IEA Blog

Former UK Conservative MP Nigel Lawson passed away last week. As Margaret Thatcher’s longest‐​serving Chancellor of the Exchequer (1983–1989), Lawson’s legacy on … Continue reading “The economic wisdom of Nigel Lawson”

The National Conservatives are in town in a month’s time, with a big multi-day conference and a range of guest … Continue reading “National Conservatism – a liberal response”

“Productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run, it’s almost everything.” Paul Krugman’s truism came back to me last week when I … Continue reading “The anti-productivity coalition that is holding back Britain”

The agreement to join Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is rightly hailed as a success for the … Continue reading “The benefits of joining the CPTPP go far beyond the headline figures”

The UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a seismically important geostrategic event. While commentators … Continue reading “The UK joining CPTPP is a seismic moment for the global trading system”

Public satisfaction with the NHS has fallen to the lowest levels since records began, according to the latest edition of … Continue reading “Is it finally becoming socially acceptable to criticise the NHS?”

In 2018, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report, co-authored by Prof Jonathan Portes from King’s College London, … Continue reading “The Portes-Snowdon bet: 5 years on”

What are the implications of the March Budget announced this week? Start with public debt. According to the OBR’s Economic … Continue reading “A verdict on the budget”

The inflation of 2021-22 was a result of mistakes in monetary policy, not – as often claimed by government and … Continue reading “Inflation is, once again, a monetary phenomenon”