* TALKING POINT – APPETITE FOR IDEAS
* SUNAK: SAINT OR SINNER?
* MARXISM at the MOVIES
* FISHER PRIZE
* YOU’RE INVITED

TALKING POINT - APPETITE FOR IDEAS

This week marked the start of our internship programmes at the IEA - with something of a difference.

Because of coronavirus, the initial elements of this summer’s programme are being staged virtually. Nonetheless, our summer programme has proved hugely popular - we received more than 600 applications from around the world.

And this year, for the first time, we’ve also worked with Speakers for Schools to ensure our internships are accessible to those students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.

Students are chosen predominantly based on their interest in, and appetite for, ideas. We don’t focus on school, grade or even subjects studied - and a number of those selected are completely new to economics.

The quality of applications was fantastic and we’re extremely excited to welcome such bright and enthusiastic students to the (virtual) IEA over the coming months. In fact our first group of interns are already doing incredibly well - and setting the bar very high for those who’ll follow them!

In all, we’ll run three groups of Sixth Form Internships (16-18 year olds), each lasting one week. There’ll be 40 participants in each group (120 in total) and the programme will enable them to develop various skills ranging from writing a CV to debating and public speaking.

They’ll also hear from some of the IEA’s top researchers and academics in a university style environment with lectures and seminars.

“I know I will look back on my summer as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It’s been absolutely rewarding to take part in debates and seminars on a wide array of issues. Thanks for the support that has made my summer intellectually stimulating and very entertaining at the same time!” - 2019 Sixth Form Intern

Later in the summer, we’ll be joined by 40 undergraduates who’ll take part in the IEA’s most in depth student programme. These are some of the most promising young minds from across the UK and beyond, and they’ll spend three weeks with the IEA in August.

As well as discussion groups based on selected readings, seminars and workshops, they’ll also undertake their own research project on a topic of their choice. For many, this is the highlight of the programme!

Guided by a member of the IEA research team, they are then able to present their research to their fellow interns and staff at the end of the programme.

And although this year’s tuition will be virtual, the opportunity to learn will be very real!

Christiana Stewart-Lockhart

Director of Education, Outreach and Programmes

SUNAK: SAINT OR SINNER?

Earlier this week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out his ‘Summer Economic Update’.

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In his mini-budget, he unveiled £30 billion worth of measures to protect and ‘create’ jobs, culminating in the surprise ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ giveaway.

But is the Chancellor’s approach the right one to kickstart our post-lockdown recovery? Are his measures the real deal - or a meal deal?

This question was one of many - including the debate on ‘cancel culture’ and the West’s relationship with China - discussed on this week’s edition of our Live with Littlewood programme.

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Panellists included renowned economist Andrew Lilico, journalist Isabel Oakeshott, the Institute of Ideas’ Claire Fox and more. Catch up on the free-rolling discussion here ([link removed]) .

IEA staff were also in demand to give their views on the Chancellor’s measures.

IEA Economics Fellow Julian Jessop welcomed the temporary cut to Stamp Duty but recommended the Chancellor “extend this into a fundamental review of all taxes on property”.

Julian also questioned whether the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme “may be a gimmick too far” but conceded that it “is at least market-led, in that consumers themselves will decide which businesses should benefit”. His comments were featured in The Sun ([link removed]) and the Daily Mail ([link removed]) .

Elsewhere, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood appeared on talkRadio to discuss the government’s approach, while IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Len Shackleton spoke to BBC Radio Three Countries ([link removed]) and wrote for CapX ([link removed]) .

Len questioned whether the ‘sticking plaster’ measures – including recruitment subsidies for those employing under 25s - would make a great deal of difference to our economic recovery. These types of schemes, he noted, tend to “benefit large companies able to take on more subsidised workers over small and medium sized enterprises.”

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State infrastructure spending was given a boost with a further £5.8bn promised. Quoted in The Times ([link removed]) and Conservative Home ([link removed]) , Academic and Research Director Syed Kamall noted that while the “Chancellor can only do so much”, “it is disappointing more was not announced to encourage private investment”.

Meanwhile, Head of Communications Emma Revell shared her thoughts on talkRadio, and Media Manager Emily Carver gave her take for The Sun ([link removed]) .

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With Sunak betting on a ‘V-shaped’ recovery, Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon challenged the idea that gambling is ‘morally wrong’ on BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze programme. Chris also debunked the common belief that regulation can prevent problem gambling. You can listen back here ([link removed]) .

MARXISM at the MOVIES

Complaints about left-wing bias in the media are not new. Indeed, one of the main accusations levelled at the BBC is serial editorialising.

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Today, the woke, virtue-signalling actor, ready to jump on every fashionable left-wing bandwagon, has become a popular cliché. But have Marxists truly taken over the cinema?

Dr Kristian Niemietz, IEA Head of Political Economy-turned-temporary-film-reviewer, spoke to Emma Revell about two recent examples of dystopian science fiction-thrillers - The Platform and Snowpiercer - that may demonstrate such a bias.

Watch their discussion here ([link removed]) .


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** PRIZE for PROSE
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Calling students and schools! The deadline for this year’s Dorian Fisher Memorial Prize is fast approaching.

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The essay competition, open to A- Level and IB students, carries a first prize of £500, plus £250 each for three runners up. There is also a prize of £500 for the school with the highest number of entrants.

Covid permitting, the top 20 entries will all be invited to a special one-day event at the IEA in the Autumn term. Entries should be submitted by email to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) and should include the name of your school. The final deadline for this year’s competition is Friday 24^th July.

The prize for this competition is named after Dorian Fisher, the wife of Sir Antony Fisher, founder of the IEA, who was a long-time supporter of the Institute and its work.

For more information, click here ([link removed]) .


** YOU'RE INVITED
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Tuesday 14th July (6.30pm BST) IEA Book Club Webinar with Dr Rainer Zitelmann: THE RICH IN PUBLIC OPINION

The IEA Book Club will be hosting historian and sociologist Dr Rainer Zitelmann to discuss his latest book “The Rich in Public Opinion: What We Think When We Think about Wealth”.

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In his book, Dr Zitelmann examines attitudes about wealth and the wealthy in four industrialized Western countries: Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain.

It examines how we think about a minority that, while undeniably powerful, can still be the subject of negative stereotypes, prejudice, and scapegoating― often with dire effects for us all.

If you would like to join us for the webinar, please register here ([link removed]) .

IIMR Money Webinar Series in collaboration with the Vinson Centre, University of Buckingham

The Institute of International Monetary Research at the University of Buckingham is hosting a series of webinars in collaboration with the Vinson Centre.

The first is next Wednesday at 4pm, with Professor Geoffrey Wood on ‘What insights can history provide for central banks hit by large rises in government debt?’

For more information including the full schedule and registration, click here ([link removed]) .


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