This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs offers a cost–benefit analysis of western colonialism. In recent years, we have seen a renewed interest in Britain’s imperialist past: the British Empire, the slave trade and the Caribbean slave labour plantations. More precisely, we have seen a revival of the idea that the...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs discusses a future scenario where Britain has solved its housing crisis. This paper is written in the style of a report from the future (the year 2035), or more precisely, from a possible future, in which Britain has successfully solved its housing crisis. Looking...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at how to boost income mobility in the UK. Many argue that income mobility is declining. This applies to all types of income mobility (relative and absolute; intergenerational and intragenerational). As remedies, those who worry and others who want to improve mobility tend...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at how red tape is fuelling the cost of living crisis. Red tape significantly contributes to the higher cost of living in the United Kingdom. The Consumer Price Index increased by 80% between 2000 and 2023. However, there is significant price variability across...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at a banking system in which banks issue their own notes under competitive conditions. Free banking is a banking system in which banks issue their own notes under competitive conditions while typically operating on a commodity standard, in the absence of a central...

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Economic Affairs critiques the generational tobacco ban. The UK government is proposing a generational ban on tobacco sales to anyone born after 2008, overturning the fundamental principle that adults should have autonomy over their own bodies. The generational ban will create absurd situations, such as a...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at proposed laws facilitating gender self-identification. Transgender ideology and the rights of trans people to dress or present themselves as they wish must be distinguished. One can challenge the former while affirming the latter. Proposed laws facilitating gender self-identification have serious implications for...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at the empirical evidence of alcohol advertising. The economics literature shows that advertising can increase the sale of individual brands but, in mature markets, does not increase aggregate sales of the type of product being advertised. Public health campaigners claim that a ban...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at arguments for liberal antitrust for a digital age. Competition is a discovery process between rival firms and can only be explained if the information is imperfect. Competition is the most effective way to coordinate economic activity by disseminating the information and knowledge...

This report from UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs looks at whether digital platforms be required to fund news publishers. A new report from the Institute of Economic Affairs warns government against intervening in the relationship between digital platforms and legacy media. Breaking the News?, by IEA Head of Public Policy Matthew Lesh,...