

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Eliciting demand for title deeds: lab-in-the-field evidence from urban Tanzania

Martina Manara and Tanner Regan

Paper No. 19, November 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

How ‘smart’ are Smart Specialisation strategies?

Marco Di Cataldo, Vassilis Monastiriotis and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Paper No. 18, November 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Credit Constraints, Labor Productivity and the Role of Regional Institutions: Evidence for Manufacturing Firms in Europe

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Roberto Ganau, Kristina Maslauskaiteand Monica Brezzi

Paper No. 17, November 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Institutions and the uneven geography of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose and Chiara Burlina

Paper No. 16, November 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Golfing with Trump: social capital, decline, inequality, and the rise of populism in the US

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Neil Lee and Cornelius Lipp

Paper No. 14, September 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image upd (1)

The right to the city centre: political struggles of street vendors in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Mara Nogueira and Hyun Bang Shin

Paper No. 12, August 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image upd (1)

Urban Violence in War and Peace: Lebanon's reconstruction

Deen Sharp

Paper No. 11, August 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Isolated and Poor: 
the cost of remoteness from the capital city

Sandro Provenzano

Paper No. 9, July 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image eep (1)

The unintended impact of Colombia's covid-19 lockdown on forest fires

Mónica Amador-Jiménez, Naomi Millner, Charles Palmer, R. Toby Pennington and Lorenzo Sileci

Paper No. 8, July 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Innovation catalysts: 
how multinationals reshape the global geography of innovation

Riccardo Crescenzi, Arnaud Dyevre and Frank Neffke

Paper No. 7, July 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

On the Economic Impacts of Constraining Second Home Investments

Christian A. L. Hilber and Olivier Schöni

Paper No. 6, June 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

The Geography of Innovation and Development: 
global spread and local hotspots

Riccardo Crescenzi, Simona Iammarino, Carolin Ioramashvili, Andrés Rodríguez-Pose and Michael Storper

Paper No. 4, June 2020

Discussion Paper Series web image econ (1)

Building the city: 
from slums to a modern metropolis

J. Vernon Henderson, Tanner Regan, and Anthony J. Venables

Paper No. 2, June 2020