IEA Podcast

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Director General Lord Hannan is joined by Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director and Head of Political Economy, and Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics. The conversation covers Andy Burnham’s proposals to tighten planning rules on vape shops and betting shops, the debate over how Britain should pay for social care, and Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent criticisms of GDP and economic growth.
Kristian and Christopher discuss whether Burnham’s high street crackdown is targeting a real problem or conflating legitimate businesses with criminal activity, and what the decline of the traditional high street actually means for housing and town centres. They then turn to social care, weighing up means testing, inheritance, and the case for a compulsory insurance model against the idea of a fully taxpayer funded national care service. The discussion closes with an assessment of J.D. Vance’s recent comments on GDP and economics, and what the growing rift between free market and nationalist conservatives means for the future of the political right.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.


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In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, IEA Energy Analyst Andy Mayer speaks with David Turver, author and independent energy writer, about his chapter in the IEA’s forthcoming book, The Great Stagnation: Why Britain Stopped Growing. The conversation covers why the UK has the most expensive industrial electricity prices in the developed world, how renewable subsidies and grid costs have driven up bills, and why cheap, abundant energy is a fundamental requirement for a prosperous economy.
David explains how energy use has declined per capita and in absolute terms since 2008, with the UK now using less energy per person than countries such as Belarus and Uzbekistan. He sets out the various renewable subsidy schemes, including the renewables obligation and contracts for difference, and how ballooning transmission costs are pushing bills higher still. The discussion also covers the practicalities and costs of alternatives such as nuclear power and gas, and how planning delays and regulatory hurdles are driving up the price of new infrastructure across the board.
The interview concludes with a look at the wider consequences of high energy costs, including the decline of British steel and fertiliser production and the broader deindustrialisation of the economy. David argues that energy costs are one of the most significant, if underappreciated, drivers of the UK’s growth struggles since 2008.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Trade-War-Economic/dp/103509018X
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In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Managing Editor Daniel Freeman is joined by Soumaya Keynes, economics columnist at the Financial Times and host of The Economics Show, to discuss her new book How to Win a Trade War. They cover the collapse of the old rules based global trading system, why the US lost faith in the World Trade Organisation’s dispute settlement process, and how the first and second Trump administrations approached trade policy differently.
The conversation examines whether tariffs actually reduce a country’s trade deficit, the difference between bilateral and current account imbalances, and why China’s rerouting of supply chains through third countries has complicated efforts to reshore manufacturing. Soumaya sets out the case for and against trade barriers from a UK perspective, including the pressure Britain may face to align with EU trade defences against Chinese imports, and discusses the growing argument for protecting domestic industrial capacity on economic security grounds, drawing on historical examples including Germany’s dye industry before the First World War.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Director General Lord Hannan is joined by Editorial Director Dr Kristian Niemietz and Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon. The conversation covers whether America is genuinely richer than Europe, the Government’s proposed changes to public procurement rules, and a recent case of academic misconduct at Cambridge.
On the first topic, Kristian and Chris argue that America’s GDP advantage over Europe is real and widening, and push back on attempts to explain it away through hours worked, lifestyle preferences, or selective social comparisons. They point to lower energy costs, more liberal labour market institutions, and a stronger post-2008 recovery as key drivers of the gap. The discussion then turns to the Government’s “social value” procurement rules, which require companies bidding for public contracts to meet a wide range of non-economic criteria. Chris sets out how these requirements have expanded since 2012 and argues they function as a hidden tax that adds cost without adding value. The conversation closes with a discussion of a recent academic misconduct case, and what it reveals about institutional incentives and groupthink within universities.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe

In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, IEA Managing Editor Daniel Freeman speaks with Dr Valentin Boboc, Senior Economist at the IEA, about Britain’s infrastructure problem and why the country has become so slow and expensive at building. The conversation is part of a series accompanying the IEA’s new book, The Great Stagnation: Why Britain Stopped Growing, out on 2nd September, to which Dr Boboc has contributed a chapter.
Dr Boboc explains how Britain moved from the rapid railway expansion of the Victorian era to a planning system defined by lengthy approvals, an ever expanding list of statutory consultees, and unpredictable, open ended costs. He argues that a single point of approval sits alongside a near limitless number of bodies able to demand mitigations, driving up costs without anyone weighing them against each other. Using HS2 and the associated “bat tunnel” as examples, he sets out how conservation and amenity demands from local campaigners can add huge sums with little central coordination. He also compares UK costs unfavourably with countries such as Norway, Japan and France, and highlights the Lower Thames Crossing’s approvals bill as an example of money spent before any construction begins. The discussion closes with reflections on how centralising financial risk within the Treasury discourages private investment, and what reforms, such as reducing statutory consultees and diversifying who can promote infrastructure projects, might help.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit economicaffairs.co.uk/subscribe