Is the world richer or poorer? Is government spending rising or falling? Across the world we are seeing politicians from all sides of the debate offering policy solutions that are based on objectively wrong premises. How can we avoid being caught out by fake news on issues such as inequality and wage stagnation? How do we tackle these problems and are they even problems at all?

If “There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch” then why are so many goods offered for free (without charge to the user)? Does this matter? What kinds of effects does this have and why can it be a problem?  What conclusions should we draw from this?

Drones have been in the news a lot recently. What are the implications of this technology? In addition to consumer benefits are there other implications we should worry about such as privacy? Is this a technology that will primarily benefit individuals or governments and what should our answer to that question lead us to think about the implications of new technologies for liberty and government power?

How has your life been transformed by technological innovations? What kinds of things are you doing now that you could not do or even imagine a few years ago? What role has government and regulation played in this? If we think about how the world is changing, and where it is going, is government central to this or a bystander? Is politics or technology where the action is these days in terms of changing the world?

In this session, we’ll put Dr Steve Davies on the spot as he invites you to ask him anything about some of the economic challenges currently facing us. He will then answer them live on stage. You may submit questions in advance by emailing them to ssandor@iea.org.uk but there is also the opportunity to submit questions via Twitter to @ieaEducation on the day. Please note that we may not be able to ask all of the questions that you put to Steve, but we will try our best!

Why is housing so expensive and increasingly unaffordable, either through buying or renting? Why is this market so dysfunctional? Who gains from this situation and how have they come to capture the UK housing market and the benefits it brings? Is there anything that can be done to address this situation? Why is it ever more important that we do so? What obstacles might there be to doing what is needed?

Why are there so many problems with state education systems around the world? Are these policy failures or are they inevitable and derived from the nature of the beast? Is non-state education any better? What are the main proposals that have been made to address these problems? What is wrong with them and what is the key to ensuring the best education for future generations?

In their book “The Future of the Professions” Richard and Daniel Susskind describe how machines and robots are set to take over an increasingly wide range of jobs and roles that are currently the preserve of human professionals. This includes jobs currently done by lawyers, teachers, accountants – maybe even judges. Professor Len Shackleton explores with one of the authors (Daniel Susskind) the nature of this process, what its implications are, and how it might develop in the future along with the policy and other challenges it presents.

Why exactly is Free Trade and is it always the best policy? How and why is it a moral issue as well as an economic one? Why should a country (e.g. the UK or the US) adopt Free Trade even if nobody else does?  Why should you stop panicking about trade current account figures? If pretty much all economists agree about this, why do so many of the public not share their view?

What are the main things we would want to get out of public health provision? How does the NHS measure up by these various criteria? In particular, how does it compare to the performance of the health service in neighbouring countries in Europe?  What should we take from this and what changes might we make? What are the big challenges facing healthcare in all developed countries and what is the best way forward?

Professor Philip Booth interviews Professor Luigi Zingales from the University of Chicago on the topics of his work including his books “Saving Capitalism From the Capitalists” and “A Capitalism for the People”. Among the questions they will explore are: The global economy after the financial crisis; The future of Europe; His personal trajectory and the economics discipline; Lobbying and the capture of government and the need to escape crony capitalism.