Evidence shows moral panic at gaming machines ill-foundedExecutive summaryThis paper assesses the claims made about gambling machines in British betting shops, in particular ‘fixed-odds betting terminals’. These machines are routinely dubbed ‘the crack cocaine of gambling’ and it is said...

New IEA research finds fat taxes would hit the poorest the hardestSummary:Denmark’s tax on saturated fat was hailed as a world-leading public health policy when it was introduced in October 2011, but it was abandoned fifteen months later when the unintended consequences became clear. This...

Tax havens are essential to maintain a healthy economySummaryTax havens have existed for many centuries and are certainly not limited to ‘sunny places for shady people’ as suggested by Vince Cable.The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland all have some of the characteristics of...

Full cost of HS2 may reach £80bnSummary:The decision to build High Speed 2 is not justified by an analysis of the costs and benefits of the scheme. Even the government’s own figures suggest that HS2 represents poor value for money compared with alternative investments in transport...

New IEA report compares the performance of the NHS to that of its European counterpartsSummary:While in many other policy areas, there is a political appetite for learning from international best practice, healthcare remains the exception: the healthcare debate remains inward-looking and...

Government urged to introduce voluntary pay-as-you-go system for driversSummaryTransport policies which favour rail over road make little economic sense. Investment in roads typically yields higher financial and social returns than investment in rail.As a result of current policies, Britain’s...