It is time to scrap stamp duty altogether, says IEA expert

24 February 2021
Housing and Planning

It is time to scrap stamp duty altogether, says IEA expert

Commenting on reports that the Chancellor will extend the stamp duty holiday until June, Julian Jessop Economics Fellow at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:  "Any extension to the stamp duty holiday would be welcome, but the Chancellor should go further and look at ways to scrap the tax altogether. "Most economists agree ... Continue reading
24 February 2021
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Education reform after Covid: let’s go back to first principles

Len Shackleton
24 February 2021
Education

Education reform after Covid: let’s go back to first principles

School closures over the past year have been damaging to the mental health of some of our children and the educational progress of almost all of them. It has also damaged the wellbeing and sometimes the finances of those of us forced to become home-schoolers. Too often, support for locked-down children has been inadequate. Some ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
24 February 2021
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Covid has exposed “fundamental fault lines” in education

24 February 2021
Education

Covid has exposed “fundamental fault lines” in education

Emily Carver writes for Conservative Home

In her bi-weekly article for Conservative Home, IEA Head of Media Emily Carver has highlighted the disproportionate effects lockdown has had on the education of children of lower socio-economic backgrounds. Emily said that "Far from being a leveller, the pandemic has, inevitably, impacted disproportionately the education of the already disadvantaged". Emily argued that now is ... Continue reading
24 February 2021
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In a free society there should be “no right not to be offended”, says IEA expert

23 February 2021
Society and Culture

In a free society there should be “no right not to be offended”, says IEA expert

Commenting on Merseyside Police's decision to apologise for claiming "being offensive is an offence" as part of a campaign to encourage people to report hate crime, Marc Glendening, Head of Cultural Affairs at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:  "The decision by Merseyside police to spend taxpayers' money on a mobile ... Continue reading
23 February 2021
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Extending the furlough scheme beyond the summer would be “costly and counterproductive”

23 February 2021
Labour Market

Extending the furlough scheme beyond the summer would be “costly and counterproductive”

Julian Jessop quoted in the Evening Standard

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today released new figures showing the jobless rate has risen to 5.1 per cent.  Julian Jessop, IEA Economics Fellow, was quoted in the Evening Standard saying that the unemployment figures are not as bad as some commentators feared, suggesting that "Once the brakes are taken off, the economy ... Continue reading
23 February 2021
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The court ruling on Uber is bad news for both drivers and customers

Len Shackleton
23 February 2021
Economic Theory

The court ruling on Uber is bad news for both drivers and customers

The Supreme Court’s judgment on the Uber case last week has been welcomed rather too easily by commentators such as the Financial Times editorial team. It seems likely that the benefits of the Uber app for both customers and drivers will be lost. If the business survives at all, it will be a poor shadow of ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
23 February 2021
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“Boris Johnson’s sluggish timetable will do unnecessary damage to businesses and livelihoods”, says IEA expert

22 February 2021
Regulation

“Boris Johnson’s sluggish timetable will do unnecessary damage to businesses and livelihoods”, says IEA expert

Responding to Boris Johnson's roadmap to lift lockdown measures in England, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:  "Boris Johnson’s sluggish timetable will do unnecessary damage to businesses and livelihoods. By Easter, everybody who has more than a remote chance of dying from Covid-19 will have ... Continue reading
22 February 2021
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Viral Myths: a response to my critics

Kristian Niemietz
22 February 2021
Healthcare

Viral Myths: a response to my critics

Do you remember the PISA study, the international league table of educational outcomes? Back in the good old days when schools were still a thing, it used to attract a lot of media coverage every three years. The British school system usually did not do brilliantly in those rankings, a fact which would prompt plenty ... Continue reading
Kristian Niemietz
22 February 2021
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Sunak needs to look to the short-term and the long-term in next week’s budget

22 February 2021
Tax and Fiscal Policy

Sunak needs to look to the short-term and the long-term in next week’s budget

Mark Littlewood writes for The Times

Although the budget is intended to be an annual set piece, thinking in terms of a timeframe of a single year would be "a nonsensical way for the chancellor to navigate the choppy waters he faces", writes IEA Director General Mark Littlewood. In his biweekly column for The Times, Mark argues that the Chancellor must ... Continue reading
22 February 2021
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Covid has exposed “longstanding problems” in our education system

22 February 2021
Education

Covid has exposed “longstanding problems” in our education system

Professor Len Shackleton writes for CapX

School closures over the past year have been "damaging to the mental health of some of our children and the educational progress of almost all of them", writes IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton. While some of this damage may be reparable through extra support, the pandemic has exposed "longstanding problems in our ... Continue reading
22 February 2021
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