IEA Past Events

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a nation of 80 million people, covering a landmass the size of Western Europe.  It’s one of world’s largest sources of mineral wealth and should be one of the world’s richest countries.  Instead, it’s one of the poorest. The DRC is believed to contain up to 90% of the (more…)

It is often assumed that behavioural economics justifies more intrusive regulation of markets, because people are not fully rational and need to be protected from their quirks. The speaker challenges that assumption. Firstly, insofar as people can be helped to make better choices, that goal can usually be achieved through light-touch regulations. Secondly, faulty perceptions (more…)

This year is the inaugural Liberty League conference, kindly hosted by the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Freedom Association. 1st to 3rd April Birmingham and Midland Institute, and Hatters Hostel, Birmingham. For more information and to apply please visit the Liberty League website. The cost of the three day conference is £20 (with a (more…)

The gambling industry is big business in Britain today, but it is highly regulated. Often lumped in with other ‘vices’, it has a love/hate relationship with the state, which, whilst enjoying the tax revenues that it brings in, frequently tries to protect us from its ‘dangers’. The consequence of the policies this attitude breeds often (more…)

Up to 20,000 Indian workers could be allowed into Britain each year under a deal between Brussels and Delhi.  The IT workers would be arriving here as part of a trade agreement between the EU and the Indian Government, and they would be excluded from the UK’s net immigration figures. Supporters of the scheme say (more…)

D66 London and the European Movement in London are organising an event to discuss proposals to reform the economic governance of the Eurozone. Sophie in‘t Veld, Member of the European Parliament for D66 and Andrew Duff, Member of the European Parliament for the Liberal Democrats will discuss the EP’s view of the Commission’s proposals, with (more…)

Since its appearance in the nineteenth century, organised sport has been one of the most visible expressions of the ‘big society’ – the provision of social goods by voluntary action independent of government – and is now at the centre of arguments about the supposed tension between this and market forces. The panel discussion will (more…)

Some economists claim that fractional reserve banking is both inherently inflationary and bound to contribute to boom-bust cycles.  Theory and history support neither of these claims.  Instead, they suggest that an established fractional reserve system may actually prove less inflationary than one restricted to 100% reserves, and that fractional reserves can actually be stabilizing.  Because (more…)

As the global economic landscape continues to undergo major changes, leading business figures and academics will have plenty to debate as they deliver their forecasts on the direction of the economy. The State of the Economy conference will offer a thought-provoking agenda, with an excellent line up of speakers discussing major developments from shifting power (more…)

The IEA has recently published an acclaimed account of the arguments contained in one of Hayek’s most important works, The Constitution of Liberty, by the late Eugene Miller of the University of Georgia. This seminar will look in detail at the implications of these ideas for important areas of public policy and at the significance (more…)