On the more market-oriented wing of UK politics, there is a widespread view that the energy packages announced by Chancellors … Continue reading “Was there a market-oriented alternative to the UK’s energy crisis response?”

One of the larger benefits those of a liberal economics bent often ascribe to trade deals is that they provide … Continue reading “What trade deals do and do not mean for domestic laws”

In the run-up to the EU referendum, a number of the most high-profile companies, institutes and departments went out on … Continue reading “Of experts and ‘experts’: economists and Brexit”

A classical conservative believes private property exists in a moral, not merely political sense.  We could truly own things even … Continue reading “Wealth taxes are not the way to go”

Simon Wren-Lewis, a professor at Oxford and an active blogger, is a long-standing opponent of the Coalition’s economic strategy.  He … Continue reading “Would any amount of government borrowing count as ‘enough’ for Simon Wren-Lewis?”

We start with a world in which firms in high-status sectors such as the arts, media, finance and law provide … Continue reading “Banning unpaid internships will harm, not help, the disadvantaged”

Dr Andrew Lilico, member of the IEA’s Academic Advisory Council, writes for CapX: Paul Krugman once did something or other … Continue reading “Paul Krugman is wrong about the UK and borrowing”

Does cutting the Bank Rate (the Bank of England policy rate) cut the real-terms cost of capital for investors? Most … Continue reading “Holding Bank Rate at 0.5 per cent indefinitely will damage investment, not stimulate it”

The fundamental problem in the banking sector is that bank creditors are not exposed to risk of loss. Who are … Continue reading “ICB Interim Report – the wrong answer to the wrong question”

There has long been an important problem in the selling of and advising on retail financial products.  Large numbers of … Continue reading “FSA’s reforms misconceived”