IEA Podcast

In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, IEA Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz speaks with Jesús Armas, Venezuelan opposition activist and former IEA intern, about his imprisonment by the Maduro regime following the disputed July 2024 presidential election. Jesús describes being kidnapped by regime security forces, held in clandestine detention, subjected to torture, and kept in isolati...

The latest event in the Entrepreneurial Minds series brought together entrepreneur and mentor Simon Krystman in conversation with Lord Kamall for a wide-ranging discussion on entrepreneurship, innovation and the realities of building businesses. Designed to give aspiring founders and those interested in enterprise an honest insight into entrepreneurial journeys, the event explored the motivations,...

Lord Frost and energy analyst Andy Mayer join host Callum Price to dissect Reform UK’s latest economic pitch, weighing up Richard Tice’s proposals for a Great Repeal Act and a sovereign wealth fund built from public sector pension pots. While the panel finds much to welcome in Reform’s supply-side instincts, including scrapping the net zero legal target and reopening the North Sea, they warn that...

Your student debt keeps growing even as you pay it off. Sound familiar? Callum Price breaks down why the student loan system is failing students, taxpayers, and universities alike, and why tinkering with interest rates will never be enough. The real problem is that universities are paid to recruit students, not educate them, creating a system with completely misaligned incentives. The solution req...

Lord Frost, IEA Director General, joins energy analyst Kathryn Porter, author of the IEA’s landmark new report “Just Stop Oil?”, for a wide-ranging discussion on why oil and gas remain indispensable to modern life. Porter argues that the entire premise of the “just stop oil” movement is born from privilege, ignoring the fundamental role hydrocarbons play in medicine, agriculture, and technology. F...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Director of Communications Callum Price is joined by IEA Director General Lord Frost and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz to discuss the week’s major economic and political developments. The conversation opens with Robert Jenrick’s debut economic policy speech as Reform’s Treasury spokesperson, examining whether it marks a serious shift towards cr...

Student loans are broken. Peter Ainsworth, author of the IEA’s “Shares in Students” paper, joins Callum Price to explain why the current system fails everyone involved. Graduates face ballooning debts that never shrink despite years of payments, whilst the Government estimates losses of £10 billion per year on current loans. Universities receive guaranteed funding regardless of whether students ge...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, host Callum Price speaks with Lord Frost, Director General, and Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director. The conversation examines the latest GDP figures showing 0.1% growth in the final quarter of 2024, with GDP per capita falling for the second consecutive quarter. They discuss why Keir Starmer's celebration of these figures misses the point that peop...

The IEA’s Kristian Niemietz joins Callum Price to dissect the Patriotic Millionaires campaign and their push for wealth taxes. Survey evidence shows millionaires support higher taxes on themselves, but is this genuine commitment or virtue signalling? Niemietz examines the gap between stated preferences and revealed preferences, exploring why talk is cheap when there’s no real cost to supporting a...

The Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75%, but Lord Frost and Kristian Niemietz warn that the “psychology of inflation” remains unbroken in the UK economy. With wages rising by government fiat and consumers still expecting persistent price increases, they argue that rushing back to near-zero rates would be a mistake. The Bank has simultaneously downgraded GDP growth forecasts to just 0....

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Callum Price, IEA Director of Communications, interviews Len Shackleton, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow, and Annabel Denham, columnist at The Telegraph and former IEA policy analyst. The conversation examines a new IEA paper on the government’s expanded flexible working mandates introduced in the Employment Rights Act, which now makes it extremely...

Former Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Zion Lights joins Christopher Snowden to discuss her new book ‘Energy Is Life’ and her remarkable transformation from environmental activist promoting energy scarcity to advocate for nuclear power and technological abundance. Lights reveals the shocking hostility she faced from the Green Party simply for asking questions about nuclear energy, despite not ev...

In this special briefing episode, IEA Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz joins host Callum Price to discuss the latest instalment of the British Afuera series on Substack. Inspired by Javier Milei’s radical state reform in Argentina, the project examines which parts of the British state could be abolished entirely rather than simply cut back. Niemietz explains why this approach differs fundament...

In her final IEA podcast before moving to Washington DC, Reem Ibrahim is joined by Director General Lord Frost and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz to examine two pressing economic questions: should we be optimistic about Britain’s economic future, and do we need a universal basic income because of artificial intelligence? The conversation begins with a critical analysis of recent claims that...

In this episode of Free the Power, IEA climate and energy analyst Andy Mayer sits down with Henry Hill, deputy editor of Conservative Home, to dissect the failures and future of Britain’s net zero strategy. Hill argues that whilst net zero emissions remains an exciting prospect in theory, the government’s approach has been fundamentally flawed through ‘legacy by fiat’ legislation that sets distant...

John Cochrane, fellow of the Hoover Institution and author of “The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level”, joins us to discuss the West’s economic stagnation and what it would take to restore robust growth. From America’s slowdown to Britain and Europe’s near-zero growth since 2010, Cochrane diagnoses the fundamental supply-side challenges holding back prosperity and explains why the UK’s GDP per capit...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Director of Communications Callum Price is joined by Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz and former Brexit Minister Lord Frost to discuss Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchesterism’ speech, industrial strategy and Britain’s misplaced sense of affluence. The conversation examines whether Burnham’s vision for regional economic policy represents genuine innovati...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Head of Media Reem Ibrahim interviews Elena Panisset, an institutional economist, former World Bank advisor, and founder of Thought for Action. The conversation explores why Latin American economies struggle despite having intelligent leaders and educated populations, examining the critical role of property rights, trust, and institutional reform...

In this special briefing episode, Christopher Snowdon and Lord Frost join Callum Price to dissect the ‘stakeholder state’ – the coalition of NGOs, activist judges, commissioners and endless judicial reviews that has paralysed government action in Britain. Sparked by recent complaints from Keir Starmer’s former director of strategy, the discussion examines how decades of poorly drafted legislation,...

Is Britain sleepwalking into economic stagnation whilst authoritarian policies threaten our civil liberties? In this essential episode, IEA Director General David Frost and Energy Analyst Andy Mayer join host Reem Ibrahim to dissect November’s disappointing GDP figures, which show the UK economy growing at just 0.3%. Whilst a temporary bump in tax consultancy services ahead of the budget masked de...

Welcome to Economics 101, a new series designed to distil the fundamental principles of economics into clear, easy-to-understand explanations. Join Dr Stephen Davies as he breaks down complex economic concepts using simple analogies and real-world examples, making economics accessible to everyone regardless of their background. Whether you’re a student, professional, or simply curious about how th...

Join Daniel Freeman in conversation with Andrew Henderson, founder of Nomad Capitalist and one of the world’s leading advisers on international tax planning and strategic relocation for high net worth individuals. Henderson explains the philosophy behind his mantra ‘go where you’re treated best’ and why successful entrepreneurs and investors are increasingly voting with their feet, leaving high-ta...

Join Andy Mayer, IEA Chief Operating Officer, with David Turver, independent energy analyst and author of the Eigenvalues Substack, for an unflinching examination of Britain’s net zero policy. This episode of Free the Power explores Turver’s forensic analysis of the true costs of decarbonisation, revealing how official estimates from bodies like the Climate Change Committee and National Energy Sys...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA’s Callum Price and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz are joined by Lord Frost, who discusses why Britain is losing the argument for classical liberalism and free markets. Lord Frost identifies three distinct groups opposing free market economics: fantasy leftists promoting modern monetary theory, blue labour protectionists advocating industrial...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs briefing, Callum Price, Head of Communications, interviews Dr Stephen Davies, IEA Senior Education Fellow, about the recent US military intervention in Venezuela and what it means for the international rules based order. The discussion covers the Trump administration’s seizure of President Nicolas Maduro following air strikes and naval blockades, examining whe...