About

Dr Richard Wellings is a libertarian author and researcher. From 2006 to 2021 he was Deputy Research Director at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), also serving two periods as Acting Research Director. In addition, from 2012 to 2016 he was the Director of IEA Transport, a research unit specifically dedicated to transport policy.

Richard was educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, completing a PhD on public choice theory at the latter in 2004. His main research interests are transport, environmental policy, economic development and the role of government.

Publications:

• The Railways, the Market and the Government, IEA (2006) (contributor)
• Towards Better Transport, Policy Exchange (2008) (lead author)
• A Beginner’s Guide to Liberty, Adam Smith Institute (2009) (editor)
• Options for a New Britain, Palgrave (2009) (contributor)
• Globalization and Free Trade, Edward Elgar/IEA (2010) (co-editor)
• High Speed 2: The Next Government Project Disaster?, IEA (2011) (co-author)
• Sharper Axes, Lower Taxes: Big Steps to a Smaller State, IEA (2011) (contributor)
• The Future of Conservatism: Values Revisited, Biteback (2011) (contributor)
• Which Road Ahead – Government or Market?, IEA (2012) (co-author)
• Time to Excise Fuel Duty?, IEA (2012) (author)
• The High-Speed Gravy Train: Special Interests, Transport Policy and Government Spending, IEA (2013) (author)
• Failure to Transform: High-Speed Rail and the Regeneration Myth, IEA (2014) (author)
• Paving Over the Tracks: A Better Use of Britain’s Railways?, IEA (2015) (co-author)
• Fair Deal for the Taxpayer: Why Rail Fares Should Be Liberalised, IEA (2015) (author)
• Flaws and Ceilings: Price Controls and the Damage They Cause, IEA (2015) (contributor)
• Seeing Red: Traffic Controls and the Economy, IEA (2016) (co-author)
• Without Delay: Getting Britain’s Railways Moving, IEA (2016) (author)
• Sea Change: How Markets and Property Rights Could Transform the Fishing Industry, IEA (2017) (editor and contributor)
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The Future of Transport After Covid-19, IEA (2022) (editor and contributor)
• Hyperinflation Survival Strategies: Preparing for Soaring Prices and the Great Monetary Reset, Amazon KDP (2022) (author)