Think Tank: The Story of the Adam Smith Institute

In 1977 a new type of think tank opened its doors in Britain. It was to have an extraordinary influence on the political and economic life of the nation, and indeed on popular opinion. Spearheading a rejection of state planning and controls, the Adam Smith Institute helped put incentives and enterprise firmly back into the political mainstream. The nation turned its back on state ownership, trade union domination and on the idea that only government could direct an economy. The new passwords became opportunity, aspiration and the free market, as Britain reacquired a belief in itself and its future. Think Tank is the astonishing yet engaging story of how a handful of motivated individuals, without any backing or resources except their own conviction, managed to create a national institution that played a role in the transformation of a country.