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The second pamphlet in Politeia’s On Track…? series addresses the role of regulation in a changing railway. Passengers, concerned about reliability and cost, must be able to rely on the regulator to protect their interests. Chris Bolt, the Chairman of the Office of Rail Regulation, explains how regulation is determined by law, and proposes a series of changes designed to improve the system.

* Regulating Rail: For Whom Should Regulation Work? is available online http://www.politeia.co.uk/Portals/0/Bolt Final.pdf">

For the press release please   read more...

The state’s ability to raise taxes may have reached a limit, as capital and labour flee high tax economies. The government has three options: it can cut spending; it can oblige the private sector to fund programmes; or it can shift the basis of tax to consumption. Irwin Stelzer suggests that a new direction is needed.

*Taxes in a Global Economy: Efficiency, Fairness and Incentive by Irwin Stelzer is available onlinehttp://www.politeia.co.uk/Portals/0/Taxes.pdf">

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Lord George, the Bank of England's former Governor, gave a talk to Politiea on the recent financial turbulence and its context. He considered how the approach to macro economic management has evolved over time, the impact it has had on recent developments and the implications for financial regulation.  

What issues lie behind the German - Liechtenstein exchange? On Tuesday 10th June, Politeia held a conference to address the issues raised by the recent exchange between Germany and Liechtenstein over tax. It considered the economic and political implications of tax competition and its significance in a global economy.

The international panel discussing these issues included Alfons Cortes, Professor Lars Feld, Professor Tim Congdon and Lord Salisbury.

 

Pensions today are central to the policy debate. As the UK and other western countries face demographic change, paying for retirement becomes more important to governments and their electorates. Over the past decades the UK ’s pensions system seems to have become less robust. The role of regulation has become increasingly controversial. Policy, it is thought, can have dramatic effect on savings, pensions and insurance.
Chris Daykin, HM Government Actuary (1989-2007), discussed Pensions and Regulation , on Tuesday 20th May 2008.  

Governments now resort increasingly to regulation as an instrument of policy: Politeia’s 2008 series will examine the role and implications of regulation. Like the other instruments of policy such as tax and public spending, some regulation
may be necessary and efficient, some unnecessary and damaging. However, unlike tax and public spending, regulation
prompts far less political or public attention and debate.
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As transport moves to the centre of the policy debate, there is fresh focus on rail. How far can the environmentally friendly train compete against the convenient car or the cheaper air mile? Chris Green, a non-Executive Director of Network Rail, explains that rail use is poised for further expansion after a decade of growth. Stability is essential to tackle problems such as overcrowding, capacity and reliability.
This pamphlet is the first of a series of Politeia debates 'On Track…?'

*Reviving Rail: What Strategy for Success by Chris Green is available online http://www.politeia.co.uk/Portals/0/Final_Green.pdf">
 

Unemployment is back in the news. The Government and the Conservative Party aim to tighten the rules for drawing benefit. But with around 1.7 million unemployed the present approach needs more radical overhaul.
Politeia’s new pamphlet proposes scrapping the present unemployment benefit system and changing to a Savings Account. Everyone may draw, as now, benefit. But those who stay in work will have a higher state pension.

*'Working to Account? Social Security Without Dependency' by Peter Birch Sorensen and Arij Lans Bovenberg is available online http://www.politeia.co.uk/Portals/0/sorensen_final.pdf">
For the press release please click   read more...

Each year around 1,000 EU measures become law in the UK. Most of these are never debated in the House of Commons. Many are not even considered by the Committees of the House. Theresa May, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, explains in Politeia’s pamphlet* that there is a failure of scrutiny.

* Restoring Parliamentary Authority: EU Laws and British Scrutiny, by Theresa May and Nicholas Timothy, is available online: http://www.politeia.co.uk/Portals/0/may_final.pdf