The Case for Freedom in an Illiberal World | IEA Interview

In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, IEA Director General Lord Hannan of Kingsclere speaks to David Nott, President and CEO of Reason Foundation, about the philosophy behind Reason magazine and the case for individual liberty today. They discuss what distinguishes Reason's motto of "free minds and free markets", and why the magazine takes on difficult issues such as drug policy that other classical liberals often avoid.

David explains his "pendulum" view of history, in which authoritarian periods give way to liberalising waves, and how Reason now reaches around 15 million views a month through short-form video. The conversation also covers the rule of law, the relationship between democracy and freedom, lessons from the pandemic, and how Covid sparked a wave of school choice reform in the United States, before closing with Lord Hannan's customary question: what would a libertarian do as emperor for a day?

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The views represented here are those of the speakers alone, not those of the Institute, its Managing Trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff.