In the eighth of our economic freedom essays, Dominic Raab — former Brexit Secretary — talks about securing a new economic future for our country. His three-point plan includes a focus on free-trade deals, tax cuts to help people on low incomes, and boosting competition.
John Myers: Fixing the housing crisis would probably raise average wages by a double-digit percentage
In the seventh of our economic freedom essays, John Myers — Co-Founder of YIMBY Alliance and London YIMBY — addresses the topic of property. He contends that we could boost wages and growth and get a freer, fairer country, if only we fixed the planning system to enable far more homes in the right places.
James Boyd-Wallis: To win hearts and minds, we must mobilise the millions of entrepreneurs
In the sixth of our economic freedom essays, James Boyd-Wallis — Director of Fourteen Forty — talks about how to make the moral case for free enterprise. He argues that we need to find compelling stories, and tell them in more human ways.
Rebecca Lowe: Why we should — and shouldn’t — be concerned about pay
In the fifth of our economic freedom essays, Rebecca Lowe — Director of FREER — looks at the question of pay. She discusses its relation to the reasons why we work, and argues against intervention from on high, in terms of mandated ratios or caps.
Peter Lilley: Trade is crucial if poor countries are to leave poverty behind — here’s what we need to do to help
In the fourth of our economic freedom essays, Rt. Hon the Lord Lilley — former Trade Secretary — discusses the question of trade and aid. He sets out a four-point plan to address the obstacles that have hindered poorer countries from trading out of poverty.
Ben Houchen: From upping political engagement to being free to innovate, devolution has huge potential
In the third of our economic freedom essays, Ben Houchen — Mayor of the Tees Valley — discusses devolution. He argues that it offers the opportunity to increase people’s purchase on political decision-making, and to improve services and bring about economic growth.
Shanker Singham: The importance of free trade, and how to derive its full benefits
In the second of our economic freedom essays, Shanker Singham — Director of the IEA’s International Trade and Competition Unit — addresses the topic of free trade. He contends that the UK should strike new agreements with the innovative economies of the world, while eliminating anti-competitive barriers and distortions at home.
Tim Wilson: Communities, not capitals
Tim Wilson — federal MP for the division of Goldstein, and former Australian Human Rights Commissioner — writes for FREER on the topic of decentralisation. He argues that such an approach not only addresses the question of a democratic deficit, but that it’s politically popular, too.
Rachel Maclean: The satisfaction and control gained from being able to choose when and where to work can be transformational
In the first of our economic freedom essays, Rachel Maclean MP addresses the topic of flexible working. She discussed how ‘one of my priorities as a politician has always been to free up others from outdated concepts of how work is structured’.
Len Shackleton: There are multiple possible futures for the UK’s dynamic labour market
Professor Len Shackleton’s speech from the launch of the FREER-IPSE Work Futures Group, which he is chairing. He describes how and why the group will push forward understanding of the changes in the world of work and the opportunities these offer.
Richard Norrie: How helpful is the government’s new measure of poverty?
Dr Richard Norrie examines the government’s adoption of a new poverty measure, concluding that it fails to help us to gain a more accurate understanding of economic hardship in the UK.
Liz Truss: We are agents of our own destiny. There’s nothing wrong with a glass of wine, a slice of pizza, or even a sneaky mojito
Liz Truss MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, writes about ‘the worrying outbreak of neo-puritanism’ in Britain. This is the final in a set of pieces on social freedoms, by different writers, that FREER has published throughout April 2019.
Ben Bradley: The state’s march into our lives is exemplified by looking into our lunchboxes
Ben Bradley MP writes about the deleterious effects of taxing things like sugar and meat, arguing that the state should focus on education instead. This is the sixth in a set of pieces on social freedoms, by different writers, that FREER is publishing throughout April 2019.
Luke Graham: The case for medicinal cannabis is strong; the jury’s out regarding legalising it for recreational use
Luke Graham MP, Co-Chair of FREER, writes about the legalisation of cannabis, contending that, while the topic is in the public eye, we should learn lessons from abroad. This is the fifth in a set of pieces on social freedoms, by different writers, that FREER is publishing throughout April 2019.
Rebecca Lowe: Access to experimental medicine is extensive in the UK, but the fashionable focus on patient choice is only skin deep
Rebecca Lowe, Director of FREER, writes about access to experimental medicine, and the big questions that remain about a patient’s lack of ability to take responsibility for their own risk. This is the fourth in a set of pieces on social freedoms, by different writers, that FREER is publishing throughout April 2019.
Victoria Hewson: New internet regulatory interventions threaten freedom, the digital economy, and the role of the family
Victoria Hewson, Senior Counsel to the IEA’s International Trade and Competition Unit, writes for FREER about the sustained attack on our freedom to provide and use digital services. This is the third in a set of pieces on social freedoms, by different writers, that FREER will be publishing throughout April 2019.