Sam Bowman speaks to BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Wales about new ASI report "Quids In"

Research Director of the Adam Smith Institute and author of the ASI's report “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish” speaks to Good Morning Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland) and Good Morning Wales (BBC Radio Wales) about his proposed policy of 'adaptive sterlingization' for an independent Scotland. Listen to Sam's interviews here and here.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, can be read and downloaded for free here.

ASI report “Quids In” is featured in The Guardian, The Sun, The Telegraph, and The Times

A new report from the Adam Smith Institute, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, was featured in The Guardian, The Sun, The Telegraph and The Times. The report argues that an independent Scotland could have a more stable economy than the rest of the UK if adopted a policy of, what it calls, ‘adaptive sterlingization’, which combines unilateral use of the pound with financial reforms to remove government protection of established banks.

From The Guardian:

An independent Scotland that carried on using the pound without the permission of the rest of the UK would have a stronger economy than it does now, a free-market thinktank said on Thursday.

The Adam Smith Institute said the country would not only survive but thrive outside of a formal currency union provided there were changes to the banking system to inject competition and reduce risk-taking.

From The Sun:

Sir Ian Wood said Alex Salmond's SNP has over-estimated the amount of oil - and tax revenues - by up to 65 per cent.

Better Together campaign lead Alistair Darling said the news was "devastating" for Mr Salmond's plans.

It came as a think-tank claimed Scotland would "thrive" using the Pound outside a currency union.

The Adam Smith Institute said the "dollarised" economies of Latin America were proof countries can flourish when they adopt another's currency."

From The Telegraph:

Yesterday the Adam Smith Institute suggested Scotland would actually benefit from adopting sterlingisation – using the pound without a formal currency union – after independence.

The idea, which has been floated by the First Minister as a potential backup plan, would create a more stable financial system by freeing banks of certain constraints, researchers found.

From The Times:

An independent Scotland could flourish by using the pound even without the permission of the rest of the UK, according to a think-tank.

The Adam Smith Institute points to Panama as a successful example of an economy piggybacking on a neighbour’s currency — the US dollar.

It said it was neutral on Scottish independence but said the the nationalists’ plan to continue with the pound — which many regard as a stumbling block — could work very well.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, can be read and downloaded for free here.

ASI Research Director writes for CityAM, detailing the policies proposed in new report, "Quids In"

Research Director and author of the ASI's new report "Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, Sam Bowman, writes for CityAM, detailing his proposal for 'adaptive sterlingisation':

When Scottish voters go to the polls in their independence referendum next month, they may ultimately make their decision on the basis of a single question: if we voted Yes, what currency would we use? The question has massive implications for Scotland’s economy, and since the “Plan A” of a formal currency union between Scotland and the rest of the UK was ruled out by the chancellor, doubts about “Plan B” have dominated the campaign.

Alex Salmond has suggested that “Plan B” may be unilateral use of sterling without a currency union, a system known as “sterlingisation”. As I argue in a new paper for the Adam Smith Institute released today, with the right reforms to Scottish financial regulation, Plan B should be Plan A.

The “adaptive sterlingisation” plan would work like this: the Scottish government would announce no change in its use of sterling as the currency it does business in. Scottish banks currently issue their own notes that are backed on a one-to-one basis by sterling notes held at the Bank of England (million pound “Giants” and hundred-million pound “Titans”). Post-independence, they should be free to issue notes backed by their sterling reserves without restriction.

Read the rest of the op-ed here.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, can be read and downloaded for free here.

The report argues that an independent Scotland could have a more stable economy than the rest of the UK if adopted a policy of, what it calls, ‘adaptive sterlingization’, which combines unilateral use of the pound with financial reforms to remove government protection of established banks.

ASI report “Quids In” is featured in BBC News and STV articles

A new report from the Adam Smith Institute, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, was featured in BBC News and STV articles. The report argues that an independent Scotland could have a more stable economy than the rest of the UK if adopted a policy of, what it calls, ‘adaptive sterlingization’, which combines unilateral use of the pound with financial reforms to remove government protection of established banks.

From the BBC:

The free market think tank said that dollarised economies such as Panama show that banks can do better without a central lender of last resort.

The pro-Union Better Together campaign said using the pound in the way Panama used the dollar would be "a disaster".

Yes Scotland insisted that there would be a post-independence currency union.

...

But a new report, written by the research director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, has argued that sterlingisation - using the pound without the use of a central bank - would be "a significant improvement on Scotland's current arrangements".

Opponents of independence have cited the use of the US dollar by some Latin American countries as a model that Scotland should not follow, but the Adam Smith Institute claims that the economies of Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador "demonstrate that the informal use of another country's currency can foster a healthy financial system and economy".

The report reads: "Under sterlingisation, Scotland would lack the ability to print money and establish a central bank to act as a lender of last resort.

Read the full BBC News article here.

From STV:

A new report from the Adam Smith Institute said that "sterlingisation", combined with reforms to banking regulations, could lead to banks taking fewer risks, reducing the likelihood of future financial crises.

Sam Bowman, research director at the free-market research body and the author of the report, said Scotland was "almost uniquely primed for such a system of 'adaptive sterlingisation"'.

Read the full STV article here.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, can be read and downloaded for free here.

ASI report “Quids In” is featured in The Herald and The Scotsman

A new report from the Adam Smith Institute, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, was featured in The Herald and The Scotsman. The report argues that an independent Scotland could have a more stable economy than the rest of the UK if adopted a policy of, what it calls, 'adaptive sterlingization', which combines unilateral use of the pound with financial reforms to remove government protection of established banks.

From The Herald:

Using the pound without a currency union and reforming Scottish banking regulations could help an independent Scotland flourish, according to the right-wing free market think tank, the Adam Smith Institute.

Financial experts and UK politicians have warned that so-called sterlingisation would leave the Scottish economy adrift without the support of a central bank with fears raised of banks relocating south of the border and even capital flight away from Scotland.

But the Institute argues that “Britain’s obstinacy could be Scotland’s opportunity to return to a freer, more stable banking system”; that “adaptive sterlingisation” would be a positive boon for a newly-independent Scotland as it would create a more stable financial system and economy and reduce risk-taking within the banking sector.

Read The Herald article here.

From The Scotsman:

A report, published today by the Adam Smith Institute, claims that a particular form of “sterlingisation” could also be more effective than Alex Salmond’s Plan A for a formal currency union.

The institute recommends a currency arrangement described as “adaptive sterlingisation”, which would see an independent Scotland adopt a policy of unilateral use of the pound outside a currency union, combined with reform of Scottish banking.

The paper argues that such an approach would cut risk-taking and increase competition in banking, significantly reducing the prospect of large-scale bank panics and financial crises.

Read The Scotsman article here.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, can be read and downloaded for free here.

Press Release: An independent Scotland should use the pound without permission from rUK

• An independent Scotland using the pound outside of a currency union would have a more stable financial system and economy than it has now or than a currency union could provide.
• ‘Adaptive sterlingization’ – a combined policy of unilateral use of GBP without a formal currency union and reform of Scottish banking regulations - would reduce risk-taking and increase competition in banking, significantly reducing the prospect of large-scale bank panics and financial crises.
• The 'dollarized' economies of Latin America – Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador – provide strong modern-day evidence that banking systems do better without central lenders of last resort.

An independent Scotland could flourish by using the pound without permission from the rest of the UK, a new report released today (Thursday 21 August) by the Adam Smith Institute argues.

The report, “Quids In: How sterlingization and free banking could help Scotland flourish”, draws on Scottish history and contemporary international examples to argue for the adoption of what it calls ‘adaptive sterlingization,' which combines unilateral use of the pound sterling with financial reforms that remove protections for established banks while allowing competitive banks to issue their own promissory notes without restriction. This, the report argues, would give Scotland a more stable financial system and economy than the rest of the UK.

According to the report, adaptive sterlingization would allow competitive, private banks to issue their own promissory notes backed by reserves of GBP (or anything else – including USD, gold, index fund shares or even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin). With each bank given powers to expand and contract its balance sheet relative to demand, this system would be highly adaptive to changes in money demand, preventing demand-side recessions in modern economies such as the ones that led to the 2008 Great Recession.

The report’s author, Sam Bowman, details Scotland’s successful history of 'free banking' in the 18th and 19th centuries and the period of remarkable financial and economic stability which accompanied it. Historical ‘hangovers’ from this period, like Scotland's continued practice of individual bank issuance of banknotes, are still in place today, making Scotland uniquely placed for a simple transition to the system outlined in the report.

The report highlights evidence from 'dollarized' economies in Latin America, such as Panama, Ecuador and El Salvador, which demonstrate that the informal use of another country’s currency can foster a healthy financial system and economy.

Under sterlingization, Scotland would lack the ability to print money and establish a central bank to act as a lender of last resort. Evidence from dollarized Latin American countries suggests that far from being problematic, this constraint reduces moral hazard within the financial system and forces banks to be prudent, significantly improving the overall quality of the country’s financial institutions. Panama, for example, has the seventh soundest banks in the world.

The report concludes that Britain's obstinacy could be Scotland's opportunity to return to a freer, more stable banking system. Sterilization, combined with reform of Scottish financial regulation that:

• removed government liquidity provisions to illiquid banks,

• established mechanisms to ‘bail-in’ insolvent banks by extending liability to shareholders, and

• shifted deposit insurance costs onto banks and depositors rather than taxpayers,

would improve standards and competitiveness in banking, while significantly reducing the prospect of large-scale bank panics and financial crises.

Commenting on his report, the Research Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, said:

The Scottish independence debate has repeatedly foundered on the question of currency, but if Scots look to their own history they will find that their country is a shining example of how competition in currency and banking can ensure a stable and effective banking system. Scotland’s free banking era was an economic and intellectual Golden Age, and its system of competitive note-issuance was recognised by such thinkers as Adam Smith as one of the root causes of the country’s prosperity during this time.

The examples of Panama and other dollarized Latin American economies are proof that countries can thrive when they unilaterally adopt another country’s currency. Combined with a flexible, adaptive banking system, the unilateral use of another country’s currency can instill a discipline in a country’s financial sector that neither a national currency nor a currency union can provide. Scotland’s banking system is almost uniquely primed for such a system of ‘adaptive sterlingization’. The path outlined in this paper would go almost unnoticed by the average Scot – until the next big economic shock, when they might just wonder why their system was so much more stable than that of the country they’d left behind.

Notes to editors:

The Adam Smith Institute takes no position on the Scottish independence referendum and produces research for public information purposes only.

For further comments or to arrange an interview, contact Kate Andrews, Communications Manager, at kate@adamsmith.org / 07584 778207.

The Adam Smith Institute is an independent libertarian think tank based in London. It advocates classically liberal public policies to create a richer, freer world.

Ben Southwood debates the success of privatized railways on BBC Radio Kent

The Adam Smith Institute's Head of Policy, Ben Southwood, debates the southern Regional Secretary for the Trades Union Congress, Megan Dobney, over the success of privatized railways on BBC Radio Kent. Listen to the debate here.

Sam Bowman is quoted in The Freeman on Britain's student debt problem

Research Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, was quoted in The Freeman on Britain's growing student debt problem.

The core difference between the British and American systems lies in the terms of repayment. American students typically have to start repaying 6 months after they graduate. Opportunities for loan forgiveness are extremely limited, and loans cannot be discharged via bankruptcy. By contrast, British students don’t have to start repaying until they are earning £21,000 ($36,000) per year. They must then pay 9 percent of their gross income as long as they stay above the threshold. Their outstanding balance is automatically forgiven 30 years after it became eligible for repayment. Also, the loans do not appear on their credit report.

“The thing people worry about with debt is that they won’t be able to pay it back. The way this is structured means that is not a worry ever, and it doesn’t follow you around until your old age,” says Sam Bowman, Research Director at the Adam Smith Institute, a free-market think tank.

Bowman finds it helpful to understand loan repayment as a tax. “You can either think of it as a graduate tax or it’s the best debt in the world,” he says. “It makes sense to think of it as a graduate tax, a specific kind of tax on a specific action that is designed to offset the cost of that action.”

Read the full article here.

Charlotte Bowyer argues against a crackdown on legal highs on Sky News

The Adam Smith Institute's Education Manager - Charlotte Bowyer - debates the Deputy Political Director of the Centre for Social Justice over the benefits and harms of cracking down on legal highs on Sky News.

“Sweet FA – Why foreign player crackdowns hurt English football” is featured in The Telegraph

A new report from the Adam Smith Institute - “Sweet FA – Why foreign player crackdowns hurt English football” - is featured in The Daily Telegraph.

Greg Dyke’s plan to cap the number of foreign players in English football has been denounced by The Adam Smith Institute, which claimed there was “practically no relationship whatsoever” between that and the performance of the England team.

A report by the influential think tank also warned that artificially limiting the amount of overseas talent in the Premier League would harm its clubs’ ability to compete in the Champions League and Europa League.

One of the key recommendations of Football Association chairman Dyke’s commission on English football this summer was a limit on the number of non-European Union players in the English game, which, it was claimed, would increase the number of England-qualified footballers.

The received wisdom has been that a bigger domestic talent pool is the panacea to the national team’s travails at major tournaments, a view directly challenged by research conducted by the Institute’s head of policy, Ben Southwood.

Read the full article here.

The report, written by ASI Head of Policy Ben Southwood, finds that the Football Association’s plan to crack down on foreign players in the Premier League would damage the league’s quality and success in European club competitions, without any benefit to the English national team’s performance.

Read the full report here: “Sweet FA – Why foreign player crackdowns hurt English football”