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Written by Tim Ambler & Keith Boyfield (2005)
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 "Over-regulation depresses corporate profits, consumes valuable management time and saps entrepreneurial morale," say the authors. "It makes the UK less attractive to investors and destroys the wealth creation on which the whole of government depends."
There are three big sources of red tape - the EU, Whitehell, and the regulatory offices like Ofcom and Ofwat. For each one, we need to make sure that fewer new regulations are created, that existing ones are rationalized, and that enforcement does not become over-zealous.
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Written by Kshitij Batra (2006)
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The effects of globalization on inflation are complicated and substantial research on this topic has been lacking, producing a level of uncertainty. This paper hopes to address four key aspects of the issue: how globalization is affecting prices, wages, asset prices and the overall implications for monetary policy. While in the long–run globalization tends to have a null effect on inflation as imbalances like wage–expectations and price arbitrage are corrected, in the short–run, the impact is more uncertain.
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Written by Richard Morgan (2006)
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An insight into the Philosopher Economist who defined the Moral Foundation for the Free Market Economy.
For today's critics selfishness has been replaced by reference to greed and if that is not sufficiently colourful - "crass greed". "Greed is good" is even said to be the creed of the proponents of free markets and in today's universal media distribution this has gained widespread currency. Such negative perceptions of the market economy have the potential to undermine its moral foundation and therefore its general acceptance. However Smith shows a free market economy does not depend on greed; indeed, Smith's central notion of self-interest is quite different to greed.
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Written by Andrew Lomas (2005)
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The UK's e-government strategy is fragmented and producer driven , says Andrew Lomas, and will never deliver its full benefits to the public. By contract, tiny Estonia has re-thought its government systems around the new technology – resulting in much higher online access to government and great public satisfaction.
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Written by Iain Murray (2005)
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Rail's woes are due to bureaucracy, not privatization. It's time for the government to release the railway from its over burdening grip. A grip entrenched in regulation that has far too many officials, or any proper functionality. Iain Murray, the author, says that for the railways to work, "the train operation companies must be given more control, and have a major say in how station and track improvements are managed. This will lead to more customer-driven investment decisions," he insists, "providing in turn much more of what train users actually want."
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Written by Richard Teather (2005)
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This report, A Flat Tax for the UK – A Practical Reality, calls for income tax to be simplified into a flat rate tax of 22%. Under the proposal, there would be a tax-free personal allowance of £12,000.
As the report says, the concept of a flat tax, a simple tax system that charges a single rate of tax on all income, is growing in popularity. It contrasts clearly with the current systems operated in most countries, with different tax rates depending on the level and type of income or on the personal circumstances of the individual taxpayer.
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Written by Andrei Grecu (2004)
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 Because the flat tax is paid on all income above that threshold, the rate can be very low. It ranges between 13% and 33%. The low rate encourages payment. There are no tax loopholes, nor the need for them, given the low rate. Instead of paying accountants to shelter income and move it offshore, people find it cheaper just to pay the tax. And a low rate makes it more worthwhile to earn more, which brings economic expansion.
A flat tax is simple, letting people understand their obligations. It is fairer, with low earners paying nothing and the rich paying their due. And it unleashes all the talent and enterprise being held back by a devious and complex system.
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Written by Brink Lindsey (2004)
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The fall in coffee prices has been caused by a 15% oversupply in coffee production. It is a market response to excessive production, rather than evidence of corporate wickedness. More efficient techniques and improved technology may cause prices to fall further. Those who advocate prop-up pricing schemes such as 'fair trade' may have the best of intentions, but they will probably encourage the less efficient producers to keep at it, maintaining the over-supply. What farmers should do is to diversify into other products. Instead of a token gesture such as paying a few pence extra for a cup of coffee, we should be opening our markets to their goods, and cease selling subsidized crops in competition with theirs on world markets.
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Written by Douglas Carswell (2004)
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Britain's local government authorities raise only a quarter of their budget from local sources. Which means that they are in thrall to national politicians and bureaucrats. Turn-out in local elections is falling because people no longer think they matter. The solution? Make local councils raise all their money locally. Not with an extra tax, but by turning VAT into a genuinely local sales tax. Since VAT raises almost exactly the amount that counties and districts spend, the sums balance neatly. And with competition between authorities to keep rates low, there will be greater focus on value for money.
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Written by Alan Pickering (2004)
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Distinguished actuary and government advisor on pensions Alan Pickering believes he has found a way to overcome the savings crisis that could just have everyone agreeing. Better education, simplification, a wider role for employers- but the key measure is to massively increase the basic state pension, while raising the retirement age too.
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