On regulation and centralisation, the UK’s record is no better than the EU’s

Those who voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU rightly complained about the centralised political structures in Brussels. …

Is the EU-Japan EPA an inspiration for an EU-UK deal?

On Tuesday of last week, the European Union and Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Following over four years of negotiation, the EPA …

Why the EU needs the City too

The UK might appear to have the most to lose from Brexit if City firms find it harder to sell financial services into the …

Brexit offers opportunities but no guarantees in determining how free market the UK will be

The potential that Brexit provides the UK to expand its traditional free market principles cannot be understated; unilateral free trade for example could …

Brexit as it might have been

I recently had the opportunity to take a look into a parallel universe, because [insert clever-sounding, scientifically pseudo-literate explanation here]. It was identical to …

£50bn is too steep for a Brexit divorce bill

The Sunday Times has claimed that the Prime Minister is ready to approve a financial settlement of ‘up to £50bn’ when the UK leaves …

Who’s afraid of free trade?

Two reports published in the last few days have advocated the benefits of free trade. You might have expected them to be well received …

Who's afraid of free trade?

Two reports published in the last few days have advocated the benefits of free trade. You might have expected them to be well received …

The European battle for London’s euro clearing market

London’s overwhelming dominance over the euro clearing market yields significant importance towards the UK’s economic performance and standing. The lucrative business is a major …

The mirage of a ‘clean Brexit’

When I went to a gym for the first time, in 1998 or so, membership options were very straightforward: you were either a member, …

Relocation or consolidation? Banks in Europe after Brexit

The fear that the UK-based financial industry will not be able to fully conduct all its current post-Brexit pan-European operations has prompted several London-based …

Could unilateral rights for UK nationals be the right approach for the European Union?

Since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, the debates regarding citizens’ rights have been ubiquitous. The 3Million Movement has until now strongly emphasised the …

Aviation: a Brexit no deal is (a lot) worse than a bad deal

Theresa May’s famous catchphrase ‘No deal is better than a bad deal’ does not apply to aviation where a no deal scenario following Brexit …

Beware the siren voices calling for the ‘Norway option’

The Tories’ poor showing in the general election has revitalised those who favour some form of ‘soft Brexit’. In particular, there is growing support …

What would count as a ‘successful’ Brexit?

The EU and Norway: a complex relationship

The EEA Agreement was signed in 1992, and entered into force in 1994. Until now, EEA EFTA countries have been able to enjoy the …

Why economic forecasts get the impact of Brexit wrong

The economics profession has not exactly covered itself in glory in recent years. Few people forecasted the crash. Forecasts of economic recovery after the …

Britain should prepare for the possibility of a messy Brexit

The starting gun has been fired and the two year Article 50 process for exiting the European Union has begun.
 
Last week, both …

Brexit: Why time won’t tell

My track record on Brexit-related predictions has so far been abysmal. I got it wrong at every turn.
 
For a start, I was …

Challenges for a Global Britain outside the European Union – Migration, Trade and Finance

Today, March 29th 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May officially triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, thereby beginning the formal process of withdrawing the …

Why the EU’s public image problem cannot cloud the discussions on our future

Attempting to start a debate ahead of the EU’s summit commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the European Commission published a …

Tariffs & domestic consumers

Repeat after me: tariffs primarily hurt domestic consumers – not foreign exporters
 
Tariffs primarily hurt the consumers of the country imposing them on …

The case against ‘taking back control’ – why the UK should retain free movement of people

Dr Kristian Niemietz, Head of Health and Welfare at the IEA // 21.10.2016
 
I think it was Montesquieu who once said that ‘when …

Death by infrastructure spending

Diego Zuluaga // 13.09.2016
 
Infrastructure investment is often presented by policymakers as a silver bullet in times of recession or sluggish growth. Public …

Saving Brexit from the Brexiteers: why free-market liberals should support the EFTA/EEA option

Kristian Niemietz // 04.08.2016
 
If the so-called ‘EFTA/EEA option’ – leaving the EU, but staying in the single market, or in close vicinity …

The EU and economic freedom: a complicated relationship

Diego Zuluaga // 03.08.2016
 
The Wednesday Briefing is a weekly free-market commentary on topical economic issues by our Head of Research, Diego Zuluaga. …

The Long View on Brexit: Liberalism, Nationalism, and Socialism

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey // 11.07.2016
 
In the past three centuries the European clerisy has had, when it comes to politics and economics, three …

Brexit: a natural experiment for the EU

29 June 2016
Can a country do better after leaving the EU? Indeed, we can perform an even more granular analysis and seek to …

Why the EU27 should not punish the UK for leaving

Matthew Sinclair // 30.06.2016
There has been some talk of the rest of the EU attempting to punish the UK for leaving. The idea …

Blazing Trails in a Post-Brexit Europe

Diego Zuluaga // 22.06.2016
Tomorrow, the British electorate will decide on a question which, more than any other, has divided voters and the political …

Hayek would have voted to remain

Diego Zuluaga // 17.03.2016
To conjecture what Hayek’s stance might have been on Britain’s EU referendum and the current state of the European project …

False claims about the Eurozone from the Brexit camp

Diego Zuluaga // 01.03.2016
As the debate on British membership of the European Union gathers steam, the Eurozone is getting a fair amount of …

Brexit, benefits and the future of the EU

Greta Gietz // 15.12.2015
The European Union has had a challenging year. The Euro crisis, the influx of immigrants through Turkey and the Mediterranean and …

Brexit: Directions for Britain Outside the EU

Ralph Buckle, Tim Hewish, John C. Hulsman, Iain Mansfield, Robert Oulds, February 2015
It is quite possible that there will be a referendum on …