Why is everything getting more expensive?

What really drives the cost of living? Why do interest rates change? And what can the Bank of England actually do about it?

Join our Economics Taster Session and explore the economics behind some of the biggest issues affecting everyday life. You’ll discover how inflation, interest rates, money supply and energy prices influence household finances, businesses and living standards, and see how economic theory helps us make sense of the news.

During this interactive session, you’ll explore:

• Inflation & interest rates – why prices rise and how the Bank of England responds
• Money & the economy – how changes in the money supply can affect spending and growth
• Energy prices – the economics behind one of the UK’s most important household costs
• Markets & regulation – including the debate around nationalising public utilities
• Economics in the real world – connecting economic theory to current events and policy debates

For more information and to book your place: Economics Taster Session: Understanding the Cost of Living Crisis | University of Buckingham

Polyconomy seeks to use a fine-tuned Large Language Model (LLM) trained on classical-liberal and heterodox economic literature.

Its goal is to provide high-quality, well-sourced answers for academics, journalists, policymakers, and the public—free from the narrow assumptions of mainstream economic models.

The AI will draw on insights from traditions such as Austrian, Public Choice, Monetarism, New Institutional Economics and from other traditions in Classical Liberalism, building a diverse repository of knowledge. Emphasising intellectual pluralism and ideological transparency, the project supports research, teaching, and policy analysis.

Recently, Joshua Bowden joined the Vinson Centre to train the model on the relevant texts, working with the coders at the School of Computing to deliver the best possible result. Work continues apace with more updates on the project in the not too distant future.

We are delighted to share that the University of Buckingham is relaunching our Postgraduate Discount for high-achieving Buckingham graduates.

The discount rewards academic achievement and recognises the loyalty of our graduates through an automatic tuition fee discount on eligible courses and is applicable to eligible Master’s and PhD programmes for September 2026 and January 2027 entry!

Who is eligible?

The discount will be automatically applied to graduates who meeting the following criteria:

• Completed their studies at The University of Buckingham within the previous five years
• Achieved a 2:1 or a First-Class Degree in undergraduate studies or achieved a Distinction or Merit in postgraduate studies

What discount is available?

• A 33% discount is available for those who achieved a First-Class Degree in undergraduate studies, or a Distinction in postgraduate studies
• A 25% discount is available to those who achieved a 2:1 in undergraduate studies or a Merit in postgraduate studies

We are very keen for our valued Buckingham graduates to continue their academic journey with us, building on their success and advancing their careers by being able to access the great postgraduate courses on offer here.

You can find more information about this discount here: Postgraduate discount

We had the pleasure of hosting Dr Giorgia Lucchini as a Visiting Scholar at the Vinson Centre over the past few weeks.

Giorgia is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Luigi Einaudi Foundation in Turin. Her research lies at the intersection of philosophy and economics, and she is currently working on a fascinating project exploring the idea of social justice in the thought of Friedrich A. Hayek and Luigi Einaudi.

It was a pleasure to have Giorgia join our academic community, share her research, and engage in discussions with colleagues and students at the Centre. We asked her to share a few reflections on her time with us:

“During my three-week research period at the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham I had the chance to deepen Hayek’s conception of social justice, recurring in particular to Norman Barry’s interpretation. I had the opportunity to know more about Barry’s thoughts thanks to the materials stored in the Barry Collection, which is part of the Hayek Library. The latter provides a wealth of material for scholars working on classical liberalism. In addition to this, my visiting research period at the Vinson Centre was a particularly enriching experience, as it offered the opportunity for scholarly exchange with faculty members and to attend lectures and seminars.”

We are very grateful to Giorgia for joining us and for contributing to the intellectual life of the Vinson Centre. We wish her all the very best with her ongoing research and look forward to welcoming her back in the future!

2026 Economic Affairs Applied Research Workshop
December 10-12, 2026

We welcome papers for our 2026 Research Workshop that address any of the following topics/areas:

• Philosophy, Politics and Economics
• Topics in the Classical Liberal tradition (see the scope of the journal at the Wiley website)

For this edition of the workshop, we ask that submissions consist of an extended outline of approximately 1,000–2,000 words.
Submissions must include the extended outline of the research paper, an abstract and a brief V of the author(s). Documents should be attached. Please send the documents in English and pdf format. Submissions that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.

This year’s workshop will be held at the Vinson Centre, University of Buckingham.

If you have any questions about the workshop, or the submission process, please email VinsonCentre@buckingham.ac.uk.

Please submit your paper via the webpage here: https://vinsoncentre.com/economic-affairs-applied-research-workshop/

Deadline for paper submission: 31 July 2026

We’re proud to share that Professor Juan Castañeda, Director of the Vinson Centre, was invited to speak and co-organise a recent Bank of England event on “Analysing the Information Content of Money”.

This was an excellent event discussing a topic that the University of Buckingham, Vinson Centre and IIMR have led the research on in the UK, on how to use the information provided by monetary aggregates to assess inflation and changes in the business cycle.

If you’re interested in this topic and would like to find out more about Professor Juan Casteñeda’s Talk “Sectoral Money and Prices”, please follow the link here: Sectoral Money and Prices – Professor Juan Castañeda

Full details about the event are available here: Analysing the information content of money

Study the Ideas Shaping Policy

The research presented at the Bank of England feeds directly into our teaching, and reflects the Vinson Centre’s leading role in monetary economics research in the UK.

At the Vinson Centre, you really do engage with the same ideas that are influencing real-world policy debates.

To find out more about our postgraduate programmes, please see the details on the Vinson Centre Programmes page, or follow the links to their corresponding course pages:

• MA Political Economy by Research (Distance Learning)
• MA Money, Governments and Central Banks (by Research)
• Professional Doctorate in Public Policy and Political Economy
• Money, Inflation and Monetarism (Short course)

We are delighted to let you know that two new scholarships for the MA Money, Governments and Central Banks (by Research) programme have just been confirmed!

Congdon  Scholarship

Two scholarships of £4,000 are available to students applying to start in September and are designed for students who demonstrate a clear commitment to research in fields that relate to monetary policy.

Criteria and eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, candidates need to be looking to conduct research linked to the following topics, amongst others:

• The relationship between money and inflation
• Central Bank policies in times of crises
• The banking system and how it affects macro economic outcomes.

Candidates will also need to have completed a successful interview with the programme director.

Applications for the programme and the scholarships are open now!

Please follow the links below:
Programme: MA Money, Governments and Central Banks (by Research)
Scholarship: Congdon Scholarship

Money doesn’t just exist – it’s created, shaped, and controlled in ways that might surprise you.

Join us online on 16 April for an engaging talk led by Professor Juan Castañeda, where you’ll gain a clear and accessible understanding of how money is created in the modern economy. This session will unpack the roles of commercial banks, central banks, and monetary policy, helping you make sense of the forces shaping inflation, financial stability, and economic decision-making today.

This webinar also offers insight into our new Economics programmes: MA Money, Governments and Central Banks (by Research) and Money, Inflation and Monetarism (Short Course). Discover how our courses equip students with the analytical and critical skills needed to navigate complex financial systems and tackle real-world policy challenges with confidence.

Book your free place: How Money is Created in a Modern Economy

Date: 16 April 2026
Time: 9:00-09:45 BST
Venue: Online

The University of Buckingham has launched The Mainline Economics AI Project, a new initiative aimed at broadening and rebalancing economic discourse. Developed by the Vinson Centre, the School of Computing, and the Institute of Economic Affairs, with support from Summerleaze Ltd, the project uses a fine-tuned Large Language Model (LLM) trained on classical-liberal and heterodox economic literature. Its goal is to provide high-quality, well-sourced answers for academics, journalists, policymakers, and the public—free from the narrow assumptions of mainstream economic models. The AI will draw on insights from traditions such as Austrian, Public Choice, and New Institutional Economics, building a diverse repository of knowledge. Emphasising intellectual pluralism and ideological transparency, the project supports research, teaching, and policy analysis. Leaders involved describe it as a groundbreaking blend of AI innovation and educational mission, designed to restore neglected insights and foster a richer understanding of fundamental economic ideas.