Adam Smith Institute

Classic and essential texts from Locke, Smith, Bastiat, Burke, Mill, Hume, Hayek, Mises, and others on the fundamental tennents of liberal thought such as Freedom, Compeition, and Tolerance.

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Britain's ace quango-hunter stalks his costly quarry once again. He reviews the history and growth of quangos and the departments with the worst record in harbouring them. Then he proposes sunset legislation by which quangos would face automatic extinction after a few years, and ne disclosure rules for the quangurus. Despite being written over 10 years ago it's still relevant to the debate on quangos today. Especially in light of the governments over reliance on them and the ceaseless expansion of both their numbers and their size.

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This paper examines the place of excise duties on alcohol within the British fiscal system. It argues that United Kingdom taxes are by international standards heavy on beer, even heavier on wine and very heavy on spirits. These duties on alcohol are the result of historical accident and political pressures and have little or no economic rationale.

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Governments should aim for zero inflation, since even moderate inflation leads to higher interest rates, business failures and ultimately higher unemployment. 5 years before the Bank of England were granted nonminal indpendence, Charles Hanson called for monetary policy to be given over to them, as successfully deomonstrated by New Zealand.

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Privatization can spread wealth and reduce budget deficits in post-communist and developing countries, say contributors to the Sixth London Conference on Privatization, including Guy de Selliers,Eduardo Modiano, Ibrahim Elwan & Ustun Sanver.

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