Compulsion is not the answer to the recent fall in vaccination uptake

Len Shackleton
9 October 2019
Regulation

Compulsion is not the answer to the recent fall in vaccination uptake

Many of today’s Conservatives have a taste for bans and mandates rivalling that of politicians on the Left, as we saw repeatedly during Mrs May’s administration. The latest example comes from Health Secretary Matt Hancock. His idea, floated at the party conference, is to ban children from attending school unless they have been vaccinated. Downing ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
9 October 2019
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Scrap the Low Pay Commission, not dishwashers

Len Shackleton
2 October 2019
Labour Market

Scrap the Low Pay Commission, not dishwashers

Assaults on economic freedom come so thick and so fast it is difficult to keep up with them. Here are two recent ones. Chancellor of the Exchequer and once-upon-a-time free marketer Sajid Javid was busy at the Conservative conference. He signed off a huge amount of extra spending without any apparent attention to detail, just ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
2 October 2019
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Did industry unduly influence Ofcom’s decision on restricting TV advertising of unhealthy kids’ foods?

Stephen Gibson
24 September 2019
Lifestyle Economics

Did industry unduly influence Ofcom’s decision on restricting TV advertising of unhealthy kids’ foods?

In December 2003 the Secretary of State for Health asked Ofcom to look into the regulation of television advertising of High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) food to children in order to address concerns about the rising levels of childhood obesity.  How did Ofcom decide on an appropriate set of advertising regulations to address those ... Continue reading
Stephen Gibson
24 September 2019
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Too old to fail? No.

Len Shackleton
28 August 2019
Regulation

Too old to fail? No.

It appears that Bury FC has finally been expelled from the English Football League (EFL) because of its inability to meet financial and other obligations. Another club, Bolton Wanderers, seems likely to follow Bury into footballing oblivion unless it can somehow engineer salvation within the next fortnight. This has led to calls for the government ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
28 August 2019
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The Advertising Standards Authority has no business policing gender stereotypes

Len Shackleton
15 August 2019
Regulation

The Advertising Standards Authority has no business policing gender stereotypes

The news that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned adverts for Philadelphia cheese and Volkswagen eGolf cars looks like a classic silly season story, a filler for phone-in radio. But I think it’s worrying. The advertisers are accused of “perpetuating harmful stereotypes”. In the first case this was by portraying men as “unable to ... Continue reading
Len Shackleton
15 August 2019
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The ASA has no business policing gender stereotypes

14 August 2019
Regulation

The ASA has no business policing gender stereotypes

Professor Len Shackleton writes for CapX

The Advertising Standards Agency is causing financial harm and damaging the UK's leading advertising sector by banning adverts on spurious grounds in the name of combating gender stereotypes, says Professor Len Shackleton, Editorial and Research Fellow for the Institute of Economic Affairs. Writing for CapX, Len argues the ASA has over-stepped the mark and gone ... Continue reading
14 August 2019
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More office regulations would reduce the flexibility of employers to manage those risks

26 July 2019
Regulation

More office regulations would reduce the flexibility of employers to manage those risks

Andy Mayer is quoted in the Daily Star

The IEA's Chief Operation Officer Andy Mayer has been quoted by the Daily Star on Labour's proposal to send workers home when office temperatures hit 30C. "But their proposals risk fuelling the problem by forcing employers to install energy-guzzling air conditioning units – which is adding to climate change. "The free-market think-tank, the Institute of Economic ... Continue reading
26 July 2019
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Employers already have to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace

25 July 2019
Regulation

Employers already have to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace

Andy Mayer is quoted in The Sun

The IEA's Chief Operating Officer Andy Mayer has been quoted by the Sun on Labour's proposal to make employers send home employees temperature tops 30C. "But their proposals risk fuelling the problem by forcing employers to install energy-guzzling air conditioning units – which is adding to climate change. "The free-market think-tank, the Institute of Economic ... Continue reading
25 July 2019
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Let’s end the government monopoly of financial regulation

19 July 2019
Regulation

Let’s end the government monopoly of financial regulation

Philip Booth writes for City A.M.

Governments need to move away from monopoly regulators and allow financial market self-regulators to compete, says Professor Philip Booth, Senior Academic Fellow at the IEA. Writing in City A.M., Philip notes that the growth of financial regulation seems "inexorable", in 1980 there was one UK regulator for every 11,000 people employed in finance, compared to ... Continue reading
19 July 2019
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Let’s end the government monopoly of regulation

Philip Booth
19 July 2019
Regulation

Let’s end the government monopoly of regulation

Is there any end to the growth of government financial regulation? What good does it do? Does the endless quest to solve problems by writing more rules actually achieve the objectives that financial regulation is supposed to achieve? Why, when regulation clearly made aspects of the financial crash more likely and exacerbated their effects, was ... Continue reading
Philip Booth
19 July 2019
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