Waging the War of Ideas

Abstract

This paper discusses how wars of ideas can be waged, using the author's extensive experience, both as director general of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and at other classical liberal think tanks.

John Blundell begins his stimulating collection of published essays, reviews and introductions by showing how the founders of the IEA successfully fought the conventional planning wisdom of the 1960s and 1970s, providing the ideas which, by the 1980s and 1990s, had brought about increased freedom and a revival in the use of markets. He draws lessons from those days and then surveys the contemporary scene, showing how the anti-liberal ideas emerging now are different from those which prevailed in the early years of the IEA. As well as giving a valuable view of the IEAs development in the past, these essays also offer advice on how to continue winning in the new circumstances of the present.

Waging the War of Ideas has been constantly in demand since it was first published in 2001. This new and expanded edition contains three new chapters and is introduced by Professor Walter Williams.

Keywords: think tanks, ideas, IEA

JEL Classification: A10, A11, A12, B10, B20