IEA Podcast

In this Institute of Economic Affairs briefing, our Head of Media, Reem Ibrahim, interviews Chris Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics, about his new discussion paper "Anti-Capitalism and Public Health." The conversation examines how public health discourse has evolved from targeting specific industries like "big tobacco" and "big food" to attacking what academics call "commercial determinants of health" - essentially any profit-ma...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, the IEA’s Director of Communications Callum Price sits down with Sir Simon Clarke, former Conservative MP, Treasury Chief Secretary, and current Director of Onward. The conversation tackles Britain's housing crisis, with Clarke arguing the UK is 4-5 million homes short and criticising government climbdowns on planning reform. He advocates for densifying cities while challenging the "...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, the IEA’s Head of Media Reem Ibrahim interviews Stan Veuger, Senior Fellow in Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. The conversation examines the dramatic shift in Trump's second-term trade policy, including unprecedented 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the "reciprocal tariffs" announced in April affecting virtually every country globally, and the resulting ec...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Director of Communications Callum Price is joined by Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz and Managing Editor Daniel Freeman for a wide-ranging discussion on Britain's current challenges. The conversation covers the heated debate around Fraser Nelson's controversial Times article on crime statistics, examining why public perception of rising crime clashes with data showing overall decr...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs Free the Power podcast, the IEA’s Andy Mayer interviews Nicholas Leighton-Hall from the Marginal Cost of Everything blog about the recent government decision to reject zonal pricing for UK electricity markets. The conversation examines how political considerations overtook economic rationality in this crucial energy policy decision, exploring the complex dynamics between electricity generation ...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs panel discussion, Dr. Kristian Niemietz chairs a conversation on "Government and Economic Growth in the 21st Century" with Dr. Stephen Davies, Senior Education Fellow, Julian Jessop, Economics Fellow, and Cento Veljanovski, IEA Law and Economics Fellow. The discussion examines Britain's 18-year period of economic stagnation since 2007, exploring why an entire generation has never experienced me...

In this IEA podcast, Managing Editor Daniel Freeman interviews Tom Clougherty, Executive Director, and Dr. Stephen Davies, Senior Education Fellow. The conversation examines Britain's looming £50 billion fiscal black hole identified by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, exploring why Rachel Reeves will miss her fiscal targets and what this means for the UK's financial future. They discuss the structural problem...

In this Free the Power podcast, the IEA's Andy Mayer interviews Tim Gregory, author of "Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World" and nuclear scientist at Sellafield. The conversation tackles radiophobia and public misconceptions about nuclear safety, examining how accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima have shaped public perception despite nuclear power being statistically as safe as wind and solar energy. Gregory shares hi...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs briefing, host Callum Price interviews Matthew Lesh, IEA Public Policy Fellow and author of a 2022 briefing paper on the Online Safety Bill. The discussion covers the implementation of the Online Safety Act and its impact on free speech, examining how age-gating requirements are now forcing platforms to hide legal political content behind age verification systems. They explore how genuine polit...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, host Callum Price interviews Executive Director Tom Clougherty and Editorial Director Kristian Niemietz. The conversation examines the immediate impact of the Online Safety Act's age verification requirements, which have led to widespread content blocking, a 1400% surge in VPN downloads, and legitimate websites restricting UK access. They discuss how the legislation mirrors previous re...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Managing Editor Dan Freeman interviews Aymen Aulaiwi, DPhil student at Lincoln College, Oxford, in the final part of a three-part series examining the Soviet economy's rise, peak and downfall. The conversation explores how the Soviet Union's collapse began not with Gorbachev's reforms, but with Khrushchev's dual promise of political liberalisation and consumer goods that the command ec...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Callum Price, Director of Communications, interviews Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economic and Business Research and former Director General for Economics at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The conversation examines the UK's persistent growth challenges, focusing on the country's productivity crisis that has plagued the economy since the fin...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, host Reem Ibrahim, Head of Media and Linda Whetstone Scholar, with guests Tom Clougherty, Executive Director, and Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director. The conversation covers the UK's deteriorating fiscal situation with June borrowing hitting £21 billion - £7 billion more than last year - and the growing pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to raise taxes. They examine new research o...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Managing Editor Dan Freeman interviews Aymen Aulaiwi, DPhil student at Lincoln College, Oxford, in the second part of a three-part series examining the Soviet economy's rise, peak and downfall. The conversation explores how Stalin transformed the Soviet Union's economy starting in 1928, synthesising earlier Bolshevik policies into a brutal command system. They discuss Stalin's collecti...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, Executive Director Tom Clougherty interviews Lord Jim O'Neill, former Chief Economist at Goldman Sachs and the economist who coined the term "BRICS." The conversation covers Britain's decade-long economic stagnation, examining whether the 2008 financial crisis exposed deep-seated problems or created new ones. O'Neill discusses his work on regional inequality and the Northern Powerhouse...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs podcast, IEA Head of Media Reem Ibrahim interviews Tom Clougherty, the IEA Executive Director, and Kristian Niemietz, the IEA's Editorial Director. The conversation covers Rachel Reeves' recent speech on financial regulation, examining both the positive moves toward deregulation and concerning developments like government-backed mortgage guarantees. They also analyse the latest labour market st...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs Podcast, Managing Editor Dan Freeman interviews Aymen Aulaiwi, DPhil student at Lincoln College, Oxford, in the first of a three-part series examining the Soviet economy's rise, peak and downfall. The conversation begins with an analysis of Russia's economic state in 1900, exploring the autocratic tsarist system, the dominance of agriculture with over 80% of the population working the land, and...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs briefing, Director of Communications Callum Price interviews Professor Len Shackleton, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow, about his latest discussion paper "Liberating the Labour Market." The conversation examines how Britain's labour market operates, with around 65% of workers employed by private businesses, 20% in the public sector, and the remainder in charities and nonprofits. They discuss ...

In this Institute of Economic Affairs explainer, former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon, and former ASH Director Clive Bates examine the UK government's proposal to introduce a “generational tobacco ban” as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The panel explores the legal, economic, and public health implications of a policy that would raise the legal smoking age year by yea...