What if we brought back the 1351 Statute of Labourers, and required a permit for people to live in a … Continue reading “Our terrible planning system causes untold damage to labour mobility and productivity”

We tend to conceptualise the housing crisis in terms of affordability – and justifiably so. Over the last two decades, … Continue reading “The hidden costs of the housing crisis”

One of my colleagues used to have a theory about how Britain’s housing crisis would eventually become self-limiting. It went … Continue reading “A lack of affordable housing doesn’t defy the laws of supply and demand – it proves them”

As the government creaks alarmingly under the weight of Brexit, it may seem odd – if not downright contrarian – … Continue reading “The housing crisis is pushing Brits towards the spectre of 1970s socialism”

…continued from Part 1   What’s Behind NIMBYism? A lot of it is, as I’ve suggested, a natural resistance to … Continue reading “Housing: the case for YIMBY (Yes, In My Back Yard!) (Part 2)”

During the 2015 General Election, Ed Miliband’s flagship pledge to cap energy prices was derided by conservatives as a deranged … Continue reading “Let the market fix the housing problem”

I should not have let my optimistic side get the better of me. 2016 may be behind us, but its … Continue reading “Optimism Dashed: Reality of housing white paper is all politics, no economics”

It’s “Living Wage Week”. For seven days, the Living Wage Foundation’s campaign for employers to pay workers at least £8.25 … Continue reading “We need a ‘Living Cost Week’, not a Living Wage Week”

On 10 October 2015, European Students for Liberty held their London Regional Conference. The IEA’s Kristian Niemietz gave a presentation on … Continue reading “ESFL conference speech: Why free-marketeers have the best solutions to poverty”