The Adam Smith Institute is one of the world's leading think tanks. Independent, non-profit and non-partisan, we work to promote libertarian 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.

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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, not NHS wages, 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.