Concern about ‘low pay’ and the ‘cost of living’ are two sides of the same coin. Pay is deemed ‘low’ … Continue reading “What Owen Jones gets wrong (part 1 of 2: Landlords and rent controls)”

In this video the IEA’s Senior Research Fellow Kristian Niemietz outlines a free-market approach to the cost of living squeeze. … Continue reading “Cost of living crisis: causes and solutions”

Planning controls constitute a significant denial of private property rights, with serious economic consequences. The most obvious is the severe … Continue reading “Planning and licensing rules impose heavy costs on businesses and consumers”

Why do politicians advocate policies which deal with the symptoms of problems rather than the underlying issues directly? In the … Continue reading “Faulty rent control plans reflect the shallowness of UK politics today”

Today marks the start of the IEA’s ‘Cutting the UK’s Cost of Living’ month as part of our 2020 Vision … Continue reading “Rent controls – a red herring in the cost of living debate”

Recently, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation released an updated version of its Minimum Income Standard (MIS) which looks at what modern … Continue reading “The Minimum Income Standard: the wisdom of crowds?”

The British tax system just isn’t progressive enough, the Equality Trust claimed yesterday. After citing survey figures showing that 68 … Continue reading “It’s nonsense to argue that the UK tax system isn’t progressive enough”

Zero-hours contracts. High prices. Benefit cuts. Unemployment. Childcare costs. According to the international development charity Oxfam, the combination of these … Continue reading “Oxfam are one club golfers – for them more government is always the answer”

Political soundbites can be excruciating. They hang around for a year or two before disappearing when they become untenable. Who … Continue reading “The real reason you should be depressed by political soundbites”