Commenting on the report’s findings, Dr Kristian Niemietz, Head of Political Economy at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:

“This is a measured and thorough response which contains plenty of food for thought, but those who were looking for some grand, all-encompassing theory of everything are likely to end up disappointed.

“The picture that emerges shows clusters of unrelated errors and institutional failures. Specific institutions failed, and specific decisions turned out to be wrong. Chief among them is the failure to contain the spread of the virus via travel restrictions early on, as Singapore and Hong Kong did, and the failure to scale up testing capacity quickly, as some countries in Asia and the rest of Europe did.

“This is all highly valuable, but what we need to avoid now is falling into the same trap as the general who tries to refight the last war.”

ENDS
Notes to editors

Contact: Emily Carver, Head of Media, 07715942731

IEA spokespeople are available for interview and further comment.