IEA Podcast

How do we tackle crime? In this week's episode of the IEA Podcast, join us as Communications Officer Harrison Griffiths engages in a candid conversation with Research Assistant Daniel Freeman. Together, they delve deep into the pressing issue of crime in the United Kingdom and explore potential solutions to address this critical challenge.   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

Should we tax negative externalities like air pollution? Join us for a thought-provoking debate on one of London's most contentious policies, Sadiq Khan's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Andy Mayer, the Energy Analyst at the Institute of Economic Affairs, argues against the ULEZ scheme, emphasising its potential economic and social implications. On the other side of the debate, Daniel Freeman, Res...

Is the UK overregulating tech?   In this week's podcast, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh sits down with Head of Tech and Innovation at the Centre for Policy Studies Matthew Feeney to discuss the failure of the government's regulatory efforts in digital space. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...

The government's recent decision to allow products to continue to carry the EU CE mark has been painted by many as a Brexit climbdown. But is this really the case? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Fred De Fossard, Head of the British Prosperity Unit at the Legatum Institute. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other su...

Mariana Mazzucato is considered one of the most influential economists of modern times and her book, 'The Entrepreneurial State', has prompted a debate over industrial policy and the role of the state in innovation. But what should free-marketeers make of this? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Alberto Mingardi, Director General of Istituto Bru...

Inheritance tax is back in the news again after HMRC revealed that 49,400 more estates will be paying the tax due to threshold freezes. To discuss whether the widely unpopular levy is wrong, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Senior Economist at the Tax Foundation, Alan Cole. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get a...

In both our private and public institutions, the right to free speech is increasingly under threat, but how should we lead the fight back? To discuss this, IEA Head of Cultural Affairs Marc Glendening spoke to Baroness Fox. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe

Coutts’ de-banking of Nigel Farage, in part over his political views, has caused a political storm and led to calls for a new duty on banks to uphold free speech. To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to writer and former MEP, Ben Habib. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...

The UK's competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, has recently u-turned on a move to block Microsoft's controversial acquisition of game maker Activision. Is the CMA's precautionary approach to competition regulation liberal, and what would the seminal liberal economist F.A Hayek have to say about it? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Le...

A new study by the Competition and Markets Authority claims that high supermarket profits are pushing up fuel prices. This comes amid widespread claims that profiteering is driving inflation. But is this all true? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon. This is a public episode. If you'd like to di...

Sweden is often portrayed as one of socialism's success stories, but is this entirely accurate? In this week's podcast, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh talks to Dr Nima Sanandaji, President of the European Centre for Entrepreneurship and Policy Reform, to discuss his article in the latest issue of Economic Affairs arguing that Sweden was an early market innovator. Thi...

Chaired by IEA Energy Analyst and Chief Operating Officer Andy Mayer, the IEA Book Club was delighted to host author and journalist Ross Clark to discuss his latest book, “Not Zero: How an Irrational Target Will Impoverish You, Help China (and Won’t Even Save the Planet)”. This event took place on Tuesday 13th June at the IEA offices. You can find out more about how to join the IEA Book Club here:...

The average mortgage rate has risen above 6 per cent, representing the highest rate since the mini-budget fiasco of last year. But why is this the case? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Joseph C. Sternberg, Political Economics columnist at The Wall Street Journal and member of the newspaper's editorial board. This is a public episode. If you'd...

This week, the IEA released Edwin Van De Haar's 'Human Nature and World Affairs: An introduction to Classical Liberalism and International Relations Theory'. In this recording, IEA Head of Education Dr Steve Davies speaks to Van De Haar about what classical liberals should think about the international realm. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acc...

Why do some nations prosper while other fail? This is a question that has troubled social scientists for centuries and it is the topic of a new book, 'Institutions and Economic Development: Markets, Ideas and Bottom-Up Change', co-authored by Dr Bryan Cheang and Dr Tom G. Palmer. In this week's podcast, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh speaks to Dr Cheang to discuss th...

Friedrich Hayek is rightly considered to be one of the intellectual forefathers of classical liberalism and his famed work, 'The Road to Serfdom', is thought of by many to be the ideology's clearest codification. However, with the book's 80th anniversary looming, we thought it would be a good idea to revisit this seminal work and ask the question, was Hayek right? On the panel was: Dr James Forder...

This week saw the release of the Nanny State Index 2023, a joint project of the IEA and EPiCENTER. The index ranks European countries based on their policies towards alcohol, tobacco, vaping, food and soft drink. In this week's podcast, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh discusses the UK's nanny state trajectory with the index's editor IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Chr...

This week's record net migration figures have caused many to question the government's immigration policy and whether immigration is too high. To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Director of British Future Sunder Katwala and Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...

In this episode of Parallax Views, IEA Head of Cultural Affairs Marc Glendening sits down with Bryn Harris, Chief Legal Counsel at the Free Speech Union, to discuss the threats to and limits of free speech. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe

Labour has pledged to become the party of increased housebuilding. But will their strategy work? To discuss this and much more, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh spoke to Dr Samuel Hughes, Head of Housing at the Centre for Policy Studies. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs...

With the other stories dominating headlines, you might have missed a United States Supreme Court case being fought across the pond. The case involves 94-year-old Minneapolis woman Geraldine Tyler, who in 2015 had her condo seized by Hennepin County due to unpaid property taxes amounting to $15,000. A year later, the condo was sold for $40,000, and Tyler received nothing. Represented by Christina M...

The recent release of the gambling white paper has re-energised the debate on gambling regulation. On the one hand, many are calling for increased regulations on gambling companies to protect vulnerable consumers, while others argue that heavy regulation can damage consumer rights and infringe on basic freedoms.   In this episode of the Swift Half with Snowdon, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Chri...

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has voted to raise interest rates from 4.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent. This has caused debate among economists, with some arguing that continuing high inflation necessitates a further rates hike, while others point to the reversal of quantitative easing as evidence for a more cautious approach. To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Commun...

Should the police be privatised? Should we have open borders? In this recording, IEA Communications Officer Harrison Griffiths interviews Dr David D. Friedman to discuss the anarcho-capitalist perspective on these questions and many more. Dr Friedman is is an American economist, physicist, legal scholar, author, and anarcho-capitalist theorist. He currently serves as a Professor Emeritus at the Sa...

The advent of AI technologies such as ChatGPT has brought much excitement. While many have celebrated this innovation, an increasing number are calling for greater regulations to mitigate its perceived risks. But could heavy-handed regulation harm the sector and prevent threaten future innovation? To discuss this, IEA Director of Public Policy and Communications Matthew Lesh sat down with Adam Thi...