EYE ON EUROPE STOCKHOLM NETWORK – LINKING EUROPE’S LEADING POLICYMAKERS AND THINKERS ISSUE THREE
WINTER 2004/05
BJØRN AGAIN GLOBAL CRISES, GLOBAL SOLUTIONS by Bjørn Lomborg (Cambridge University Press, £19.99) Bjørn Lomborg, fresh from the controversy and sustained success of The Skeptical Environmentalist (2001), is back with a new opus. In Global Crises, Global Solutions Lomborg sketches out the ultimate big picture and asks: with an extra $50 billion, what are the ten greatest challenges facing the earth today and how could that $50 billion best be spent on each of these issues to achieve the most beneficial outcomes? The text identifies and examines the ten greatest problem areas facing the world today, such as climate change, communicable diseases, malnutrition and hunger, sanitation and access to clean water, and subsidies and trade barriers. However, the controversy stems from Lomborg’s prioritisation of these issues in order of those about which the world can do the most good, for the least money, now.This approach is unique within foreign aid and NGO circles, and Global Crisis, Global Solutions CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
IS BRITAIN A NANNY STATE? IN THE last twelve months, the Labour Government in Britain has banned or imposed regulations on hunting, the smacking of children, smoking, the consumption of unhealthy foods, antisocial behaviour and binge-drinking. Fifty years ago, this would have left the gentry with much spare time at the weekends. And today it remains a class issue. But hunting aside, it is the working class upon whom these restrictions weigh most heavily. As a recent Economist editorial argued, ‘the smokers and chocolate munchers are disproportionately poor, which makes the government feel uncomfortable. If the poor refuse to help themselves, it feels, something must be done to help them.’
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As Bob Wells once quipped, ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite government programme’, and the history of modern government has indeed been the history of the evolving convergence of the state and civil society. As Niall Dickson, Director of the King’s Fund, recently argued, “what might be considered unacceptable interference in one age might be uncontroversial in another”. Few would now object to the 1870s Education Act which made schooling compulsory. Nor could a strong case be put forth that London has not benefited from the contemporary government decision to build a municipal sewerage system following several outbreaks of cholera. Yet the growing dissent against bureaucratic creep has a long history in the West.The authors CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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EYE ON EUROPE
DIRECTOR’S REPORT The Stockholm Network had a bumper year in 2004 and things look set for another packed 12 months ahead. Two new staff members, Anne Jensen, our Administrator, and Terence O’Dwyer, our Research Officer, joined the Network towards the end of last year and we are happy to welcome them both on board.You can read more about them in our staff profiles on page 9.
reform. We will also be extending last year’s healthcare poll, Impatient for Change, into 3 new countries, asking Hungary, Poland and Slovakia what the prospects are for healthcare reform, with launches planned in May.
Last but not least, we will shortly be announcing details of our new IP and competition programme, which will examine the conditions for a more competitive market in Europe in which there is strong protection for intellectual property rights.The programme will include the launch of a new monthly e-newsletter digesting the latest in IP news, from developments at WIPO through to counterfeiting and the future for TRIPS after 2005. Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous New Year and hoping to see you putting networking into action soon, be it in Westminster, Brussels or Budapest.
Our two regular debate series, the Westminster Fringe and the Amigo Society, are now in full flow with recent debates spanning topics as diverse as the democratisation of science, Ukraine’s political future and the prospects for healthcare reform in Belgium. Looking forward to the spring, the Stockholm Network will be turning its sights eastwards with a major conference and research project focused on the new member states. In February, we will be partnering with the Centre for the New Europe on a full-day event asking ‘Does the West know best?’ which will examine whether the EU-15 can learn from the east’s more radical approach to social and economic
BJØRN AGAIN CONTINUED constitutes a rare triumph for level-headed economics over sentimental irrationalism. Following his last book, Lomborg received volumes of opprobrium on the basis that he wasn’t a qualified environmentalist, a climate scientist or a left-leaning subscriber to green, multinational NGO thinking.This time around, however, Lomborg has neatly side-stepped these accusations by inviting world class specialists to deliver a paper on each of the ten subject areas. Moreover, a further two experts were asked to present two opposing views on each subject. A team of top economists, including three Nobel Prize winners, were then asked to review these thirty papers and prioritise the ten issues on a cost/benefit and cost/effectiveness rationale. Lomborg’s own role, then, was as an editor, coordinator and ultimately, a prize giver. So who can do most with $50 billion? Inevitably, the book kicks off with climate change, yet its opening chapters are quite hard going. Economics may be the dismal science, but climate science is incomprehensible to mere mortals. What can be discerned is that yes, global warming is taking place, and that yes, some of it is man-made. However, there is not much we can do about it, and the economists all concur that the Kyoto protocol will do more economic harm than environmental good. 2
Ditto for an optimal carbon tax or a value at risk carbon tax, and intriguingly, there is a consensus that all three of these options would cost more than simply doing nothing. If at this point, committed mainstream environmentalists and fans of the movie, The Day After Tomorrow (or even Kevin Costner’s Waterworld) choose to stop reading however, it would be a mistake. The text covers an impressive range of subjects. For example, it tackles the efficacy of conflict prevention with particular reference to internecine conflict.Take Afghanistan.The US currently spends around $12b annually on its military deployment there, and Lomborg argues that a cessation of their $3.4b subsidy to US cotton farmers, which prevents Afghan farmers growing this crop, would significantly reduce poppy-growing.This in turn would significantly reduce the warlord’s capacity to fund their private armies, long the major source of unrest in the region. Such gems of information and analysis make the book an illuminating and enjoyable read. But which reforms were the winners? By a large margin, investment in the prevention of communicable diseases came out in front. Each year, nearly 3.5 million people die from HIV/AIDS and nearly 3m from malaria. In 2000, a year long course of these drugs would have cost $10,000. By 2003, that price had dropped to $300, and the large-scale treatment of HIV/AIDS is now a realisable proposition. Equally, low-tech solutions such as mosquito
nets and chemical sprays are effective in preventing the spread of malaria, even if, as experts make clear, progress in eradicating the disease has been slow. One of the text’s surprise findings, though, is that strengthening basic health services would not be particularly beneficial. This book should be compulsive, if not compulsory reading, for every aid agency, international NGO and government official involved in foreign aid. Nowhere else is so much highly informative data available in one densely packed edition. If the book does have a failing, it’s the absence of an index, which makes cross-referencing region-specific issues difficult. While the statistical and economic analyses may seem cold to some, Lomborg is clearly passionate about their importance. He should be congratulated on producing a onestop shop of effective policy solutions for the world’s most pressing problems. If only they could be adopted with the same widespread enthusiasm as the flawed Kyoto Protocol. Dan Lewis
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IS BRITAIN A NANNY STATE? CONTINUED of the American Constitution, wary of the monarchical tyranny of the Old World, specifically provided that the federal government could not fund the ‘general welfare’. Similarly, the British government long resisted the introduction of socially redistributive legislation. The poor laws, introduced in the 17th century to provide the indolent with jobs in the workhouse, were gradually amended during the 19th century to provide financial assistance to the housebound.
WESTMINSTER FRINGE DEBATES
But if the turn of the century saw the beginning of the end for the small state, it wasn’t until David Lloyd George’s ‘People’s Budget’ in 1909, and FDR’s ‘New Deal’ in the 1930s that the scope of government was vastly increased. In the aftermath of World War Two many European nations followed suit, sincere in their belief that the state should accept responsibility for the provision of comprehensive and universal welfare, for it was under these circumstances that its citizens would best flourish. Over time, the state has extended its bureaucratic remit from purely economic provision through the cultivation of its own social apparatus into the dispensing of lifestyle advice. Within this framework, the Stockholm Network and the Economist recently held a debate to examine the proposition that ‘A Nanny State is better than a Neglectful one.’ So what role should the government play in society? There is an argument that banning a substance based purely on the damage it causes is both inconsistent and impractical. For example, if the wider costs of alcohol and tobacco abuse (for this is what addiction constitutes) were compared, the former would be banned outright and the latter ignored. Indeed, it has been suggested that smokers are, in terms of tax paid versus medical costs incurred, a net gain for the health service. Such a ban, however, would rend the social fabric of Britain asunder, and politicians are less inclined to court unpopularity than most. But smoking does harm those who inhale, and legislation banning tobacco advertising on television in the 1960s, and the Conservatives’ decision to steeply raise the tax on tobacco in 1991 have both contributed to its declining popularity. Equally powerful have been the government’s decades-long campaign to educate people, at times rather graphically, about the dangers of smoking. So as many, including the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, have argued, the government’s ‘near total ban is just a final push: 70% of smokers want to give up anyway.’ What harm an encouraging nudge from the State? Some politicians and opinion leaders on the left agree that, as Mr Dickson argued, WINTER 2004/05
“We should all begin with the premise that governments are right to hesitate before interfering in people’s lives”. Not all take this view, however. Minister for Children Margaret Hodge (surely the only minister entirely unaccountable to her portfolio constituency) recently stated “for me it’s not a question of whether we should intrude in family life, but how and when.” Such a view may seem extreme, even by European standards, but it reflects an increasing despair about the breakdown of the family unit and civil society at large. And the government has a legitimate role in curbing the harm that an individual’s actions cause to others. However, evidence about the dangers of secondary smoke remains inconclusive.The government therefore also made the case that secondary smoke in, for example, restaurants and bars is a public nuisance. But in doing so, they have raised questions about the nature of the market, and of liberal democracy. The increasing demand for a smoke-free evening out has been met by the market, and many establishments have long had smoking sections or implemented a voluntary ban. However, the market has and will continue to fail to provide information to individuals about, for example, the dangers of smoking. Successive governments have taken up this role, and much good work has been done. As the Economist once argued, ‘smokers have been made to feel stupid; which, since they are, is just as it should be.’
certainly be a good thing, but the question ultimately is ‘how will information be used?’ Living in a liberal democracy affords us both rights and responsibilities.The public is loath to have its rights curtailed, but the increasing bureaucratisation of the state poses an equal threat to our responsibilities. One such responsibility, perhaps self-evidently, is to take responsibility for ourselves, our families, and our society. When our actions harm others, it is right that there are sanctions. But these sanctions should not be purely legal in nature. As Michael Gove, Assistant Editor of The Times recently argued, “it’s not just law which has existed for hundreds of thousands of years in order to circumscribe anti-social behaviour. There is also shame, social ostracism or the prospect of professional ruin”. Legislative restriction on the action of the individual increasingly discourages the selfregulation of society, and governments must realise that doing anything more than encouraging people to help themselves is the more irresponsible course. However, ministers are unlikely to abstain from the urge to regulate anytime soon. Indulging oneself is, after all, rather easier than changing ones mind. For more information on Westminster Fringe debates, contact sacha@stockholm-network.org
If too many remain unconvinced, it is here that the state’s resources are best employed. Mr Dickson argued that “[he regarded] the state dictating to manufacturers how and what they tell us (about their products) to be an act of liberation, not enslavement.” Increasing corporate disclosure, in all areas of business, would 3
EYE ON EUROPE
PROFILE: TAXPAYER’S ALLIANCE
THE TAXPAYERS’ ALLIANCE (TPA) was founded by Andrew Allum, Matthew Elliott and Florence Heath as an independent grassroots campaign group for lower taxes in the United Kingdom.
To illustrate the enormity of the waste, £50 billion is enough to completely abolish both council tax and corporation tax entirely in the UK. The Bumper Book received widespread coverage in the national media including a unique achievement for a British free market publication – a mention in ‘News in Briefs’ – the section in Britain’s biggest selling tabloid newspaper where their ‘girl of the day’ comments on the news.
WHAT THEY DO Launched in 2004 and less than a year old, the TaxPayers’ Alliance is fast establishing itself as a coherent and professional voice for taxpayers in the United Kingdom.The primary objectives of the TPA are to:
Since then, the TaxPayers’ Alliance has continued to attract strong coverage, and now has one full-time member of staff – Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive – and a number of part-time members of staff.
To reverse the perception that big government is necessary and irreversible To explain the benefits of a low tax economy To give taxpayers a voice in the corridors of power and To oppose EU tax harmonisation The TPA achieves these objectives by: maintaining a campaign website at www.taxpayersalliance.com publishing newsletters, pamphlets and other materials participating in radio and television broadcasts and media interviews liaising with like-minded organisations in the United Kingdom and abroad and liaising with individuals and groups affected by taxation The TPA is aided in its work by a distinguished Advisory Council, which includes John Blundell (IEA), Ruth Lea (CPS) and Eamonn Butler (ASI).
WHERE THEY FIT IN Before the TaxPayers’ Alliance was established, Britain was an international aberration in not having a group to represent taxpayers.There are taxpayer groups in over forty developed countries around the world: In France, the Contribuables Associés (the Taxpayers Association) has over 135,000 supporters (see www.contribuables.net) Germany has the German Taxpayers Association and in 2003 Der Steuersong (The Tax Song) attacking Gerhard Schröder’s tax rises reached the top of Germany’s music charts (see www.steuerzahler-bayern.de) 4
contact: www.taxpayersalliance.com Skattebetalarnas förening, the Swedish Taxpayers Association has over 200,000 paying members – an incredible 1 in 45 of the population – and led the campaign to secure major income tax cuts in the early 1990s (see www.skattebetalarna.se) And, of course, the United States has many national groups, such as Americans for Tax Reform (www.atr.org) and the National Taxpayers Union (www.ntu.org), as well as countless state-level taxpayer groups which energetically and successfully campaign for lower taxes Taxpayer groups have a long and successful heritage of preventing tax increases and campaigning for lower taxes.The TPA is fast becoming as vocal as its sister groups are abroad.
The TPA’s website allows supporters to register for Tax-O-Meter alerts – a weekly email sent out at 9:31am on Wednesday morning signifying that they are now working for themselves rather than the tax man. And they have just launched the Tax Aggravation Index to give members of the public and businesses the opportunity to rate different taxes against certain criteria such as simplicity and transparency.
PROSPECTS The TPA is very different to traditional free market think tanks which publish scholarly monographs, organise conferences and hold regular lectures to promote their agenda to top opinion formers. It is essentially a free market grassroots campaign speaking to the public and working closely with the media. Michael Gove, Assistant Editor of The Times, believes that “The TaxPayers’ Alliance is paving the way for the next Conservative Government to implement a low tax agenda to reverse the damage done by Brownite economics. Long may their good work continue.”
WHAT HAVE THEY DONE The TPA’s launch publication in February 2004 was the Bumper Book of Government Waste and Useless Spending which lists over £50 billion of wasteful and useless spending and argues that each household in the UK could be £2,000 better off without affecting any frontline services.
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PROFILE: CAUSA LIBERAL
CAUSA LIBERAL was formally founded in November 2002 by a group of individuals in Portugal who sought to create an organisation that could effectively promote the principles of classical liberalism (and the policies inspired by those principles) in a political and intellectual context which has traditionally been averse to those ideas.The organisation is the result of the development of an informal group that had been meeting regularly since 2001.
Although united by a strong commitment to classical liberal principles, Causa Liberal does not endorse any particular political party, and its members represent a wide range of political affiliations.
FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS AND FUTURE PLANS
WHAT THEY DO Causa Liberal is an independent, non-profit organisation of Portuguese individuals who share the principles of the classical liberal tradition and wish to further its application in modern day Portugal. Its primary goals are to establish and consolidate a network of individuals with an interest in the study, discussion and promotion of the classical liberal tradition, and to advance free market ideas and policies in Portugal. Causa Liberal’s members come from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including professors, lawyers, economists and entrepreneurs. The organisation holds regular meetings for discussion, promotes conferences and workshops on specific topics and maintains its (primarily Portuguese-language) website. Additionally, several of Causa Liberal’s members have an active presence both in traditional media (mostly writing op-eds in newspapers), and in new media, playing an active role in some of the most popular and influential Portuguese weblogs. The topics of past conferences and meetings organised by Causa Liberal have ranged from general issues of political philosophy to more applied concerns such as the promotion of greater choice in education policy or the practical implications of Portuguese integration in the European Union. Recently, on June 2004, Causa Liberal assisted the Atlas Economic Research Foundation in organising its first ever event in Portugal.The resulting workshop, presided over by Colombian Ambassador Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza, proved to be a valuable forum for WINTER 2004/05
contact: ww.causaliberal.net discussing several international policy subjects and developing contacts between Portuguese and Latin American institutions and individuals interested in promoting the ideas of a free society. The presence of Brazillian think tankers from Instituto Liberdade was particularly important for the strengthening of transatlantic ties.
Causa Liberal will soon be publishing the Portuguese translation of Professor Jesús Huerta de Soto’s book on the Austrian School of Economics (Escola Austríaca: mercado e criatividade empresarial). A second book project, likely to be the translation and publication of a work by Ludwig von Mises, is currently under evaluation. As well as its editorial projects, Causa Liberal seeks to promote greater exposure to free market ideas in Portugal through increased participation in media projects. Also central to Causa Liberal’s goals is the further development of a consistent network of Portuguese classical liberal scholars from different scientific areas and the establishment of closer connections with policy leaders. Causa Liberal also seeks to reinforce its connections with the wider market-oriented international community, with a particular emphasis on Europe, the United States, Brazil and the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa.
WHAT THEY BELIEVE The organisation’s motto is “Individual Freedom under the Law,” and Causa Liberal considers its mission to defend the principles of the free society and its building blocks: individual rights, the rule of law, free markets and private property. As stated in its Declaration of Principles, Causa Liberal’s commitment to freedom is closely linked to the belief that liberty is a necessary condition for the moral development and dignity of the human person. Furthermore, Causa Liberal seeks to promote an adequate understanding of the proper roles of a limited government and believes that greater economic freedom and a reduced public sector are essential to foster sustainable economic growth and a vibrant civil society. 5
EYE ON EUROPE
NETWORK MEMBER PROFILES
Adriatic Institute for Public Policy Country: Croatia
Centre for the Study of Democracy Country: Bulgaria
David Hume Institute Country: Scotland
www.adriaticinsitute.org
www.csd.bg
www.davidhumeinstitute.com
A brand-new member of the Stockholm Network, the Adriatic Institute for Public Policy (AIPP) will continue its media campaign to promote ‘Seven Strategic Recommendations for Economic Growth in Croatia’. Each recommendation centres on a specific area of policy: tax reform, privatisation and deregulation, labour market reform, property rights and the rule of law, free trade, corruption, and government bureaucracy and waste. The AIPP will also be hosting a seminar for journalists on free market environmentalism, and a seminar on developing and integrating capital markets in early 2005. In June, they will be hosting their second annual International Leaders Summit to discuss issues of economic importance to emerging and established democracies.The seminars and discussion groups will focus on encouraging economic growth and unleashing the forces of the free market. Centre for Social and Economic Research Country: Poland
The Sofia-based Centre for the Study of Democracy will host a roundtable on Measuring Crime in Bulgaria: A Way to Strengthen Crime-fighting Capacity in January 2005. The discussion will focus on the introduction of an objective and independent system for gathering and analysing crime rate data. Previous research has indicated fluctuating confidence of the Bulgarian public in the official crime rate data. The CSD system will aim to help society and policymakers to comprehend more clearly the situation in the country and facilitate the development of effective policies. The CSD also will host a conference on the 8-9th April examining the role of the Bulgaria Judiciary in the EU Accession process, and possible strategies for reforming its investigatory and prosecutorial branches.The event will feature members of Bulgaria’s judiciary, European Commission delegates and representatives from nongovernmental organisations, the PHARE countries (CEE Accession nations) and Spain. Accompanying the conference will be a report on procedures of Investigation and Prosecution in the EU Member States.
www.case.com The Centre for the Social and Economic Research in Warsaw will host a conference on ‘Europe after the Enlargement’ on 8-9th April.The event will feature speakers from across Europe, and discussion seminars on such topics as the ‘Constitutional Future of the EU’, ‘The Economic and Social Consequences of Population Aging’ and ‘The Future Eastern and South-Eastern borders of the EU’.
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Circulo de Empresarios Country: Spain www.circulodeempresarios.org The Circulo de Empresarios will launch its traditional ‘Brown Book’ on the 16th of February. Entitled ‘Europe vs. United States: Flexibility, Growth and Wellbeing’, the text is a collection of economic essays examining topics around these themes.
The David Hume Institute will be hosting its Spring Seminar Series at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Professor Michael Powers of the LSE and the Centre for the Analysis of Risk and Regulation will speak on ‘the politics of uncertainty’ on the 24th February. In March Professor Orley Ashenfelter of Princeton will speak on ‘the globalisation of labour markets’ and on 28th April Professor Sir David Tweedie of the International Accounting Standards Board will speak on ‘Global Markets, Investment, Management and the Role of Financial Reporting.’ E.G.West Centre Country: England www.ncl.ac.uk In 2005 the E.G West Centre will publish the findings from its three year global study on the role and development of private schools for the poor in China, India, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria. Based upon these findings the E.G. West Centre will also be launching ‘Private Schools International’ an international NGO which will bring together private schools associations from across the developing world. Free Democratic Country: Norway www.freedemocratic.org Free Democratic, a libertarian think tank based in Oslo, will be hosting two conferences in the Spring of 2005. One conference will examine Globalisation, while the other will focus on the Austrian School of Economics.Venue and timings TBC. ISSUE THREE
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Free Democratic will continue to update their on-line libertarian bookstore, Bauta Books, in the New Year.The bookstore features a wide selection of free market publications, such as the seminal texts of Friedrich von Hayek, Frederic Bastiat and Herbert Spencer, as well as more recent studies of globalisation, objectivism and the environment. The bookstore is available at www.bauta.no. Institut Montaigne Country: France www.institutmontaigne.org
Liberales Institute Country: Switzerland
Poder Limitado Country: Spain
www.libinst.ch
www.poderlimitado.org
The Liberales Institute will host Dr Hardy Bouillon, Chairman of the Centre for the New Europe’s Academic Advisory Board to discuss ‘the role of private property today’.The event will be held at the Lyceum Club in Zurich on February 24th. Liberalni Institute Country: Czech Republic
Poder Limitado will launch its new website in April, which will focus on international issues, specifically the impact of welfare reform in the United States on countries in Latin America.The construction of this new website has been funded by the Fundación Libertad in Panama, and will allow Poder Limitado to link up with the Red Liberal (Liberal Web), a network of Spanish and Latin American libertarian think tanks.
www.pcpe.libinst.cz The Institut Montaigne (IM) will be releasing two policy papers in February. A Rapport de l’Institut will advocate the reform of the current French national audit system and propose the creation of a National Comptroller Office to audit the use of taxpayers’ money. In a Note de l’Institut by Denise Siber and Laurent Castra, IM will argue that not-for-profit private hospitals strike the ideal balance between good management (which public hospitals lack) and affordable modern healthcare (which private enterprises struggle to offer). IM will also host a conference on 2nd March featuring former cabinet members Claude Allègre (tbc) and Francis Mer to discuss ‘How to reform by opening a second track’. In March, IM will publish policy papers on the economics and environmental effects of globalisation, and experimental primary schools.They will also co-host a conference with the European Ideas Network on March 16th to examine demographics, immigration and growth, and will host Nobel-prize winner Gary Becker for a lecture the following day.
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The Czech think tank will be hosting a major conference in Prague on Political Economy in April. ‘New perspectives in Austrian Economics and Political Economy of Freedom’ will consist of three days of lectures and debates on economics, history, philosophy and politics with leading theorists from Europe and overseas.The aim is to resurrect the tradition of Austrian economics and promote liberty oriented thinking. It will be held at the University of Economics in Prague and at the Liberální Institut – for further information please contact simon.bilo@liberton.sk. Nova Civitas Country: Belgium www.novacivitas.org Nova Civitas Antwerp will host a series of debate over the next few months, including a debate on the reform of the Belgian state in March, and a forum on the issue of ‘political correctness’ in May. Nova Civitas Ghent has plans for an event on the European Constitution in April, and are currently looking for a co-sponsor. Before that, NC Ghent will organize a debate on multiculturalism with representatives of many ethnic groups in Flanders. 7
EYE ON EUROPE
ABOUT THE NETWORK
WHAT IS THE STOCKHOLM NETWORK? The Stockholm Network is a one-stop shop for organisations seeking to work with Europe’s brightest policymakers and thinkers. Our unique network of over 120 marketoriented think tanks in Europe and further afield, gives us the capacity to deliver local messages and locally-tailored global messages across the EU and beyond. Joining the Stockholm Network gives you unparalleled access to the best European policy thinking, the opportunity to lead debates and change the climate of ideas in Europe and the chance to meet the key players in shaping the policy debates of tomorrow.
WHAT POLICY ISSUES DO WE DISCUSS? The Network is interested in ideas which stimulate economic growth and help people to help themselves. We promote policies which create the social and economic conditions for a free society.These include: Reforming European welfare states and creating a more flexible labour market Creating competition and choice in healthcare, through reform of European health systems and markets Creating a market in which world-class education can flourish Taking a practical, market-oriented look at environmental affairs Emphasising the benefits of globalisation and creating an understanding of free market ideas and institutions
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WHAT DO WE DO? The Stockholm Network maintains a website (www.stockholm-network.org) which contains a comprehensive directory of European free market think tanks and thinkers. We advertise forthcoming events (our own and those of partner organisations) and facilitate publication exchange and translation between think tanks. We also post regular news flashes and updates on European think tank activities. Our events provide an excellent opportunity for networking with high-profile European policy makers and opinion formers. Previous attendees have included: Charlotte Cederschiold,Vice President of the European Parliament; Clive Crook, Deputy Director, The Economist;Vince Cable MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor; Frits Bolkestein, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market; Conor Cruise O’Brien, author and historian; Hans Hoogervorst, then Dutch Social Security Minister, now Health Minister; Jason Turner, architect of Wisconsin and New York’s welfare to work schemes; Philippe Legrain, author of Open World: The Truth about Globalisation; Johan Norberg, author of In Defence of Global Capitalism.
HOW COULD YOU OR YOUR ORGANISATION BENEFIT FROM SN MEMBERSHIP? Expand your database by meeting new contacts from across Europe Expose your own expert voices to a wider audience Receive weekly Stockholm Network email updates and quarterly newsletters Receive Stockholm Network Books & Publications Get invitations to Stockholm Network Events & Activities
WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN THE STOCKHOLM NETWORK? Please contact us on +44 20 7354 8888 or email our Director of Programmes, Sacha Kumaria sacha@stockholm-network.org.
Our events and books have received media coverage across Europe, including BBC TV and BBC Radio 4, the Financial Times, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, La Repubblica, Le Point, The Economist, The Times, The Business, the Wall Street Journal Europe, The Sun, the Daily Express, the News of the World, Public Finance magazine, The Sprout, The New Statesman magazine, Dagens Nyheter of Sweden, Pravo of the Czech Republic and Hospodárské Noviny of the Czech Republic.Topics have ranged from labour market flexibility and tax harmonisation to health system reform, welfare to work and immigration.
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MEET THE TEAM
HELEN DISNEY is the Director of the Stockholm Network. Her background is in public policy and the media. She also undertakes consultancy work on public policy issues for corporate clients. Formerly an editorial writer for The Times and an editorial writer and commentator for the Daily Express, Helen continues to write regularly on a range of public policy topics for such publications as the Daily Express and Sunday Express, Public Finance, Public Service Magazine, and The Sprout, a satirical Brusselsbased magazine, as well as regular weekly entries for the Centre for the New Europe’s health weblog, CNE Health. She also makes regular appearances on TV and in radio debates including ‘Heart of the Matter’, ‘Kilroy’, BBC News, BBC Radio Scotland , Radio 4’s Talking Politics and the BBC World Service. Between 1996 and 2000, Helen worked at the Social Market Foundation, an independent promarket think tank in Westminster, where she was Deputy Director and Editor of The Review, a quarterly journal. She has edited a number of think-tank publications including The Sex-Change Society by Melanie Phillips, published by the Social Market Foundation, and Europe’s Welfare Burden, and Breaking Down the Barriers published by Civitas:The Institute for the Study of Civil Society for the Stockholm Network. Helen has been the Director of the Stockholm Network since 1997, and is a founding member of the organisation. She holds a degree in French and Italian from Bristol University and speaks conversational Spanish.
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ANNE KRISTINE JENSEN is the Stockholm Network’s Administrator. She joined the Network in October following a period as an intern, and is responsible for managing the office, organising events and frequently contributes to Stockholm Network publications. Anne recently completed her studies at the London School of Economics, where she obtained a Masters Degree in Political Economy with a focus on International Trade. Previously, she had studied for her undergraduate degree at the Universities of Oslo (Norway) and Gothenburg (Sweden). Anne has also worked in the political department of the Norwegian embassy in Berlin and for the Norwegian Liberal-Conservative party.
TERENCE O’DWYER is Research Officer at the Stockholm Network. He is responsible for coordinating the Amigo Society meetings and liaising with our Spanish and Portuguese think-tank members.Terry joined the Stockholm Network in July 2004. He started his career as an intern, but was brought on board as a permanent member of staff in October. After growing up in Brazil, Mexico and the USA,Terry returned to the UK to study History at the University of Durham. He then moved on to Oxford University, and holds a Masters in Latin American Studies.
SACHA KUMARIA is the Stockholm Network’s Director of Programmes. He is responsible for liaising with the member think-tanks, and co-ordinating research projects and events. He also compiles the weekly e-newsletter. Sacha joined the Stockholm Network following a successful research internship at Civitas, a civil society think-tank and Stockholm Network member in London. He previously worked parttime as a student caller during his postgraduate studies, raising money for the University of Warwick Alumni Fund. After growing up in Hong Kong, Sacha returned to the UK to continue his studies, and holds a Degree in English and American Literature and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Warwick 9
EYE ON EUROPE
MEMBER ORGANISATIONS
The Stockholm Network is Europe’s only dedicated service organisation for market-oriented think tanks and thinkers. Spanning almost 40 countries and 120 think tanks, our unique organisation has the capacity to deliver local messages and locally-tailored global messages across the EU and beyond.
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Through our publications, weekly newsletter, and special events, members are able to exchange ideas and make an impact on a wide range of public policy topics and ideas. If you know of a new organisation you think would benefit from Stockholm Network membership, please contact our office at info@stockholm-network.org and let us know.
“Free-marketers preach globalisation and international contacts, but we rarely practice as we should. The Stockholm Network’s activities and invaluable networks are changing that, by connecting the forces of European liberalism.” Johan Norberg, Timbro, Sweden & author, In Defence of Global Capitalism
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1 Adam Smith Institute 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
www.adamsmith.org England Adam Smith Society www.adamsmith.it Italy Albanian Center for Economic Research www.balkannetwork.org/albania.htm Albania Anders Chydenius Foundation www.chydenius.net/eng/index.asp Finland Association for Liberal Thinking www.liberal-dt.org.tr Turkey Association for Modern Economy www.ame.org.mk Macedonia Avenir Suisse www.avenir-suisse.ch Switzerland Balkan Network www.balkannetwork.org Balkans Bertil Ohlin Institute www.ohlininstitutet.org Sweden Bow Group www.bowgroup.org England Causa Liberal www.causaliberal.net Portugal Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies www.clds.org.yu Yugoslavia Centre for Democracy and Free Enterprise www.cdfe.cz/english Czech Republic Centre for Economic Development www.cphr.sk Slovakia Centre for European Reform www.cer.org.uk England Centre for Liberal Strategies www.cls-sofia.org Bulgaria Centre for Policy Studies www.cps.org.uk/start.htm England Centre for Political Thought www.omp.org.pl/indexang.html Poland Centre for Research into Post-Communist Economies www.crce.org.uk England Centre for the New Europe www.cne.org Belgium Centre for the Study of Democracy www.csd.bg Bulgaria Centro Einaudi www.centroeinaudi.it Italy Centrum im. Adama Smitha Poland www.adam-smith.pl Cercles Liberaux www.cerclesliberaux.com France CIDAS www.cidas.it Italy Circulo de Empresarios www.circulodeempresarios.org Spain Civic Institute www.obcinst.cz Czech Republic Civita www.civita.no Norway Civitas www.civitas.org.uk England Cortese Foundation www.fondazionecortese.it/fc_eng.htm Italy Council on Public Policy www.council.uni-bayreuth.de Germany
WINTER 2004/05
32 David Hume Institute 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
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www.davidhumeinstitute.com Scotland E.G.West Centre www.ncl.ac.uk/egwest England Economic Policy Institute www.epi-bg.org Bulgaria Edmund Burke Foundation www.burkestichting.nl/content/en/index.html Holland Edmund Burke Institute www.edmundburke-institute.com Ireland Ekome www.ekome.gr/English/default.asp Greece Eudoxa www.eudoxa.se/usa/index.html Sweden Euro 92 www.euro92.com/new/europe.php3 France European Ideas Network www.epp-ed.europarl.eu.int Belgium European Policy Centre www.theepc.net Belgium EVA www.eva.fi/eng/index.php Finland F.A. v. Hayek Institute www.hayek-institut.at Austria Fondation Concorde www.fondationconcorde.com/html/accueil.html France Fondazione Liberal www.liberalfondazione.it Italy Fondazione Luigi Einaudi www.fondeinaudiroma.it Italy Foundation for Market Economy www.fme.hu Hungary Frédéric Bastiat Stichting www.bastiatstichting.nl Netherlands Free Democratic www.freedemocratic.org Norway Free Market Centre www.fmc.org.yu Yugoslavia Friedrich Naumann Stiftung www.fnst.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-449/i.html Germany Friedrich von Hayek Gesellschaft www.hayek.de Germany Fundacion Internacional para la Libertad (FIL) www.fundacionfil.org Spain Gdansk Institute for Market Economics www.ibngr.edu.pl Poland Global Business Research Institute www.gbri.org England Hayek Foundation, Russia www.hayek.ru Russia Hayek Foundation, Slovakia www.hayek.sk Slovakia Hayek Society www.hayek.hu Hungary Health Reform.cz www.healthreform.cz Czech Republic IFRAP (French Institute for Research into Public Administration) www.ifrap.org France Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies www.iiseps.by Republic of Belarus INEKO www.ineko.sk/english Slovakia
63 Institute for Liberalism and Market Economy 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93
www.liberalismus.at Austria Institut Hayek www.fahayek.org Belgium Institut Karla Havlicka Borovskeho www.ikhb.cz Czech Republic Institut Montaigne www.institutmontaigne.org France Institute for Economic Studies Europe www.ieseurope.org France Institute for Free Enterprise www.unternehmerische-freiheit.de Germany Institute for International Relations www.imo.hr Croatia Institute for Market Economics (IME) www.ime-bg.org Bulgaria Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy www.iped.pl Poland Institute for Transitional Democracy and International Security www.itdis.org Hungary Institute Economique Molinari www.institutmolinari.org Belgium Institute of Economic Affairs www.iea.org.uk England Institute of Economic Analysis www.iea.ru Russia Institute of Economic Studies www.ioes.hi.is Iceland Institute of Economics www.eizg.hr Croatia Institute of the Third Republic www.instytut-rp.org.pl Poland Instituto de Estudios del Libre Comercio www.idelco.es Spain Instytut Liberalno-Konserwatywny www.ilk.lublin.pl Poland International Centre for Economic Research www.icer.it Italy International Council for Capital Formation www.iccfglobal.org Belgium International Policy Network www.policynetwork.net England ISSP www.isspm.org Serbia and Montenegro Istituto Bruno Leoni www.brunoleoni.it Italy Jaan Tonisson Institut www.jti.ee Estonia Jerusalem Institute for Market Economics www.jims-israel.org/pages/1/index.htm Israel Konrad Adenauer Foundation www.kas.de Germany Liberales www.liberales.be Belgium Liberales Institut www.libinst.ch/?nav=&slg=eng Switzerland Liberalni Institute www.libinst.cz/english Czech Republic Libertarian Alliance www.libertarian.co.uk England Libertas www.libertas.dk Denmark
94 Liberty Net www.libertynet.gr Greece
95 Lithuanian Free Market Institute 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120
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www.freema.org Lithuania Ludwig von Mises Institute Europe www.vonmisesinstitute-europe.org Belgium Ludwig von Mises Institute, Romania www.misesromania.org Romania Markedscentret www.markedscentret.dk Denmark M.E.S.A. 10 www.mesa10.sk/en/ Slovakia New Economic School, Georgia www.economics.ge Georgia New Economic School, Russia www.nes.ru/english Russia New Social Market Economy Foundation www.chancenfueralle.de Germany Nova Civitas www.novacivitas.org Belgium Nova Res Publica www.novarespublica.org Italy Open Republic Institute www.openrepublic.org Ireland Paradigmes www.paradigmes.com France Poderlimitado.org www.poderlimitado.org Spain Policy Exchange www.policyexchange.org.uk England Politeia www.politeia.co.uk England Project Empowerment www.project-empowerment.org England Ratio Institute www.ratioinstitutet.nu Sweden Reform www.reformbritain.com England Romania Think Tank www.thinktankromania.ro Romania Romanian Centre for Economic Policies www.cerope.ro Romania Sauvegarde Retraites www.sauvegarde-retraites.org France Social Affairs Unit www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk England Stiftung Marktwirtschaft www.stiftung-marktwirtschaft.de Germany The Taxpayers’ Alliance www.taxpayersalliance.com UK Telders Foundation www.teldersstichting.nl Holland Think Tank for International Governance Research www.tigra.at Austria Thomas More Institute www.institut-thomas-more.org Belgium Timbro www.timbro.se Sweden Ukranian Centre for Independent Political Research www.ucipr.kiev.ua/index.php?newlang=eng Ukraine
11
EYE ON EUROPE
EVENTS AND PUBLICATIONS WESTMINSTER FRINGE DEBATES
DOES THE WEST KNOW BEST? & THE CNE CAPITALIST BALL
One Great George Street, London SW1
Nine months after accession, what can the older EU nations learn from the new member states? Stockholm Network/CNE Conference February 17th – Jolly Hotel, Brussels
8th February, 2005 Ukraine’s Crisis is Russia’s Shame April 19th 2005 (tbc) My party alone understands the proper role of the market Having examined the proper role of government in the lives of its citizens, and the virtue of the increasing democratisation of science, the Westminster Fringe will examine events further afield in February before returning to the heart of the nation with an April debate just prior to the General Election. Following the recent events in the Ukraine, Dr Boris Berezovsky and Dr Andrew Wilson of UCL will argue that ‘Ukraine’s crisis is Russia’s shame’, while Mary Dejevsky of the Independent and Jonathan Steele of the Guardian will oppose the motion. Later in the Spring, some of Britain’s pre-eminent politicians will seek to persuade the forum that ‘my party alone understands the proper role of the market’. Westminster Fringe debates are held at One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA (closest tubes: Westminster and St James Park),The debate runs from 6 (for 6:30) – 8pm, and is followed by a drinks reception. For more information, please e-mail sacha@stockholm-network.org
The impressive economic growth of the new accession nations compares very favourably with the stagnating economies of the EU-15. Accession has introduced a gamut of new economic ideas – flat taxation, privatised pension provision, market-oriented healthcare systems – into the European political lexicon.
Speakers such as Christopher Fjellner MEP, and Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Miklos (TBC), will discuss their experiences and the potential application of this new economic paradigm within ‘old’ Europe. For more details, or to register for the conference, please email terry@stockholmnetwork.org The following night, Europe’s leading free market thinkers will dance the night away at the Centre for the New Europe’s third annual Capitalist Ball. For more information about, or to partake in, this evening of liberal merriment, contact cecile.philippe@cne.org
THE STATE OF THE UNION This new collection of essays by Stockholm Network authors explores the unique set of historical, cultural and social circumstances that have obstructed the path to reform in European Union member states in 2004. For more information about any of these events or publications, please contact sacha@stockholm-network.org
If you would like to order a Stockholm Network publication, please send a cheque made payable to ‘Market House International Ltd’ to the address below. Please also include £2 postage in Europe, £3 postage Rest of the World.
A Sick Business £10 Apology for Capitalism £10 Impatient for Change £12
Return Address: Stockholm Network 35 Britannia Row London N1 8WH United Kingdom www.stockholm-network.org info@stockholm-network.org
THE STOCKHOLM NETWORK 35 Britannia Row London N1 8QH United Kingdom Tel: (44) 207-354-8888 Fax: (44) 207-359-8888 E-mail: info@stockholm-network.org Website: www.stockholm-network.org
STOCKHOLM NETWORK