free trade

February 2, 2015

Brexit: Directions for Britain Outside the EU

It is quite possible that there will be a referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union in the next few years. However, few people have well-formed views on what they believe should happen if we leave the EU.
September 1, 2014

The New Equality: Global Development From Robin Hood to Botswana

In the mid-1700s Europe and North America broke with thousands of years of economic stagnation. When power was spread around in society, countries began to experience sustained growth. It was also the birth of global income inequality, which continued to grow for about two centuries.
March 1, 2014

Sin Taxes: the Examples of Alcohol and Tobacco

So‐called “sin” taxes are very much in fashion in France and elsewhere. With the aim of reducing “sinful” behaviour and financing the health care system, public authorities are planning to raise the tax load on alcohol and tobacco even higher.
March 1, 2014

The Government Debt Iceberg

Western governments have developed unfunded social insurance programmes where retiree benefits are paid for from the taxes of the working-age population. This means that an ageing population leads to 
rising expenditures that cannot be covered without increasing taxes on the young.
January 1, 2014

Income From Work – The Fourth Pillar of Income Provision in Old Age

The benefits of increasing labour participation rates in old age flow both to the individual – in terms of improved health and increased incomes – and to society as a whole as greater employment at older ages will reduce the costs of ageing populations.