state

  This speech was delivered in a slightly abridged form on 21 September 2026 in Zurich at the launch of the new book Wer ist der grössere Versager: Markt oder Staat?, co-authored by Štěpán Drábek and Olivier Kessler and published by the Swiss think tank Liberales Institut. The book is available, among other places, from […]

  The doctrine of the liberal state’s upper bound: An algorithm for delimiting state intervention One of the most fundamental and contested questions in political science concerns the proper functions and scope of the state. Its importance is such that it may plausibly be regarded as the central question of political theory. Different schools of […]

  One of the most contested issues in public discourse concerns the proper scope of state intervention in citizens’ education. Different schools of thought offer divergent perspectives. Some regard the provision of public education, including at advanced levels, as a core function of the state, justifying this position on the grounds of its contribution to […]

Introduction The new UK government elected in July 2024 has promised a ‘decade of national renewal’, realised through its Industrial Strategy, its Infrastructure Strategy, and the transition to Clean Power. The state’s footprint on what is meant to be a free market economy will be substantially expanded. The costs of this ‘renewal’ will test the […]

It is about the plans of the UK government to launch a decade-long programme of ‘investment’ in industry, infrastructure and Net Zero, greatly expanding the state’s role in the economy. The programme is to be funded entirely with new debt of £1.64 trillion: the same amount as the spending programme. This is 58% of the […]