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* A HAYEKIAN VIEW
* THE KEY TO SUCCESS
* CRIES OF A “DYING DICTATORSHIP”
* CAMPUS CENSORSHIP
* YOU’RE INVITED

A HAYEKIAN VIEW

Handling a crisis is never easy, not least a global pandemic. However, as IEA Fellow Professor Mark Pennington argues in a new paper, expectations for public responses to the pandemic should be modest and should recognise that successful government action may owe as much to accident as to design.

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In his paper, ‘The response to the pandemic: A Hayekian view ([link removed]) ’, the author uses Hayek’s distinction between simple and complex systems to illustrate the character of the coronavirus policy challenges and the difficulty policymakers face in learning which responses may be most effective.

Mark warns that while government action may be necessary in ‘emergency situations’, this does not mean such action should continue to act as a substitute for markets once the emergency has passed.

On the contrary: the difficulties that governments face in responding to the coronavirus could be multiplied if attempts to plan economic activity became the norm in the post-pandemic age.

You can read the paper in full here ([link removed]) .

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

According to the latest work from renowned author and businessman Richard Koch, contrary to popular opinion we can all strive for unreasonable success by following nine key attitudes.

Who could have predicted that Nelson Mandela, a once-obscure lawyer, could have averted disaster in South Africa, reconciling people of different heritages to each other and establishing a viable democracy? Or that Helena Rubinstein, a young woman growing up in the grotty ghetto of Kraków, could have changed the face of beauty throughout the world? Or that the illegitimate son of a notary would become one of the world's greatest painters, known universally by his first name, Leonardo?

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Does success require genius, consistency, all-round ability, or even competency – as many would believe? Or can nine strategies enable us all to reach new heights of accomplishment? Richard’s latest book, “Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It: Unlocking the Nine Secrets of People Who Changed the World”, was the focus of a fascinating IEA Book Club event held on Tuesday.

You can catch up on the video on the IEA YouTube channel here ([link removed]) . “Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It” is available to purchase here ([link removed].) .

CRIES OF A "DYING DICTATORSHIP"

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko’s disrupted re-election on 9th August has triggered huge protests. An open letter signed by 150 economists has warned that “catastrophic economic hardship for Belarusian citizens is certain in the case of military violence, and further abuse of human and economic rights.”

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EPICENTER, our independent network of six think tanks from across Europe, has kept a close eye on the rising turmoil. Its director, Adam Bartha, expressed concerns in an interview with Portuguese daily newspaper Expresso. He analysed how European governments can contribute to the Belarusian transformation to liberal democracy and market economy. Read the article here ([link removed]) .


** CAMPUS CENSORSHIP
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Amid growing calls for a bailout of the university sector back in July, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson suggested institutions would first have to prove their commitment to free speech. His comments – and the Higher Education Restructuring Regime – signified growing concerns over censorship on campus.

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What impact does cancel culture have on the scope and quality of research output? Are strongly-held political attitudes are restricting the freedom of those who disagree to research and teach on contested subjects, as a recent Policy Exchange report suggested? If so: what can be done?

IEA Media Manager Emily Carver sat down with IEA Fellow and Research Director of the Free Speech Union Radomir Tylecote, Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics at Birkbeck College and co-author of Policy Exchange report ‘Academic freedom in the UK: Protecting viewpoint diversity’ and Joanna Williams, Founding Director of the Cieo think tank and author of ‘Academic Freedom in the Age of Conformity’.

While the panel were in agreement that we face a major problem in our universities when it comes to free speech, there was lively debate over how we can protect viewpoint diversity: is government intervention required, or does change need to come from the bottom up? Watch the video here ([link removed]) .

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(And on the subject of the precarious financial position some institutions find themselves in – IEA Head of Education Dr Stephen Davies recently wrote a briefing paper urging us to resist calls to bailout the sector. Doing so, he said, would enable them to continue as before. Read his briefing paper on reshaping the UK’s higher education for the post-pandemic world here ([link removed]) .)


** YOU'RE INVITED
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IEA BOOK CLUB WEBINAR WITH MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER

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On Tuesday 15th September at 6pm, the IEA Book Club will be hosting Michael Shellenberger, to discuss his latest best-selling book “Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All”.

Michael has been fighting for a greener planet for decades. But in 2019, as some claimed “billions of people are going to die,” Michael decided that, as a lifelong environmental activist, leading energy expert, and father of a teenage daughter, he needed to speak out to separate science from fiction.

What is really behind the rise of apocalyptic environmentalism?

If you would like to attend this upcoming webinar, please register by following the link here ([link removed]) .


** WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS...
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But if you do have a little extra cash available to help the IEA during these uncertain times, your contribution – no matter how small – would be deeply appreciated.

As an educational charity, the work we do work is entirely funded by donations. If you are able to help please click here ([link removed]) or contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?body=Dear%20Angela%2C) . Thank you.

And why not get Amazon to donate too? All you have to do is to start shopping on [link removed] and pick the IEA as your chosen charity. The IEA will then receive 0.5% of your spending on most items. Everything else remains the same (and at no additional cost to you).

"I just want to say that the online stuff you guys are doing is absolutely astonishing! I’ve watched every Live with Littlewood in entirety and just finished watching the latest. It’s been superb entertainment."

"Thanks for making this crisis more of an age of enlightenment."

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