As societies seemingly move from one crisis to another – private and public finance crises, military crises, environmental crises, and the COVID-19 global pandemic – identifying best practices and preparing for the future was the focus of Summer University 2023, organized by the Institute for Economic Studies (IES) Europe, and co-sponsored by the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and the Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal Issues (IREF).

The Center’s scholars played leading roles in the Summer University. Saura Masconale, Freedom Center Associate Director and Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Economy & Moral Science, and Simone Sepe, Freedom Center Faculty and Chester H. Smith Professor of Law & Finance at the UArizona James E. Rogers College of Law, delivered a joint lecture: Moral Capitalism, Ethical Shareholderism, and Social Cohesion. Freedom Center Founding Director David Schmidtz delivered a keynote speech: Purpose in Crisis.  

Summer University 2023 brought together twenty eminent researchers, including, in addition to Professors Masconale, Sepe, and Schmidtz, Dr. Steve Davies (The Institute of Economic Affairs in London), Professor Jean-Philippe Feldman (Sciences Po Rennes), and Professor Mario Rizzo (New York University) also delivered lectures during the three-day event.

The City and the University of Aix-en-Provence have been hosting the Summer Universities since 1978. The Summer University has become the meeting place for outstanding professors and participants worldwide who share a passion for freedom and democracy. IES-Europe has been co-organizing this gathering since 1989, helping students and young academics to join the event. Summer University 2023 is the first following a few years of hiatus due to the global pandemic.