Using free markets to create a richer, freer, happier world. 

 

The Adam Smith Institute is one of the world's leading think tanks. Independent, non-profit, and non-partisan, we work to promote neoliberal and free market ideas through research, publishing, media commentary, and educational programmes. The Institute is today at the forefront of making the case for free markets and a free society in the United Kingdom.

Freedom from poverty through markets and economic growth

Central to our mission is our belief that free markets work best for the poor. No system has raised people out of poverty and given them the freedom to live their lives as they wish like free markets have, and in politics today it is usually the poorest people who bear the brunt of the government's worst policies in areas like education, health and welfare. Our mission is to use free markets to end poverty in Britain and around the world. We believe in:

  • Low, simple, flat taxes that encourage investment and innovation, and hence economic growth.

  • A voucher-based education system that gives parents and schools complete freedom over how and where children are educated.

  • A privately-provided, publicly-funded healthcare system where patient outcomes are the focus.

  • Freedom of trade with the world, and a liberal immigration system that is designed to work for migrants and natives alike.

  • A liberalised planning system that lets many more houses be built, so everyone can afford to own their own home.

  • A simple welfare system based around a Negative Income Tax or Basic Income that tops up the wages of the poor and guarantees that work always pays.

  • Free market money and an end to bailouts of private banks, in all their forms.

Read more about our policy positions.

 

Young people are inherently capitalist- they are entrepreneurial, commercially-minded and ambitious. Despite this, ‘capitalism’ is a dirty word for too many young people.

In order to change this, we want to demonstrate that only free markets and a free society can deliver the solutions to the challenges that young people face, through educational outreach and our new Fellowship Programme.

We want to build lasting relationships with the policy-makers of the future, and so will be offering twelve young writers the chance to join our Next Generation Fellowship Programme, giving them the opportunity to produce research on the issues that matter most to them.

 

Celebrate 300 years of Adam Smith by making a pledge

Help us continue Adam Smith’s legacy and support our educational initiatives here: info@adamsmith.org

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Latest Research

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Read about Adam Smith's main work of moral philosophy, which argued that man's regard for himself underpins his regard for others.

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The Life of Adam Smith

Adam Smith lived during the Scottish Enlightenment alongside such other greats as David Hume, and he can only be understood as a product of this time.

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The Wealth of Nations

Smith's magnum opus, the foundation of modern economic and liberal thought, still enlightens readers today.

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