Welcome to the IEA Weekend Newsletter!

• To Ban or Not to Ban?
• i on the media 
• New hire!
• African dawn
• You’re invited...

To Ban or Not to Ban?

...that is the question. And in the present public policy debate, it seems banning is the preferred choice. 

But are claims of third-party harm strong enough grounds for the state to step in and stop people exercising autonomy? And do the supposed harms really bear scrutiny?

In To Ban or Not to Ban? - an introductory paper just published by the IEA - Tim Worstall, Senior Fellow at the Adam Smith Institute, delivers his critique on the seemingly automatic urge to ban.

He looks at a number of policy areas – including gambling, protecting the high streets, chlorinated chicken and housebuilding – to see if calls for state intervention are really justified.

Download his report here.

i on the media

Time to choo choo choose… With the decision on HS2 imminent and reports that the project is now set to cost the taxpayer over £106bn, our Head of Transport Richard Wellings wrote a letter to former Chancellor and now Editor of the Evening Standard, George Osborne.



Read Richard’s letter here and George Osborne’s response here.
 

Following reports from the National Audit Office that it would be “impossible” to predict the final cost of the rail line, Richard said “it’s not too late to scrap HS2”. 

“The government should stop pouring billions into this deeply unpopular vanity project and look at how the current HS2 budget could be spent in other ways.”

Richard’s comments appeared in both The Times and City AM.

And Richard featured on talkRadio, discussing reports that Chancellor Sajid Javid is set to back the project - despite the £100bn cost.



Meanwhile, IEA Head of Communications Emma Revell spoke to Emma Barnett on BBC 5 Live about HS2 and the government’s aim to “level up” the country.

Train of thought…  Meanwhile, it was revealed this week that the troubled Northern Rail franchise is to be brought under government control. But will that cure the service’s problems? 

In The Times, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Prof Len Shackleton argued that

“it is by no means clear that taking Northern Rail into public ownership will fix the litany of problems . . . The infrastructure remains in poor condition after years of neglect, the rolling stock and staff will by and large remain the same, and industrial relations are strained.”

Len’s comments were also featured in the Spectator and he wrote an article for the Yorkshire Post on the topic.

Bristol fashion?   It appears the Bristol Pound is on its last legs -  with the local currency scheme set to fold in March.

In an article for CapX, Christopher Snowdon - our Head of Lifestyle Economics - argued that that the logic of local currencies rests on the economic fallacy of mercantilism.

His comments were also featured on the news site Bristol 24/7.

Go woke, go broke… IEA Director General Mark Littlewood wrote about the upcoming Baftas in his fortnightly column for The Times.

Mark argued that audiences are turning away from being “patronised, lectured or hectored”. He said those attending the awards would do well to remember that - if their business is to survive the long haul.



Brexit bounce? On Friday, the UK formally left the EU - leaving economists divided on what this means for growth.

IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop was quoted in the Financial Times, predicting there will be a “Brexit bounce” of “1 per cent more growth than otherwise”, raising the annualised rate of growth by the end of the year back above 2 per cent.

Extra, extra…   Our Media Manager Emily Carver joined Julia Hartley-Brewer’s talkRadio breakfast show and Digital Manager Darren Grimes reviewed the papers on Sky News.

New hire!

We’re delighted to announce we’ve hired a new Director of Communications at the IEA.

Annabel Denham will be joining us in March, having previously worked as Associate Director of The Entrepreneurs Network (an off-shoot of the Adam Smith Institute), led the Female Founders Forum project and coordinated the all-party parliamentary group for Entrepreneurship. 

Prior to this, Annabel worked in parliament for former MP Lord Peter Lilley and was Deputy Business Features Editor for City A.M.

Annabel said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at the Institute of Economic Affairs. The organisation has a long-standing history of defending free markets and a free society. I am looking forward to contributing to its work by overseeing its communications, public affairs and digital output.”

Mark Littlewood, our Director General, said: “I’m thrilled Annabel will be joining the IEA as Director of Communications. She has a fantastic record at The Entrepreneurs Network and before that as Deputy Business Editor at City A.M.. Annabel brings policy expertise, extensive think tank experience and stellar communications skills to the role. I have confidence that her expertise and profile will boost the IEA’s output in 2020.”

African dawn...

Back in 2000, The Economist magazine described Africa as the “hopeless continent,” saying the “new millennium has brought more disaster than hope to Africa.”

Thankfully things are changing.  On our blog this week, Alex Hammond, Policy Adviser to the IEA Director General, shows how conditions have improved dramatically over the last 20 years across a number of social and economic indicators, including GDP, average incomes, infant mortality rates and literacy rates.

You're invited!

In Conversation with Ted Malloch

On 26th February, 6-8pm, the IEA Book Club will be hosting Ted Malloch, co-author of “Trumps World: GEO DEUS” to speak to us about his latest book. The discussion will be chaired by the IEA’s Director General Mark Littlewood.

The book takes you inside Trump’s presidency – examining his populist outlook and his approach to such matters as foreign affairs. It seeks to identify his primary motivations, and how they influence his political thinking his economic model, and more.

If you would like to know more about the IEA Book Club, and attend the event, please email [email protected]