2024: Institute for European Studies – Aix Marseille University – FC Summer University in Political Economy, July 11-13, Aix-en-Provence
There are many reasons to worry about the current global situation; reasons pertaining to domestic matters –such as inflation, public debt, poor quality of many public services, tensions between various categories of the population, mismanagement of immigration – as well as to international matters – such as military conflicts, terrorism, global warming… As a result, a feeling of chaos prevails that can quickly lead to a withdraw into oneself, to rely on protectionism and a strong State, hence rejecting the principles that have prevailed during the centuries which took us out of poverty. The general purpose of the conference was to restate, in the light of current events, the principles of a liberal democracy, to carefully examine the policies that in the past and present times have helped avoid chaos and return on the path to prosperity, to illustrate the link between freedom, responsibility and the possibility of a creative order. During the confrence, special attention was give to three contemporary challenges: Populism, City management and Argentina’s recent and future developments. The Summer University brought together thirty six eminent researchers including Pr. Emilio Ocampo (Fundación Libertad y Progreso in Buenos Aires and UCEMA), Professor François Facchini (University Paris, 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne), Professor Nils Karlson (Linköping University and Ratio), Professor Javier Fernandez-Lasquetty (former Minister of finance, Vice President of the Fundación Internacional para la Libertad ), Professor Sanford Ikeda (emeritus, SUNY), and Alain Bertaud (NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management.).
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2023: Institute for European Studies-Aix-Marseille University – FC Summer University in Political Economy, July 20-22, Aix-en-Provence
As our societies seem to move from one crisis to another – private and public finance crises, military crises, environmental crises and, of course, Covid – the search for good crisis management will be at the center of our discussions. The Summer University in Political Economy examined recent history, the roles played by governments and experts, but also what has been the result of private initiative. Despite the many failures of centralized and state responses to these numerous crises, many are calling for a “great reset” that would involve the establishment of a “new order” largely dominated by national and supranational Leviathans. The chances of success of these proposals as well as those of other modes of management, more respectful of freedom, dignity and individual responsibility, notably through subsidiarity will be explored.
The Summer University brought together twenty eminent researchers including Dr. Steve Davies (The Institute of Economic Affairs in London), Professor Jean-Philippe Feldman (Sciences Po Rennes), Professor Saura Masconale (University of Arizona), Professor Mario Rizzo (New York University), Professor David Schmidtz (University of Arizona), and Professor Simone Sepe (University of Arizona).
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2021: Institute for European Studies – Aix Marseille University – FC Summer School, July 8-11, Aix-en-Provence
The Freedom Center partnered up with the European think-tank Institute for European Studies (IES) and the President of IES-Europe, Professor of Economics at the Faculté d’Economie et Gestion of Aix Marseille University in France, and Editor-in-Chief of both the Journal des Économistes et des Études Humaines and Journal des Libertés, Professor Pierre Garello, to deliver a four-day workshop on the “Commercial Society.” The workshop focused on an approach to studying civic society that integrates elements of economics and ethics, drawing inspiration from the book co-authored by the FC Founding Director David Schmidtz and West Virgina University Professor of economics Cathleen Johnson. The program was attended by 30 students, including university professors in law and economics, PhDs in philosophy and economics, journalists, graduate students, high-school teachers in philosophy and economics, and members of the French Treasury Department.
