Stephen Davies
senior education fellow, Institute of Economic Affairs; senior academic fellow, John Smith Institute

Dr Stephen Davies is senior education fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs and senior academic fellow at the John Locke Institute. He is a graduate of the University of Saint Andrews, with a degree in Medieval and Modern History. He gained his PhD from the same institution for a dissertation on the history of Scottish criminal law. Between 1979 and 2009, he taught at the Department of History and Economic History at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has also worked at the Institute for Humane Studies, at George Mason University in Virginia and the Center for Philosophy and Public Policy at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. Since 2009, he has worked with many think tanks and organisations, including the IEA, IHS, John Locke Institute, the Cato Institute, the Foundations for Economic Education, the American Institute for Economic Research, and IES Europe and European Students for Liberty.

His articles and essays have been published in many outlets, including the Freeman, Cato Unbound, CapEx, Reason Magazine, the UnPopulist, and the Daily Telegraph. His published books include Empiricism and History (Palgrave, 2003), The Wealth Explosion: The Nature and Origins of Modernity (Edward Everett Root, 2019), The Streetwise Guide to the Devil and His Works (Edward Everett Root, 2021), Apocalypse Next: The Economics of Global Catastrophic Risks (IEA, 2024) and The Great Realignment: Why the New Right is Here to Stay (Polity Press, 2026). His current projects include works on the history of ‘neoliberalism’ in the UK and US, and on the truly important dates in history.

A definite Northerner, he lived for over 40 years in Manchester and now lives in Lytham Saint Annes. His interests include science fiction and fantasy and the fortunes of Manchester City.

RELATED SESSIONS

Sunday 18 October, 13:45 Convocation Hall, Church House
The great realignment: the rise and woes of populism