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

Drug reform

Drug prohibition has failed – drugs are easy to get hold of but are much more dangerous than they would be in a legalised environment. We're working with other groups to make the case for a sensible, evidence-based drugs policy that protects users and takes drugs out of the hands of criminals.

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Free market welfare

The welfare state is outdated and needs reform so that it encourages work and gives people control over their own lives. We follow Milton Friedman in supporting a Negative Income Tax that tops up low-paid workers' wages and guarantees that work always pays.

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Watch Sam explain what comes next for the UK, now that we've voted to Leave.

Read how Brexit gives us an opportunity to 'reboot' Britain with radical policy reforms to boost growth and freedom.

Read our 'Liberal case for Leave'.

Read how Brexit gives us the chance to rewrite our fishing policy that accounts for both environmental and economic interests.

Read about how Britain can secure its borders with technology to make the country safer.

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Latest Research

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Read about Adam Smith's main work of moral philosophy, which argued that man's regard for himself underpins his regard for others.

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The Life of Adam Smith

Adam Smith lived during the Scottish Enlightenment alongside such other greats as David Hume, and he can only be understood as a product of this time.

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The Wealth of Nations

Smith's magnum opus, the foundation of modern economic and liberal thought, still enlightens readers today.

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