Adam Smith Institute

Adam Smith Institute (ASI)

Background

The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) is a UK-based nonprofit think tank founded in 1977 by Madsen Pirie, Eamonn Butler and Stuart Butler, with the help of Antony Fisher of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).1ABOUT THE ADAM SMITH INSTITUTE,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived January 10, 2017. Archie.is URLhttps://archive.is/YDLcN 2Our People,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/YDLcN 3Think Tank – the Story of the Adam Smith Institute,” Adam Smith Institute, February 14, 2012. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/KaYQI

The ASI originally promoted “libertarian and free market ideas,” however officially changed their libertarian label to “neoliberal” in October of 2016.4Sam Bowman. “COMING OUT AS NEOLIBERALS,” Adam Smith Institute, October 11, 2016. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/0l2Us

The ASI has published articles casting doubt on climate science and indirectly opposed green energy,5Alex Singleton. “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” Adam Smith Institute, September 11, 2013. Archived April 30, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. describing solar power in Britain as an “impossible dream.”6SOLAR POWER IN BRITAIN: THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM,” Adam Smith Institute, October 14, 2016. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/sCktv

The ASI was one of three think tanks the Thatcher government relied upon for policy advice, alongside the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS).7Denham, Andrew; Garnett, Mark (January 1999). “Influence without responsibility? Think-tanks in Britain,” Parliamentary Affairs 51 (1): 46–57.

According to an internal Philip Morris report, a series of ASI proposals have become policy and been enacted into law. These include:8Philip Morris, “The Influence of the Adam Smith Institute,” Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, Bates No 2065244208, December 1994 (estimated). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

  • Requiring local authorities to allow private contractors to perform city services.
  • Building public infrastructure using private finance.
  • Deregulating urban bus services.
  • Cutting income tax to a maximum of 40%.
  • Using private firms to build and operate prisons.
  • Liberalizing laws relating to sale and consumption of alcohol.
  • Keeping down duties on alcohol and tobacco.

Stance on Climate Change

While the Adam Smith Institute does not appear to have published an official view on climate change, it regularly posts articles that suggest climate change will not be as serious a problem as mainstream science has suggested. Some examples include:

February, 2016

ASI author Tim Worstall suggested new evidence has arisen “which should stop people worrying so much about climate change. Of course, it’s not going to but it should. That news being that the worst estimates of emissions and thus temperature changes just are never going to take place.”9THE END OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE SCARE,” Adam Smith Institute, June 14, 2016. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/FkhlE

“Anything beyond a mild warming is predicated upon the idea of ever more fossil fuel use. If that’s not true because of what we’ve already done then anything beyond a mild warming is not true either,” Worstall concludes.

November, 2016

Writing for the Adam Smith Institute’s blog, Tim Worstall declared:10Tim Forstall. “THE LATEST MISLEADING STORY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE,” Adam Smith Institute, November 15, 2016. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Mkbl9

“The truth about the catastrophic part of climate change is that we’ve already done what we needed to do to avoid it even if the direst original predictions were true.”

September 11, 2013

A blog by the ASI‘s Research Director, Alex Singleton, entitled “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” said:

“Parliament’s cushy consensus over climate change is dead. In 2008, when the Climate Change Bill had its third reading in the Commons, only five MPs voted against. But with doomsday predictions failing to materialize, and the planet failing to warm, MPs are starting to get more skeptical.”11Alex Singleton. “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” Adam Smith Institute, September 11, 2013. Archived April 30, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

December, 2010

The following is from an article posted on the Adam Smith Institute blog by author Brandon Patty.

“[A]s we have seen over the past billions of years, our climate will change; whether humans are making an impact or not. Indeed, this is what climates do.”12Brandon Patty. “Sense needed in climate change talks,” Adam Smith Institute, December 4, 2010. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/6Afvw

Funding

The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) does not disclose its funding sources. The think tank Transparify ranked ASI as one of the four least transparent think tanks in the  U.K. regarding their funding in a 2016 report (PDF).13“How Transparent are Think Tanks about Who Funds Them 2016?” (PDF), Transparify, June 29, 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In an archived version of their website, they declare that “the Adam Smith Institute accepts no government funding. Most of our funding comes from private individuals who believe in liberty and want to see a freer world; the rest comes from various foundations, businesses and the sales of our books.”14“Frequently Asked Questions,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived December 8, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vUQQw

The following is combined data from publicly available 990 forms and data collected by the Conservative Transparency project.

View the attached spreadsheet for details on the Adam Smith Institute’s funding by year (.xlsx).

DonorTotal
John Templeton Foundation$1,439,853
Aequus Institute$40,000
Pierre F. and Enid Goodrich Foundation$40,000
TWS Foundation$22,000
Dunn’s Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking$20,000
Earhart Foundation$15,000
Stiles-Nicholson Foundation$10,000
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation$5,500
Center for Independent Thought$5,000
Huizenga Foundation$2,000
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation$1,000
Grand Total$1,600,353

Tobacco Industry Funding

A 2013 investigation by the Observer found that the ASI had, along with the Institute of Economic Affairs, received tens of thousands of pounds worth of donations from tobacco companies.15Health groups dismayed by news ‘big tobacco’ funded rightwing thinktanks.” The Observer, June 1, 2013. Archived September 29, 2015. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/TRdJz

A September 1992 document from The Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers (CECCM) mentioned a recommendation for a “two-phased Adam Smith Institute project on a counter-defence of the traditional values of European individual freedom – within a special project budget of £30,000.”16Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers Limited, “Board Meeting to be held at 1000am on Tuesday, 8 September 1992,” page 2. Bates number:500002882-500002883. Retrieved from Truth Tobacco Industry Documents. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

According to an 1992 internal Philip Morris memo, ASI also met with PM to discuss preliminary plans for an International Journalism Center to train journalists to be “ideologically consistent with PM‘s issues and interests.”17Craig Fuller “January Monthly Report”, Memo, February 4, 1992, Bates Number 2024671858/1861. Retrieved from Truth Tobacco Industry Documents. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Financial Statements

Key People

Staff

Name2009201220132014201520162017Description
Annabel Denham     YYProgrammes Director, The Entrepreneurs Network
Ben Southwood   YYYYHead of Research
Charlotte Bowyer   YY  Head of Digital Policy Research
Eamonn ButlerYYYYYYYDirector
Ellie Weston     Y Programmes Officer
Flora Laven-Morris     YYHead of Communications
JP Floru Y     Senior Fellow
Kate Andrews    Y  Communications Manager
Madsen PirieYYYYYYYPresident
Philip SalterY  YYYYDirector, The Entrepreneurs Network
Sally Thompson Y     Communications Director
Sam Bowman YYYYYYExecutive Director
Sam Dumitriu      YHead of Projects
Steve BettisonY      Operations Director
Tim Evans Y     Senior Fellow
Tom CloughertyYY     Senior Fellow

Fellows & Senior Fellows

Name200820092010201420152017Description
Patrick Crozier Y    Fellow, Transport
Anthony J. Evans   YYYSenior Fellow
Anton Howes     YFellow
Cecile PhilippeYYY   International Fellow
Christopher Snowdon     YFellow
Deepak LalYYY  YSenior Fellow
Dominique Lazanski   YYYSenior Fellow
Eben WilsonYYY  YSenior Fellow
Gabriel SteinYYY  YSenior Fellow
Gavin KennedyY Y   Fellow, Adam Smith
Helen EvansYYY  YFellow
Ian SeniorYYY   Fellow, Industry
James B. StanfieldYYY   Fellow, Education
James BartholomewYYY  YFellow
Jamie Whyte     YSenior Fellow
John HibbsYYY   Fellow, Transport
JP Floru  Y  YSenior Fellow
Keith BoyfieldYYYYYYSenior Fellow
Kevin Dowd     YSenior Fellow
Lars Christensen    YYSenior Fellow
Michael GoldsmithYYY   Senior Fellow, Healthcare
Miles Saltiel  YYYYSenior Fellow
Nigel HawkinsYYY  YSenior Fellow
Patrick CrozierY     Fellow, Transport
Preston Byrne    YYFellow
Richard TeatherYYY   Fellow, Taxation
Roland Smith     YFellow
Ruth LeaYYY   Senior Fellow, Economy
Terence KealeyYYY   Senior Fellow, Education
Tim AmblerYYYYYYSenior Fellow
Tim EvansYYYYYYSenior Fellow
Tim WorstallYYYYYYSenior Fellow
Tom Clougherty   YYYSenior Fellow
Tom Papworth  Y  YSenior Fellow
Vaclav KlausYYY   International Fellow
Vuk Vukovic     YFellow

Board Members (2000)

As of July, 2000, ASI listed board members on their website:18Board Members,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived July 8, 2000. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/lOnJb

NameDescription
Bill MarvinComprehensive Medical Review
Darrell IssaDirected Electronics
David DuncanLoranda Corporation
H. Rick OtisRPM Clarklift
Hon. Jim GibsonNova Voice & Data Systems
Joel AndersonPolitically Direct
Mike Fredenburg 
Samuel A. HardageWoodfin Suite Hotels

Authors 19Blog,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/OGsYN

  • Alister Mcfarquhar Author.20Alister McFarquehar. “Planning Rape: Land Use Policy and Local Government Finance in the UK” (PDF), Adam Smith Institute, 1999. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
  • Tim Worstall
  • Eamonn Butler
  • Sam Bowman
  • Madsen Pirie
  • Tom Clougherty
  • Tim Worstall
  • Philip Salter
  • Steve Bettison
  • Ben Southwood
  • Tim Ambler
  • Nigel Hawkins
  • Jan Boucek
  • Charlotte Bowyer
  • Anton Howes
  • Andrew Hutson
  • Tom Bowman
  • Dr Fred Hansen
  • Whig
  • James Lawson
  • Kate Andrews
  • Eamonn Butler
  • Jason Jones
  • Vishal Wilde
  • Gabriel Stein
  • Henry Oliver
  • Tom Papworth
  • Vuk Vukovic
  • Alexander Ulrich
  • Preston Byrne
  • Ben Southwood
  • David Rawcliffe
  • Sally Thompson
  • JP Floru
  • Madsen Pirie
  • Sam Dumitriu
  • Miles Saltiel
  • Carly Zubrzycki
  • Nikhil Arora
  • Terry Arthur
  • Adam Scavette
  • Spencer Aland
  • Andrew Ian Dodge
  • Anna Moore
  • Chris Snowdon
  • Pete Spence
  • Cate Schafer
  • Harriet Blackburn
  • Matthew Triggs
  • Alex Singleton

Actions

October 16, 2020

The government announced that the ASI’s Deputy Director Matthew Kilcoyne was one of 21 members appointed to the Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG), described as a “forum for high-level strategic discussions between government, and stakeholders representing a cross-section of interests from all parts of the UK on trade policy matters.”21Strategic Trade Advisory Group, GOV.UK, October 16, 2020. Archived October 20, 2020. Archive.vn URLhttps://archive.vn/p2Vyf 

October 6, 2020

The ASI’s Head of Research, Matthew Lesh, wrote an article in The Telegraph disputing the cost implications of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to power every home in Britain with wind energy by 2030. Lesh stated: “Sadly, however, Old Boris was right. The capital and operating costs of wind remain extremely high. Wind cannot provide reliable energy, causes substantial broader grid costs and risks blackouts.”22Matthew Lesh. “Old Boris was right: wind power is expensive, statist and won’t deliver the reliable energy we need,” The Telegraph, October 6, 2020. Archived December 14, 2020. Archive.vn URL: https://archive.vn/3zKbZ 

He added: “When the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing, we need backup coal, gas or nuclear. This means funding the cost of maintaining equivalent backup capacity. (Despite improvements, batteries remain far too low capacity and expensive to make up for the intermittency of solar and wind.)”

October 10, 2019

The ASI‘s Head of Research, Matthew Lesh, wrote an article in The Telegraph criticising ongoing protests by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion. He called the movement a “doomsday cult, devoid of any association with reality” and finished by saying:23Matthew Lesh. “Extinction Rebellion’s clueless doom-mongering is finally getting the scrutiny it deserves,” The Telegraph, October 10, 2019. Archived October 10, 2019. Archive.fo URLhttp://archive.fo/nT8iB

“Climate change is a serious problem…But broadly speaking, the market system is perfectly capable of responding to these issues — without the need for apocalyptic predictions or the immiserating solutions demanded by Extinction Rebellion.”24Matthew Lesh. “Extinction Rebellion’s clueless doom-mongering is finally getting the scrutiny it deserves,” The Telegraph, October 10, 2019. Archived October 10, 2019. Archive.fo URLhttp://archive.fo/nT8iB

October 14, 2016

The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) released a report describing solar power in Britian as an “Impossible Dream.” The paper (PDF), authored by Dr. Capell Aris, is co-sponsored by the ASI and The Scientific Alliance.25SOLAR POWER IN BRITAIN: THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM,” Adam Smith Institute, October 14, 2016. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/sCktv

The paper, which attempts to refute the idea that a combination of wind power generation and solar power can provide a secure, affordable, and low carbon energy supply for the UK and EU, concludes that “no combination of wind and solar energy with backup storage would be suitable to supply a significant proportion of grid electricity without full conventional backup being available.”26Dr. Capell Aris. “Solar Power in Britain The impossible dream” (PDF), Adam Smith Institute and The Scientific Alliance, October 2016. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

October 24, 2014

The Adam Smith Institute co-released a report with the Scientific Alliance titled “Wind Power Reassessed: A review of the UK wind resource for electricity generation” (PDF).27Dr. Capell Aris. “Wind Power Reassessed: A review of the UK wind resource for electricity generation” (PDF), The Scientific Alliance and the Adam Smith Institute, October, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

According to the report summary, “The UK wind debate assumes that wind farms operate at roughly their average output most of the time. According to Dr. Capell Aris’ new paper produced in concert with the Scientific Alliance this is not true.”28Ben Southward. “Wind Power Reassessed: A review of the UK wind resource for electricity generation,” Adam Smith Institute, October 27, 2014. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/PfN6y

September 11, 2013

The ASI published a blog by the ASI‘s Research Director, Alex Singleton, entitled “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” in which Singleton claims that “doomsday predictions” about climate change were “failing to materialize” and that the planet was “failing to warm.”29Alex Singleton. “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” Adam Smith Institute, September 11, 2013. Archived April 30, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The blog quotes numerous MPs with a record of climate science denial and opposition to climate policy, including David Davies, Graham Stringer, Sammy Wilson, Peter Lilley and Philip Davies, speaking in a House of Commons Westminster Hall debate on the topic.30Alex Singleton. “Parliament goes hostile on climate change,” Adam Smith Institute, September 11, 2013. Archived April 30, 2019. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

December 12, 2011

The Adam Smith Institute released a report titled “Renewable Energy: Vision or Mirage,” that claims “the government’s focus on renewable energy sources is misguided” in the UK.31Renewable energy cannot meet UK energy needs,” Adam Smith Institute, December 12, 2011. Archived January 9, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vrSvr

ASI co-published the report with the Scientific Alliance, an organization originally set up by the director of the British Aggregates Association, Roburt Durward, who has called himself a “businessman who is totally fed up with all this environmental stuff […] much of which is unjustified, such as the climate change levy.”32Andy Rowell. “Hard Rockers,” The Guardian, July 11, 2001. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/a1Q9y

April, 1991

Eamonn Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Institute, was listed on the National Center for Policy Analysis “Environmental Task Force” that contributed to the NCPA report “Progressive Environmentalism: A Pro-Human, Pro-Science, Pro-Free Enterprise Agenda for Change” (PDF).33“Progressive Environmentalism: A Pro-Human, Pro-Science, Pro-Free Enterprise Agenda for Change” (PDF), National Center for Policy Analysis, April 1991. Retrieved from Greenpeace USA. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The report refers to a group of “reactionary environmentalists” who “do not believe in human progress,” who “idealiz[e] the life of the American Indian or life in medieval communities.” According to the authors, this group is “united by a distaste for modern industrial society and what borders on worship of the peasant way of life.”

The NCPA report classifies this group as “Anti-Human,” “Anti-Technology,” “Anti-Science,” “Anti-Growth,” “Anti-Free Enterprise,” and as “The Disaster Lobby” by “thriv[ing]” on crisis.

The report includes a section on climate change, that implies global warming would be beneficial. See excerpts below:

“[E]vidence suggests that warmth is life-enhancing and life-sustaining, whereas cold is life-threatening […]”

“[A]tmospheric CO2 levels have varied radically as life on earth has evolved. Moreover, just as warmth has always been unambiguously good for life, so has CO2 […]”

“Although CO2 levels in the atmosphere have fluctuated over time, a secular decline in CO2 has been going on throughout the 4.5 billion-year history of the Earth. If this trend continues, and there is no scientific reason to think it willn ot, eventually our planet will become as lifeless as Mars.”

Members of NCPA‘s “Environmental Task Force” included:34Environmental Task Force,” National Center for Policy Analysis. Archived February 6, 2007. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/MyUwq

Adam Smith Institute Contact & Location 

As of January, 2017, the main contact address was:35“Contact Us,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived January 10, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/YVmp7

Adam Smith Institute,
23 Great Smith Street,
London SW1P 3BL,
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 7222 4995
Email: [email protected]

  • Adam Smith International

The Adam Smith Institute had past affiliation with Adam Smith International: “Adam Smith International was set up in 1991 by a former Adam Smith Institute staff member. Since its initial work was on privatisation, two of the founders of the Institute served on its board. Even then, however, the two organisations (International and Institute) were financially and operationally independent. All formal ties were severed around five years ago. Since then there has been no overlap of staff or ownership at all.” 36“Frequently Asked Questions,” Adam Smith Institute. Archived December 8, 2011. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/vUQQw

  • Scientific Alliance

ASI has co-authored reports with the Scientific Alliance, a group that SourceWatch notes is populated by Britain’s most prominent biotechnology enthusiasts and climate change sceptics including Sallie Baliunas.37Scientific Alliance,” SourceWatch. Archive.is URLhttps://archive.is/GURyR

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