The Adam Smith Institute is a libertarian-leaning think tank that is incorporated in both Great Britain and the United States. ¹² The Adam Smith Institute has published more than 300 policy reports, and advocates for drug legalization and reforms to Britain’s nationalized health care system. ³

Two of the co-founders, Madsen Pirie and Eamonn Butler, are from the United Kingdom but worked as staffers for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1970s. ^{4 5}

Background

The Adam Smith Institute is a free-market, libertarian-leaning think tank first established in London, England, in 1977. ⁶ A United States-based branch of the think tank was established in Maryland in 1996. ⁷

The Adam Smith Institute’s website states it was confirmed as a non-profit foundation in the United States as a 501(c)(3). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law and the organization cannot engage directly in election campaigns. ⁸

Assets for the U.S.-based ASI are $197,000. ⁹ The British-based branch has a budget of more than $500,000. ¹⁰

The Adam Smith Institute has published more than 300 policy reports and has promoted free markets in other countries through a website, as well as through newspaper op-eds, radio, and TV. The institute says it seeks solutions that are politically and economically viable. ¹¹

The U.K.-based institute is funded through private donations and book sales. The institute conducts research, publishes reports, and holds seminars and conferences. It also focuses on developing the next generation of policymakers and opinion leaders with youth programs. ¹²

The British group said it was founded in response to post-war socialism reaching a “highwater mark” in Europe to educate the public about free markets. The group’s slogan is “Radical and Reasonable.” ¹³

Policies

The institute’s main policy focuses are to promote choice and competition in public services, extend personal freedom, reduce taxes and scale back regulation and government waste. ¹⁴

The organization favors drug legalization and intellectual property reform in Britain. It also backs scrapping Britain’s “national living wage” and a halt to raising the national minimum wage. The institute backs market reforms to Britain’s state-run monopoly on hospitals, the National Health Service. It also supports school choice. ¹⁵

Leadership

Madsen Pirie is the president of the Adam Smith Institute. He is a Scot that worked in the United States as a staffer for the House of Representatives and was among the founding members of the Adam Smith Institute in 1977. He has been a distinguished visiting professor of philosophy at Hillsdale College in Michigan. He served on the Prime Minister’s Advisory Panel from 1991-1995. He is the author of The Book of the Fallacy, How to Win Every Argument, and 101 Great Philosophers among other books. ¹⁶

Eamonn Butler is director of the Adam Smith Institute. In the 1970s, Butler worked on pensions and welfare issues for the U.S. House of Representatives. He also taught philosophy at Hillsdale College in Michigan before he returned to Britain to help found the Adam Smith Institute. ¹⁷

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4. Our People. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/our-people
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8. Donate. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/take-action
9. Adam Smith Institute. 2018 Form 990. Cause IQ. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/view_990/526813909/590ca91cbd4f8fba47be3fa9fca4d2b8
10. Adam Smith Institute. Cause IQ. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/adam-smith-institute,526813909/
11. Adam Smith Institute. Cause IQ. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/adam-smith-institute,526813909/
12. Adam Smith Institute. DevEx. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.devex.com/organizations/adam-smith-institute-28549
13. About. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/about-the-asi
14. Adam Smith Institute. ETH Zurich. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://css.ethz.ch/en/services/organizations/organization.html/89979
15. Policy Priorities. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/policy
16. Our People. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/our-people
17. Our People. Adam Smith Institute. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.adamsmith.org/our-people