Bart J. Wilson is a Professor of Economics and Law and the Donald P. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Economics and Law at Chapman University. He is a member of the Economic Science Institute and tenured in the Argyros School of Business and Economics and the Fowler School of Law. In the Fall of 2016, he co-founded with Jan Osborn (English), Vernon Smith (Economics and Law), and Keith Hankins (Philosophy) the Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy, for which he serves as the director.

During his time at the Freedom Center, Wilson presented his working paper, The Primacy of Property; Or, the Subordination of Property Rights, and spent time revising it based on the many excellent questions and comments that he, as an economist, received from experts on property in philosophy and law. Wilson noted that the interdisciplinary seminars and conversations over coffee with post-docs, graduate students, faculty, and visitors recharge his intellectual batteries, making the quiet time in his office at the Freedom Center some of his most productive.

The paper Wilson presented at the Freedom Center has since been published in the Journal of Institutional Economics. The editor honored him by inviting five published comments on the article and allowing Wilson to write a published response to the comments.

Attending Freedom Center public events has also provided information and inspiration to Wilson. He has also been working on a new book manuscript, Meaningful Economics, and part of channeling his surroundings includes using the story of the chef Amanda Cohen, whom Wilson met at a Public Discussion Forum event, as an example of how moral sentiments are a necessary part of understanding the causes of an economic decision. The Freedom Center will host a book manuscript workshop on it sometime in the Fall.

Wilson continues to earn accolades as a scholar. He was recently given the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Private Enterprise Education