Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

What’s wrong with Natural England

Natural England is often criticized for being slow, bureaucratic, and inefficient in decision-making, delaying projects related to land management, farming, and development.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Are we any happier?

The question is sometimes raised to cast doubt on the value of economic growth. 

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

The Moral Case For Liberty

Some analysts put the ‘Golden Rule’ at the heart of ethics, saying ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Investing versus spending

Investment is key to economic growth. We could enjoy now the pleasures that funds can bring. Sometimes we put some of that money into projects we hope will bring us future gain.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

The Adam Smith Institute’s response to change

The ASI is often described as centre-right because of its neoliberal approach to trade and its emphasis on markets and competition. It is far from a populist outlook that is anti-immigrant, anti-drugs, anti-lifestyle choice and traditionalist moral values.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Not a thing

In a famous, some might say infamous, interview for Woman’s Own in 1987, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared:

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Ten things every economist should know

Taxes on goods and services, including labour, make them more expensive. Other things being equal, on the margins people will tend to consume less of them.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Trump versus the blob

President Trump has made a fighting start to his second term. Executive orders have flown thick and fast from the Oval Office. Meanwhile Elon Musk’s new Department, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has shown equal speed in tackling what it sees as wasteful or unnecessary federal activity.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

Improving education

Elon Musk, heading up the US Department of Government Efficiency, has promised, some would say threatened, to close down the US Department of Education. He argues that it achieves nothing worthwhile, and stifles state and school independence, forcing compliance with goals that do not represent the interests of parents and pupils. It employs bureaucrats, most of whom have no experience of teaching, and who consume federal funds without producing anything of value to education.

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Madsen Pirie Madsen Pirie

An unfit economy

My local gym is to close. I have been using it, usually every day, for over three decades. It was badly hit during the lockdowns, as everyone was, but it survived. But the most recent budget has overwhelmed it.

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