The case against spending targets

Andy Mayer
15 May 2019
Tax and Fiscal Policy

The case against spending targets

For politicians, there is something attractively simple about spending targets. Rather than argue the nuances of why the Government of the day feels it needs to x, y or z - boiling it down to how much they’re aiming to spend on each is much easier to explain. The 0.7% of GDP target for foreign ... Continue reading
Andy Mayer
15 May 2019
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On inequality, the BBC’s headline doesn’t line up with the facts

14 May 2019
Society and Culture

On inequality, the BBC’s headline doesn’t line up with the facts

Imagine if a sports journalist regularly described Sergio Agüero as a Manchester United player and insisted that West Bromwich Albion won the Premier League this season. Imagine a political correspondent routinely referring to the Liberal Democrats as the ruling party and claiming that the Chancellor was Michael Fabricant. They wouldn't last very long. Readers and ... Continue reading
14 May 2019
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Luddite paternalism threatens both the digital economy, and individual freedom

Victoria Hewson
13 May 2019
Regulation

Luddite paternalism threatens both the digital economy, and individual freedom

The freedom to provide and use digital services is under sustained attack. The EU’s new Copyright Directive places a heavy burden on website operators who make user-generated content available – compelling them to filter suspected infringing content, in a misplaced attempt to turn back the clock and protect rights holders and newspapers from new ways ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson
13 May 2019
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Why we should be ‘intensely relaxed’ about high pay again

Len Shackleton
10 May 2019
Economic Theory

Why we should be ‘intensely relaxed’ about high pay again

High pay has been a political concern for more than a quarter of a century, but this concern is growing as we learn more and more about what other people are paid. The political winds have changed: where Labour’s Peter Mandelson was ‘intensely relaxed’ about high pay, the Conservatives’ Caroline Nokes now thinks nobody should ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
10 May 2019
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Why we need to be more honest with ourselves on immigration

Kristian Niemietz
9 May 2019
Trade, Development, and Immigration

Why we need to be more honest with ourselves on immigration

On 7 May 2019, the FREER group held a panel discussion entitled “Freer movement? Immigration post-Brexit”. One of the panellists was the IEA’s Head of Political Economy, Kristian Niemietz, the author of the paper “Immigration: Picking the low-hanging fruits”. The article below is a rough transcript of his opening remarks.   When we talk about ... Continue reading
Kristian Niemietz
9 May 2019
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[PODCAST] The debate on high pay

8 May 2019

[PODCAST] The debate on high pay

The Labour Party’s Peter Mandelson once remarked that Labour was “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich”. But in 2019 a politician is more likely to be heard saying we must all be deeply concerned about the apparent excesses of pay at the top of organisations – both public and private sector.  But do they have ... Continue reading
8 May 2019
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Tax measures discriminate against private landlords

Philip Booth
7 May 2019
Tax and Fiscal Policy

Tax measures discriminate against private landlords

Private-rented property is a favoured whipping boy of this government as it becomes subject to no end of increased regulation and penal (and illogical) taxation. This new IEA paper exposes the tax regime that is in the process of being introduced. When George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in his Budget speech ... Continue reading
Philip Booth
7 May 2019
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Why “overthrowing capitalism” would not avert climate change

Kristian Niemietz
30 April 2019
Economic Theory

Why “overthrowing capitalism” would not avert climate change

It didn’t take long until the first hammer-and-sickle flags were spotted at the climate change strikes. Given the woeful environmental track record of socialist economies, socialism and environmentalism should not be natural bedfellows. In practice, they usually are. The reason is that socialists and environmentalists often start from the same place: an intuitive, visceral dislike ... Continue reading
Kristian Niemietz
30 April 2019
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The unintended effects of the EU’s crackdown on ‘disinformation’

Victoria Hewson
26 April 2019
Regulation

The unintended effects of the EU’s crackdown on ‘disinformation’

It was hard not to raise a wry smile at the story of how the European Commission’s own Code of Practice on Disinformation threatened to undermine political parties’ campaigning during the forthcoming European parliament elections. As reported by Politico, Facebook’s new terms of business for political advertising required that advertisers must be registered in the ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson
26 April 2019
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The consequences of a permanent Customs Union

25 April 2019

The consequences of a permanent Customs Union

Remaining in a customs union with the EU would make it impossible for the UK to establish an independent trade policy, and render reclaiming policy areas such as agriculture and state aid an impossibility, an IEA briefing argues. With customs union membership still on the table as a way to break the Brexit deadlock, a ... Continue reading
25 April 2019
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