Think Tank Library

Far from being typical of a sole part of the western world (the Anglo-American), the Liberal tradition has ever been present also in continental Europe. The authors of this book –edited by Filippo Sabetti, with a foreword by Angelo M. Petroni– demonstrate the richness of the Liberal thought in different parts of Europe and the United States, as well as the challenges it faced over time in an ever changing world. Published under the aegis of the Centro Einaudi, this undertaking was supported by Liberty Fund, Inc., Indianapolis, and the Compagnia di San Paolo, Turin. Contributors include: Denis Baranger, Luigi Marco Bassani, Piero Craveri, Steve Davies, Pawel Kloczowski, Loren E. Lomasky, Knut Wolfgang Nörr, Angelo Panebianco, Ronald J, Pestritto, Philippe Raynaud, and Pedro Schwartz.

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Competition is not distorted by exclusive distribution contracts. Vertical agreements are an attempt to maximize the benefits to those who engage in them. Like all other strategic choices of a company, however, they are always subject to the judgement of the market. Their success or failure depends ultimately on their ability to satisfy the preferences of consumers who are free to deal with a competing brand as long as no legal obstacles get in the way.

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What makes the mandatory system of Social Security attractive in the eyes of the general public in France is that it allegedly allows the insured to be equal in health and provides unlimited financing of all their health needs. Unfortunately, both arguments turn out to be genuine myths, and, faced with the inherently limited character of medical resources, public authorities and Social Security have engaged in overall planning of the healthcare system.

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According to a survey of European consumers, "the provision of better information to patients about their ailments" is the decisive point to be taken into account in improving the quality of health systems. Pharmaceutical laboratories have suggested that publicity geared to the public would contribute to such a task. But according to the EU directive 92/28 such publicity for prescriptive drugs is forbidden.

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We live in a rapidly greying society where the average lifespan, health and vigour. In lab animals today life is routinely extended and ageing slowed. As researchers increasingly see ageing as something mutable – and hence potentially treatable - we have to start considering how to deal with the changes it will cause in society and our lives.

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The local government system in shire counties is under pressure. Although the recent Local Government White Paper struck a cautious note, it is clear that councils are expected to change, while tight budgets increase the needs to find more efficient solutions.

The current system is confusing to voters and promotes conflict between different tiers of government. Yet conventional `unitary` solutions are unattractive, reducing democratic representation and making local government more remote. Tim Palmer and Glyn Gaskarth argue that there is a better way: an innovative model of `federal` county government, which streamlines bureaucracy and presents a unified public face, while power originates at a very local level and is delegated up where necessary.

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Based on a talk by Sebestyen v. Gorka

“1956 is important for two reasons, one domestic and one international. For domestic reasons 1956 is important to Hungarians because who you are in Hungary, where you find identity, is connected for many people to the answer to a simple question: where was your father or grandfather in October 1956? Was he fighting for Hungarian independence against tyranny? Or was he on the other side, like our “Socialist” Prime Minister between 1994 and 1998? 1956 is very much alive today.”

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Public authorities in Germany, like those in most other OECD countries, have instituted compulsory health insurance systems aiming to provide the populace with universal coverage and nearly free health care. Those compulsory systems became an uncontrollable source of spending on health care and drugs, with substantial rises in recent decades.

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"Historic records" have followed one after another, we have been told on a regular basis since some months on the subject of petrol prices. It is true that the recent rise is spectacular. However, these reports are somewhat moderated if one takes into account the general price rises which have occurred over these last thirty years. But the dearness of oil is not a mysterious or inescapable phenomenon.

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The study explains some of the economic and social effects of the excise taxes on tobacco and how the present policy for harmonization could worsen problems present in Europe. It also opens up a discussion on alternative public health policies, such as a harm reduction strategy.

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