In 2016, the IEA and EPICENTER launched the first edition of Dr Christopher Snowdon's 'Nanny State Index', which tries to measure the degree of restrictiveness of paternalistic policies that interfere with personal lifestyle choices in various areas. 'Nanny state' is obviously a pejorative term,...

The recent popularity of ‘nudge’ – involving governments structuring choices to lead individuals to choose outcomes which policymakers wish to encourage – has given rise to a belief that ‘libertarian paternalism’ offers a modern substitute for classical liberalism. But most...

Eating sugary food, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes are legal activities. But politicians still use the law to discourage them. They raise their price, prohibit or limit their advertisement, restrict where they can be sold and consumed, and sometimes ban them outright. These politicians...