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October 11 — How the Fed Failed to Achieve Its Mandate

September 22 — Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror

April 25 — Why Thomas Sowell Matters: Race, Inequality, and the Role of Public Intellectuals

March 3 — The Rise of Political Capitalism

February 9 — Money and the Rule of Law


How the Fed Failed to Achieve Its Mandate — October 11

Price inflation is now at a 40-year high in the United States and has become the main economic concern for the average American.

On October 11, 2022, at Texas Tech University, Thomas L. Hogan offered remarks on 'How the Fed Failed to Achieve Its Mandate' examining the root causes of inflation and how political considerations, such as climate change and income inequality, have distracted the Federal Reserve in carrying out its legally mandated goals of maximum employment and stable prices.

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Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror — September 22

Christopher J. Coyne, F.A. Harper Professor of Economics for the Mercatus Center and Professor of Economics at George Mason University, delivered an FMI Public Speaker Series lecture at Texas Tech University on September 22, 2022.

Prof. Coyne discussed his recent book, Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror (2021), and presented arguments for how democratic governments utilize their monopoly on classified national security information to propagandize their citizens in order to enable actions that benefit the politically elite at the expense of average citizens.

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Why Thomas Sowell Matters: Race, Inequality, and the Role of Public Intellectuals — April 25

Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Jason Riley presented an FMI Public Speaker Series lecture at Texas Tech University on April 25, 2022.

Based on his book, Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell, Jason Riley explains how Sowell's scholarship over the decades relates to our ongoing debates about economic inequality, race, policing, education, social justice, the role of public intellectuals, and so much more.

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The Rise of Political Capitalism — March 3

Problems associated with cronyism, corporatism, and policies that favor the elite over the masses have received increasing attention in recent years. Political capitalism explains that what people often view as the result of corruption and unethical behavior are symptoms of a distinct system of political economy.

Drawing research from his book, Political Capitalism: How Economic and Political Power is Made and Maintained (2018), Prof. Randall Holcombe combines well-established theories in economics and the social sciences to show that political economy is not a mixed economy, or government intervention in a market economy, or some intermediate step between capitalism and socialism.

The Free Market Institute hosted Randall G. Holcombe, DeVoe Moore Professor of Economics at Florida State University, presented an FMI Public Speaker Series lecture at Texas Tech University on March 3, 2022.

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Money and the Rule of Law — February 9

Based on their recent book, Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions (2021), co-authored with Daniel J. Smith of Middle Tennessee University, Dr. Salter and Dr. Boettke present a novel argument in favor of embedding monetary institutions into a rule of law framework. They argue for general, predictable rules to provide a sturdier foundation for economic growth and prosperity. A rule of law approach to monetary policy would remedy the flaws that resulted in misguided monetary responses to the 2007-8 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the case for true monetary rules is the first step toward creating more stable monetary institutions.

The Free Market Institute hosted Peter J. Boettke, University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University, and Alexander W. Salter, FMI Comparative Economics Research Fellow and Georgie G. Snyder Associate Professor of Economics in the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration at Texas Tech University, presented an FMI Public Speaker Series lecture at Texas Tech University on February 9, 2022.

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