It is not NATO that is destabilising Europe

In August 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin travelled to Poland for an unplanned visit. The staff of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs was …

Post-coronavirus, how should the West approach China?

Covid–19 has done more than cause a medical and economic crisis. It is provoking a major reorientation of the foreign policy of both the United …

The end of the liberal international order

If there seems to be any consensus among academics it is that the dominant Western liberal international order is coming to an end. With …

Now is not the time to go soft on globalisation (part 2)

…continued from Part 1.
No discussion of globalisation would be complete without considering some of the myths that have over the recent years come to …

Climate Crises: The myth of eco refugees

On 2nd December 2019, delegations from the United Nations convened in Madrid for COP25, the 25th annual Climate Change Conference. They gathered to discuss …

An Analysis of the Spitzenkandidaten Process – Part 2

Classic political theories suggest that a democratic government should have both “input” and “output” legitimacy. A political institution relies public opinion and policy preference, …

An Analysis of the Spitzenkandidaten Process – Part 1

The European Commission is meant to be the non-partisan, executive branch of the EU that consists of experts rather than politicians. However, the appointment …

The future of Europe is Dutch

In praise of the EU migration and employment “customs union”

In many ways the EU acts like a customs union when it comes to migration that leads to employment. It is very easy to …

Should we sanction sanctions?

In recent years, Russia has been a prime target of economic sanctions – a longtime tactic in relations between Russia and the West. In …

Deal or No Deal: Mexico’s Future in Trade

In a landslide victory 1 July, Mexico voted in its first third-party president. According to exit poll data, Andrés Manuel López Obrador gained more …

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 …

How high a price will the global economy pay for Trump’s tariffs?

In a last-minute move, President Trump granted several key allies exemptions from the steel and aluminium tariffs that came into effect recently. Apart from …

Ill-thought legislation in Poland are more important than the cabinet reshuffle

The list of bad changes is long: lowering the retirement age, increased politicisation of the economy, a ban on Sunday trading, a ban on …

Poland on Orbán’s Lap

It is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who is to defend the Law and Justice (PiS) government against the consequences of violations of the …

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 …

Black Friday for freedom and rule of law in Poland

On 24 November in many places around the world shops and their customers celebrated “Black Friday”, with promotional sales and special offers. This tradition, …

Perspectives for Poland

In the last 25 years, the Polish economy has grown faster than the economies of Western Europe and the US, which enabled a significant …

Economic Freedom Against Poverty and Authoritarianism

Throughout history, people have lived in extreme poverty. However, it is since the industrial revolution and flowering of the Enlightenment ideas – liberal in …

Growing Strength of Populists

For the second time, the Swedish think tank Timbro has presented its “Authoritarian Populism Index”. The index “aims to shed light on whether populism …

Macron’s plan to make France less European – and more prosperous

The tables have turned. It used to be that Britain provided the blueprint for radical market-based reform, whilst France was Europe’s tax and regulatory …

Macron’s protectionist ideas will ultimately harm the whole EU

The election of Macron is starting to cause problems to Europe and – in particular – to Italy. Until a few days ago, the …

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, …

A Helvetic Idea of Freedom

«Instead of conceding itself to a large sovereign decision-maker, Switzerland has preferred to remain a free international negotiator» argues Dr Carlo Lottieri, Director at …

Another summer of chaos in the Mediterranean Sea

On 26 June, we published a blog post examining the previous efforts made by the European Union in order to manage the current migration …

Populism Index 2017 Summary

The 2017 TIMBRO Authoritarian Populism Index is the only Europe-wide comprehensive study that aims to shed light on whether populism poses a long-term threat …

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 …

Populism Index 2017

Auktoritär populism har övertagit liberalismens plats som den tredje ideologiska kraften i europeisk politik.
Väljarstödet för populistiska partier ligger kvar på rekordhöga nivåer men …

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 …

Managing Migration – has the European Union succeeded so far?

In 2015, Europeans were horrified by the chaos that unfolded in the Mediterranean Sea and shocked by how unprepared their national governments were to …

Emmanuel Macron has won. Will he be able to deliver?

On 7 may 2017, the French elected as their new President a 39-year-old former banker, someone neither left nor right, unknown to them until …

The economic case for a more liberal immigration policy

In his now-classic work The myth of the rational voter, Bryan Caplan identifies four systematic biases about economics held by the average citizen: make-work bias …

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 …

The EU new Consensus on Development: technocratic solutions are set to fail

The 2005 European Consensus on Development is a policy statement that commits the EU to eradicating global poverty, tackling inequalities, and building a fairer …

The future of EU Cohesion Policy – boosting innovation instead of handouts

During the latest plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions, ECR President Markku Markkula painted a strikingly positive picture of the EU …

The Threat of Authoritarianism in the EU

Three of the EU’s most salient values are freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. However, the recent increase in support of authoritarian officials …

What would count as a ‘successful’ Brexit?

How has Erdogan’s referendum affected Turkey’s prospects for accession?

“We don’t care about the opinions of any Hans, George or Helga…” Erdogan proclaimed to the crowds at his presidential palace in Ankara, “…all …

Skill Mismatch: The New Challenge for Spain

As the Spanish economy recovers, rethinking education reform should be a top priority. Spanish workers are Europe’s most overqualified, but also suffer from 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 …

Le Pen’s plan for France’s euro exit

“As Victor Hugo once proclaimed, we have not yet done with being French”, declared Marine le Pen, launching her presidential campaign in Lyon on …

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 …

Information-sharing and the ‘Spirit of Schengen’

Last week, the European Parliament voted to extend the Schengen Information System (SIS II) to Croatia. This followed a two-stage assessment of the country’s …

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 …

Swiss model for the future of Europe?

What would F.A. Hayek make of the current state of the EU? The renowned economist had a specific vision in mind: The model he …

The Dutch Elections mark the starting shot for a new European Union

 
The European Union can breathe a sigh of relief. Geert Wilders, a right-wing populist who wants to take the Netherlands out of the …

EU Migration policies: doing less more efficiently

On Tuesday 14th March, the European Parliament committees on Foreign Affairs and Development debated the report on the role of EU external action addressing …

What lessons can we learn from the Dutch Election?

Waves of populism have swept the globe, and the Dutch parliamentary election, to be held on 15 March, has received a lot of attention, …

Eurexit – is leaving the Eurozone an option?

The upcoming months will be decisive for the future of the Euro. The French election, to be held on April 23rd (first round, followed …

Which of Orban’s policies in Hungary are inspiring Kaczynski in Poland?

In 2016 Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán received the “Man of the Year” award at the Polish Economic Forum in Krynica. It may seem …

How immigration makes us richer

Over the last few years, European politics has been profoundly shaken by the emergence of nationalist and populist parties. The rise of anti-immigration rhetoric, …

The past and future of European federalism: Spinelli vs. Hayek

The year 2017 will mark the sixty-year anniversary of the Treaties of Rome. On this occasion, the European project will receive a thorough check-up, …

Free to Move

People greatly overestimate the immigrant share of the population and many wrongly believe that openness to migration harms Britons’ job prospects, burdens public finances …

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 …

Natural disasters and the faults of state-funded reconstruction

Paolo Belardinelli // 19.09.2016
 
I hail from Marche, one of the regions hit by the recent earthquake in which 292 people died. Unfortunately, …

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 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 …

Freedom prevails in Spain, for now

Diego Sanchez de la Cruz // 27.06.2016
Spain’s center-right has clearly advanced its electoral position with last Sunday’s General Election. Polls predicted a good …

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 …

The Dutch ‘No’ vote is disappointing but hardly consequential

Florian Keulers // 07.04.2016
The Dutch ‘No’ vote in an advisory referendum on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement is the latest headache for the European …

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 …

The challenges of economic integration facing migrants and Germany

Greta Gietz // 14.01.2016
The New Year’s Eve attacks in Cologne have increased the pressure on Angela Merkel and are driving public debates on …

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 …

Openness can pay off: the economic impact of migrants

1 December 2015
Existing evidence from large refugee migrations and the recent influx of Syrian migrants into Middle Eastern countries shows no adverse effects …

The EU’s migration fund is likely to prove ineffective

Greta Gietz // 24.11.2015
On November 12 at the Valletta Summit on Migration, the focus briefly shifted away from the Syrian refugee crisis and …

The Mariel boatlift and the economic impact of refugees

Diego Zuluaga // 23.11.2015
Those of you familiar with the 1983 cult classic Scarface by Brian de Palma will remember that it begins with …

Federal Britain: The Case for Decentralization

Philip Booth, November 2015
The UK’s current devolution settlement leads to unrepresentative government and has an inbuilt bias towards “big government”. This situation is …

Poland after the elections: the risk of growing state intervention

Marek Tatała // 29.10.2015
The elections held this Sunday 25 October have brought substantial change in the makeup of the Polish parliament. After eight …