Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Dr Eamonn Butler, speaks to BBC Radio 4 about the role of business and whether we should demand corporate social responsibility from them.
Ben Southwood argues against the re-nationalization of UK railways on BBC Radio Leicester
The Adam Smith Institute's Head of Research, Ben Southwood, argues against the re-nationalization of British railways on BBC Radio Leicester. Listen to the full interview here. (Starts 09:05)
Sam Bowman's criticizes Ed Miliband's remarks on 'slave wages' in CityAM
Deputy Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, was quoted in CityAM criticizing Ed Miliband's remarks on "businesses recruiting at slave wages."
Sam Bowman, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, added:We already have rules that prevent businesses from hiring workers of any nationality at "slave wages" and protect health and safety standards in the workplace, so what Ed Miliband is proposing is either meaningless or code for rules that disadvantage foreign workers to protect British workers. Rules that make it costlier for British firms to hire foreign workers will increase costs for consumers and reduce British firms’ efficiency.
Read the full article here.
As police unions slam New York’s mayor, could the city be losing faith in its cops? - Kate Andrews argues 'yes' in the CityAM Forum
Communications Manager at the Adam Smith Institute, Kate Andrews, argues that the trust between police officers and citizens is disintegrating in areas like New York City in the CityAM Forum.
The death of Eric Garner, after an incident with police officers, has become a national tragedy in the US, in part because Americans know it wasn’t isolated. The New York Daily News found that at least 179 people were killed by on-duty New York Police Department (NYPD) officers in the last 15 years. Only three deaths led to an indictment in the state court. One officer has been convicted for killing a civilian, and he didn’t serve jail time.Currently, the national media is running almost-daily stories about policy brutality throughout the States, and the long-held view that police officers are taking advantage of their power is spreading. The shooting of two NYPD police officers over the weekend did not bring the police and protesters together in solidarity, but escalated tensions and encouraged finger pointing.
The police feel stereotyped. The public feels brutalised. Trust between law enforcement and the communities it serves is fundamentally fraying.
Read the full debate here.
Sam Bowman discusses the 1.8% spending cuts to local council budgets on The Jeremy Vine Show
Deputy Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, spoke to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 about the 1.8% spending cuts for local English councils. Listen here. (Starts 39:55)
The ASI's work on immigration policy is featured in the Daily Telegraph
The Adam Smith Institute's pro-immigration work was featured in the Daily Telegraph:
Meanwhile back on the immigration debate, Boris is hardly alone in his argument that the free movement of people across borders enriches us. While Ukip, the Conservative leadership and at least some of the Labour Party talk up their willingness to restrict immigration, a curious band of political actors is putting the contrary view.
Among the most enthusiastic supporters of a more liberal approach to immigration are the Institute of Directors and the Adam Smith Institute, generally perceived as bastions of the free-market Right.
Read the full article here.
Kate Andrews debates the gender wage gap on Sky News
Communications Manager at the Adam Smith Institute, Kate Andrews, debated comedian and left-wing activist Kate Smurthwaite on Sky News over the real reasons behind the gender pay gap.
TEN's report "Made in the UK" is featured in the Huffington Post UK
Recent research published by The Entrepreneurs Network, Made in the UK, was featured in Tim Farron MP's blog for the Huffington Post UK:
The Government has tried to make provision for entrepreneurs who want to stay and generate businesses and jobs here, creating a new visa - the Graduate Entrepreneur Visa - to allow business-minded graduates a limited time to start their business here. But take up is pitiful. A recent survey by The Entrepreneurs Network found that "Just 2% of respondents intending to start a business following graduation applied for the UK Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa, with almost two thirds, 62%, saying they didn't even consider it... only 18% think that the UK has better post-study processes in place for international students than other countries; 32% think it is worse than other countries."
Read the full article here.
As vendors count the cost of the Amazon 1p glitch, is more protection needed for sellers? - Charlotte Bowyer argues no in CityAM Forum
The Adam Smith Institute's Head of Digital Policy, Charlotte Bowyer, argues against further regulatory protections for sellers in the CityAM Forum.
Charlotte Bowyer, a digital policy researcher at the Adam Smith Institute, says No.
The RepricerExpress pricing glitch is a devastating and expensive error, but fortunately a rare one. Certainly, an hour’s glitch affecting third-party Amazon software is not enough to warrant new seller protection.
Ultimately, RepricerExpress customers voluntarily agreed to their terms of service, which state that vendors are liable for losses.
While outsourcing can reduce costs, it presents risks – especially when used for both pricing and fulfilment.
Requiring firms to insure against every hypothetical disaster would be prohibitively expensive. Increasing seller protections beyond the market level would reduce the choice and functionality of vendor software, while significantly raising the cost of these tools.
The best regulation here is reputation. Amazon has already gone beyond its obligations, averting a PR disaster by cancelling orders and protecting vendor feedback.
And if people no longer trust a service or disagree with its terms, they don’t have to use it.
Read the full article here.
Is the OECD right that inequality has significantly curbed economic growth? - Ben Southwood argues 'no' in the CityAM Forum
Head of Research at the Adam Smith Institute, Ben Southwood, argued against the recent OECD report that found income inequality curbs growth in the CityAM Forum:
Ben Southwood, head of research at the Adam Smith Institute, says No.
International cross-sectional studies like the OECD’s – which compare different countries at one point in time – are prone to errors. This is true even if you look at a group of similar (rich) countries like the OECD, which includes Sweden on the one hand and Mexico on the other.
Countries that punish crime harshly may have more crime, but that doesn’t mean punishing crime harshly increases crime.
Countries with more doctors may have more disease, but we’d expect that doctors are a response to disease, not a cause.
Similarly, countries with less inequality may have more growth, but cutting inequality may not boost growth.
For such questions, it’s better to use time-series data. And if you look at countries or regions where inequality jumps, growth typically jumps as well.
A highly-cited paper by Kristin Forbes, for example, found “an increase in a country’s level of income inequality has a significant positive relationship with subsequent economic growth.”
Read the full debate here.