Bøker utgitt av Institute of Economic Affairs

"Socialism" has particular appeal to intellectuals - the teachers, journalists and other commentators who pass comment on public policy without any special expertise on economic matters. This work explains the enduring appeal of socialist ideas.

There have been many attempts to build a socialist society, from the Soviet Union to Maoist China to Venezuela. All of them have ended in failure. But, according to socialism's adherents, that is only because none of these experiments were "real socialism". This book documents the history of this response.

Drawing on data from various European colonial empires, Niemietz casts doubt on the claim - popular among both 19th-century imperialists and modern-day progressives - that empire was a crucial factor in the West's rise to prosperity. Instead, he shows that - its immorality aside - Western colonialism was simply bad economics.

Taxes. Why do we pay them? What benefits do they bring? What damage do they cause? And how could they work better? Here, author Eamonn Butler provides a jargon-free guide to taxation, its history, its aims and purposes, and its impact on individuals and economies.

School of Thought - 101 Great Liberal Thinkers profiles the lives and ideas of some of the leading thinkers on individual liberty - from ancient times to the present day.

This collection of essays provides fascinating insights into the nature of high pay and provides a compelling contribution to one of today's most contentious issues.

This volume of essays examines the empirical evidence on school choice in different countries across Europe, North America, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

This book examines the measure of money and, in that light, the actions of the Bank of England in the lead up to the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath.

Ayn Rand: An Introduction illuminates Rand's importance, detailing her understanding of reality and human nature, and explores the ongoing fascination with and debates about her conclusions on knowledge, morality, politics, economics, government, public issues, aesthetics and literature.

The author's witty and informed analysis of events provides an ideal introduction to important ideas for anybody interested in how the modern economy works.

This book shows how a system of private banks without a central bank can bring about financial stability through self-regulation. If one bank stretches credit too far, it will be reined in by the others before the system as a whole gets out of control.

Eating sugary food, drinking alcohol and smoking are legal. But politicians still use laws to discourage them. What can justify such paternalism? 'Killjoys' reviews the justifications that have been offered: from the idea that people are irrational to the idea that they are compelled by advertising to harm themselves.

This is an inspiring story of entrepreneurs stepping into the breach and providing effective low-cost private schooling to large numbers of children in conflict-affected areas of the world, where government was not working well and basic infrastructure had been destroyed.

The book draws on a wealth of international evidence to develop a vision for a new and better universal healthcare system for the UK based on consumer sovereignty, freedom of choice, competition and pluralism.

After decades of mismanagement under the Common Fisheries Policy, Brexit represents a major opportunity to adopt an economically rational approach that benefits the fishing industry, taxpayers and consumers.

This book combines a history of employment laws with analysis of the troublesome effects of various interventions. The author argues for a fundamental rethink. Some basic labour market regulation may still be necessary, but less than we currently have.

The authors challenge the assumption that we can bring about economic development and promote liberal democracies through direct foreign intervention - whether economic or military intervention. The lead author, William Easterly, drawing on his wide experience at the World Bank and as an academic, is a renowned sceptic of intervention.

This book traces the history of the growth of the size of the state over the last 100 years whilst also making international comparisons.

This book provides an analysis of the role that international institutions should play in the economic life of a free society, in the context of Britain's relationship with the EU.

The authors writing here demonstrate that Islam is not only compatible with liberalism, but is inherently liberal.This book provides ammunition to those who wish to battle the claim that Islam and freedom are incompatible.

This book provides a timely discussion of public service broadcasting and the future of the BBC. It is a blueprint for how the BBC could be freed from the shackles of the state to become a major player on the world media stage. It deserves attention from those with an interest in the BBC and broadcasting.

These essays consider the key contributions of Nobel Prize-winning economist Ronald Coase, who showed that the size and structure of firms, and the location of the border between internal exchange within the firm and external exchange through markets, are systematically related to the costs of transactions.

John Taylor is one of the foremost economists of our generation.This book presents Taylor's view of the financial crisis and its aftermath.

This book demonstrates why economists do not like price controls and shows why they are widely regarded as being amongst the most damaging political interventions in markets.

This book proposes that the UK should develop a federal structure of government with only a small number of functions such as defence and border control being determined at the UK level. All other functions would be the ultimate responsibility of individual nations within the UK.

Classical liberalism is one of the most important of modern political and social philosophies, crucial in bringing the modern world into existence. This book is an introduction to this way of thinking. It is highly suitable for students of the social sciences.

During 2013-14, the IEA ran a competition ('BREXIT') to find the best blueprint for Britain outside the EU, with the objective of securing a free and prosperous economy should it choose to leave. This book brings together Iain Mansfield's winning submission with edited versions of three other contributions.

It is clear that many of the desirable features of Scandinavian societies, such as low income inequality, low levels of poverty and high levels of economic growth predated the development of the welfare state. These and other indicators began to deteriorate after the expansion of the welfare state and the increase in taxes to fund it.

This book outlines the principles that define a free society. It provides an introduction to the institutions and policies necessary to preserve and enhance individual freedom including: small government, the rule of law, strong private property rights and free trade - enabling entrepreneurship to thrive.