Institute of Economic Affairs

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)

Background

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is a London-based free-market think-tank and "educational charity" founded in 1955 by the late Sir Anthony Fisher with the mission "to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems." [1]

According to an archived version of their website, "Since 1974 the IEA has played an active role in developing similar institutions across the globe. Today there exists a world-wide network of over one hundred institutions in nearly eighty countries. All are independent but share in the IEA's mission." [2]

According to SourceWatch, IEA is the head of a network of similar UK organizations including the Atlas Economic Research Foundation and the International Policy Network, both closely-related charities also founded by Anthony Fisher.

Stance on Climate Change

"Government intervention in the name of energy sustainability is the major threat to real energy sustainability and the provision of affordable, reliable energy to growing economies worldwide. Free-market structures and the wealth generated by markets help communities to best adapt to climate change." [3]

Funding

According to their website, "The IEA is an educational charity (No CC 235 351) and independent research institute limited by guarantee. The Institute is entirely independent of any political party or group, and is entirely funded by voluntary donations from individuals, companies and foundations who want to support its work, plus income from book sales and conferences. It does no contract work and accepts no money from government." [2]

According to ExxonSecrets, the closely-tired charity titled American Friends of the Institute for Economic Affairs has received at least $50,000 from ExxonMobil since 1998.

Media Transparency also lists a number of grants to the Institute of Economic Affairs, as of 2005 (archived): [4]

 

Key People

As of November, 2012: [5]

Staff

  • Mark Littlewood — Director General.
  • Philip Booth — Editorial and Programme Director.
  • Glynn Brailsford — Chief Operating Officer.
  • Rebecca Connorton — Events Manager.
  • Stephen Davies — Education Director. Previous program officer at the Institute for Humane Studies.
  • Christiana Hambro — External Relations Manager. Prevous Development Manager, The Freedom Association.
  • Stephanie Lis — Communications Officer. Previous Campaign Manager, The Freedom Association.
  • Kristian Niemietz — Poverty Research Fellow.
  • Kimberley Painter — Executive Assistant to the Director General.
  • Tom Papworth — Development Manager.
  • Ruth Porter — Communications Director.
  • Clare Rusbridge — Office Manager and Company Secretary.
  • Gabriel Sahlgren — Research Fellow.
  • Christopher Snowdon — Research Fellow.
  • Richard Wellings — Deputy Editorial Director.

 

Trustees

 

Fellows

  • Dalibor Rohac — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • Amarendra Swarup — IEA Finance Fellow.
  • Andrew Lilico — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • Armin J Kammel — IEA Law and Economics Fellow.
  • Cento Veljanovski — IEA Law and Economics Fellow.
  • Elaine Sternberg — IEA Philosophy and Corporate Governance Fellow.
  • Robert L Bradley — IEA Energy and Climate Change Fellow.
  • James Bartholomew — IEA Social Policy Fellow.
  • James Croft — IEA Education Research Fellow.
  • Jamie Whyte — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • John Blundell — IEA Distinguished Senior Fellow.
  • Keith Boyfield — IEA Regulation Fellow.
  • Kristian Niemietz — IEA Poverty Research Fellow.
  • Nick Silver — IEA Pensions Fellow.
  • Dennis O'Keeffe — IEA Education and Welfare Fellow.
  • J R Shackleton — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • John Bourn — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • Mark Pennington — IEA Political Economy Fellow.
  • Tim Congdon CBE — IEA Economics Fellow.
  • Richard D North — IEA Media Fellow.
  • Ruth Lea — IEA Regulation Fellow.
  • Terry Arthur — IEA Pensions and Financial Regulation Fellow.

 

Honorary Fellows

  • Armen A Alchian
  • Basil S Yamey CBE
  • Chiaki Nishiyama
  • David Laidler
  • Gordon Tullock
  • James M Buchanan
  • Michael Beenstock
  • Ronald H Coase
  • Alan Peacock
  • Vernon L Smith
  • Samuel Brittan

 

Advisory Council

  • Richard Wellings — Director.
  • Paul Withrington
  • Gabriel Roth
  • Gabriel H. Sahlgren — Research Fellow.
  • Oliver Knipping — President, Institute for Free Enterprise.
  • David Starkie
  • Martin Ricketts — Chairman.
  • Anja Merz
  • Cento Veljanovski
  • Eileen Marshall CBE
  • Elaine Sternberg
  • Ingrid A Gregg
  • Jerry L Jordan
  • John Meadowcroft
  • Lynne Kiesling
  • Razeen Sally
  • Roger Bate
  • Samuel Gregg
  • Graham Bannock
  • Jane S Shaw
  • Nigel Essex
  • Alan Morrison
  • Alberto Benegas-Lynch, Jr
  • Antonio Martino
  • Chandran Kukathas
  • Charles K Rowley
  • Colin Robinson
  • Daniel B Klein
  • David de Meza
  • David Greenaway
  • David Henderson
  • David Parker
  • Donald J Boudreaux
  • Forrest Capie
  • Geoffrey E Wood
  • J R Shackleton
  • James Tooley
  • John Burton
  • Julian Morris
  • Keith Hartley
  • Kevin Dowd
  • Lawrence H White
  • N F R Crafts
  • Nicola Tynan
  • Pascal Salin
  • Paul Ormerod
  • Pedro Schwartz
  • Peter M Jackson
  • Richard A Epstein
  • Roland Vaubel
  • Stephen C Littlechild
  • Steve H Hanke
  • Steven N S Cheung
  • Tim Congdon CBE
  • Victoria Curzon-Price
  • W Stanley Siebert
  • Walter E Williams
  • Walter E Grinder
     

Actions

Ongoing

The Institute of Economic Affairs has issued a number of publications that challenge the science behind man-made climate change. These include:

 

September 5, 2011

Hosted an event by climate change skeptic Fred Singer titled "The Big Global Warming Debate: Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate."

According to the conference description, "If climate change is natural, if there is no appreciable Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW), then there is little we can do about it. We'd better just adapt -- as humans have been doing for many millennia." [6]

November 23, 2009

Held an event titled "The Copenhagen Summit: Do Science and Economics Support Government Action on Climate Change?"

Speakers included climate change skeptics Nigel Lawson and Fred Singer. The conference description suggests that policies to reduce carbon emissions will cause consumers to "face higher bills as businesses pass on the additional costs." [7]

Related Organizations

Resources

  1. "About us," Institute of Economic Affairs. Accessed November 11, 2012.

  2. "About the IEA," Institute of Economic Affairs. Archived March 14, 2010.

  3. "Climate Alarmism Reconsidered," Institute of Economic Affairs, November 17, 2004.

  4. "Recipient Grants: Institute of Economic Affairs," Media Transparency. Archived December 21, 2005.

  5. "People," Institute for Economic Affairs. Accessed November 17, 2012.

  6. "The Big Global Warming Debate: Nature, Not Human Activity, Rules the Climate," Institute of Economic Affairs, September 5, 2011.

  7. "The Copenhagen Summit: Do Science and Economics Support Government Action on Climate Change?", Institute of Economic Affairs. November 23, 2009.

  8. "Institute of Economic Affairs," SourceWatch.

  9. "Institute of Economic Affairs",  Wikipedia.

  10. ExxonSecrets Factsheet: AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, IEA.

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institute for economic affairs
IEA
Antony Fisher
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
international policy network
Centre for Research into Post-Communist Economies
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American Friends of the Institute for Economic Affairs