Repeat Prescription? The NHS and four decades of privatisation paranoia

Dr Kristian Niemietz
22 May 2022
Research

Repeat Prescription? The NHS and four decades of privatisation paranoia

Summary In 1980, an article in The Times predicted that over the next five years, the National Health Service (NHS) would be privatised step by step, and the UK would drift towards an American-type healthcare system. This obviously did not happen. But that has not stopped people from repeatedly making the same prediction ever since. ... Continue reading
Dr Kristian Niemietz
22 May 2022
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The Northern Ireland Protocol: Current position and ways forward

Victoria Hewson
16 May 2022
Research

The Northern Ireland Protocol: Current position and ways forward

Summary The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland forms part of the Withdrawal Agreement which formalised the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Its stated intention was protection of peace and stability in Northern Ireland, which was considered to require trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland to continue without border checks or formalities. Northern Ireland continues ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson
16 May 2022
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The Hangover: The cost of minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland

John C. Duffy, Christopher Snowdon and Mark Tovey
1 May 2022
Research

The Hangover: The cost of minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland

Minimum unit pricing (MUP) sets a floor price on a unit of alcohol to prevent the sale of ‘cheap’ drinks, with the aim of reducing alcoholrelated harm. MUP was introduced in Scotland on 1 May 2018 at 50p per unit. This study estimates the financial cost to consumers in the four years since implementation. Using ... Continue reading
John C. Duffy, Christopher Snowdon and Mark Tovey
1 May 2022
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Vaper Trails: New nicotine products and the innovation principle

Victoria Hewson and Christopher Snowdon
14 April 2022
Research

Vaper Trails: New nicotine products and the innovation principle

Summary The benefits of innovation are unpredictable and hard to quantify. Fear of adverse consequences can lead to excessive emphasis on risk avoidance, leading to regulation that holds back beneficial innovation. The experience in tobacco harm reduction illustrates this. Innovative reduced-risk nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, snus and heated tobacco, have been associated with steep ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson and Christopher Snowdon
14 April 2022
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Red Card: Why English Football doesn’t need an independent regulator

J. R. Shackleton and Victoria Hewson
21 March 2022
Research

Red Card: Why English Football doesn’t need an independent regulator

Summary The Fan Led Review of Football Governance calls for major changes in the way English football is run, with the government imposing an independent regulator (IREF). The government has indicated support for an IREF. There is tension between the legal and commercial reality of football clubs as private businesses, and the way many fans ... Continue reading
J. R. Shackleton and Victoria Hewson
21 March 2022
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Transparency in the Subsidy Control Bill: Lowering the reporting threshold

Matthew Lesh
9 March 2022
Research

Transparency in the Subsidy Control Bill: Lowering the reporting threshold

Summary The Subsidy Control Bill (‘the Bill’) could make it easier for public authorities to provide economically damaging subsidies – by moving away from the European Union’s state aid process and reducing transparency requirements. The Bill outlines principles that public authorities must follow when granting subsidies and disclosure requirements for when subsidies are provided. The ... Continue reading
Matthew Lesh
9 March 2022
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Planes, trains & automobiles: The future of transport after Covid-19

Edited by Dr Richard Wellings
21 February 2022
Research

Planes, trains & automobiles: The future of transport after Covid-19

Summary Transport played a central role during the pandemic, with aviation facilitating the rapid global spread of Covid-19. The sector was targeted by governments that imposed draconian restrictions on mobility in an attempt to reduce transmission, but at the same time supported the aviation and rail industries with large bailouts. The pandemic and associated lockdown ... Continue reading
Edited by Dr Richard Wellings
21 February 2022
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Changing the rules: A unilateral approach to non-tariff barriers

Victoria Hewson
13 February 2022
Research

Changing the rules: A unilateral approach to non-tariff barriers

Summary In framing its ongoing relationship with the EU, and a new external trade policy, the UK is in a unique position to adopt one particular, radical free trade policy: a policy of unilateral recognition of the regulations of other territories for the acceptance of goods for the UK market. But such a policy has ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson
13 February 2022
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In harm’s way: Why online safety regulation needs an Independent Reviewer

Mikołaj Barczentewicz and Matthew Lesh
3 February 2022
Research

In harm’s way: Why online safety regulation needs an Independent Reviewer

The draft Online Safety Bill presents a significant threat to freedom of speech, privacy and innovation. ‘Safety’ has been prioritised over freedom. The Bill’s proponents wrongly assume it is possible to remove ‘bad’ content without negatively impacting on the ‘good’ and that platforms, not users, are responsible for ‘harms’. The Bill’s inclusion of ‘legal but ... Continue reading
Mikołaj Barczentewicz and Matthew Lesh
3 February 2022
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PRESS RELEASE

The Meaning of Competition in the Digital Age

Victoria Hewson
23 December 2021
Research

The Meaning of Competition in the Digital Age

In November 2021, the IEA was pleased to hold, in partnership with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a conference on the Meaning of Competition featuring leading commentators and academics in the field. The objective was to reflect, in the 75th anniversary year of Hayek’s lecture of the same title, on current trends in assertive ... Continue reading
Victoria Hewson
23 December 2021
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