Everyone objects to slavery. Employment should be voluntary. This liberal attitude towards labour does not extend to capital. A recent … Continue reading “Nationalisation misallocates capital – for the same reason that slavery misallocates labour”

The question of who should own, run and operate what in the UK rail network is one that can have … Continue reading “The Future of the Railways”

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, think tanks such as the IEA had a difficult time. We were told … Continue reading “The proto-Corbyn years of the 1970s were awful”

“Nobody advocates socialism anymore. It is now all just about reforming capitalism.” I must have heard this lazy cliché in … Continue reading “Attacks on Corbyn are a distraction – it is Corbynomics that needs tackling”

“Jeremy Corbyn wins economists’ backing for radical plan” thundered the Observer’s front page on Sunday. As I meandered around the … Continue reading “No, leading economists are not supporting Corbyn’s far-left agenda”

Exam results day celebrations (or otherwise) are barely over, but bad ideas for reforming the examination system already abound. Nick … Continue reading “Nationalising exam boards: With Conservatives like this, who needs a Jeremy Corbyn?”

Sixty years ago, Sir Antony Fisher founded the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), realising an idea given to him by … Continue reading “Sixty years on: Why the battle for a free society is still yet to be won”

In a recent poll, there was strong support for the renationalisation of both the railways and the energy industry. In … Continue reading “Why privatisation always trumps nationalisation”

The British energy industry has gone from nationalisation to privatisation and back to government control in the space of 25 years. … Continue reading “Far from a return to nationalisation, more liberalisation of energy markets is required”