Political Economy Reading Program

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Fall 2022  Spring 2022

Socialism — Spring 2022

The theme for the spring 2022 Political Economy Reading Program was Socialism. Participants will explore the historical debate about the extent to which economies should be planned by governments or left to individuals. What is the best way for society to organize its economic system? How do societies ensure that scarce resources are channeled to highly valued uses? Participants will discuss these questions and more throughout the program semester.

Selected readings addressed theoretical arguments for capitalism and socialism, as well as the outcomes of these systems in practice. Students examineed books by philosophers such as G.A. Cohen and Jason Brennan, historically significant economists such as Nobel laureate F.A. Hayek and Karl Marx, and modern day economists such as Thomas Piketty, Robert Lawson, and Benjamin Powell.

Participants also attended a summit hosted at Texas Tech University (TTU) with program participants from TTU. The summit featured formal remarks from Peter Boettke, University Professor of Economics and Philosophy at George Mason University and Benjamin Powell, Executive Director of the Free Market Institute. Participants engaged in interactive discussion groups on issues related to the program theme.

The schedule of readings and topics of discussion for the spring 2022 program can be found at the following link:

Political Economy Reading Program - Spring 2022 Reading List

For questions regarding the Political Economy Reading Program, or if you would like to be included in the FMI Student Programs email distribution list, please contact the Free Market Institute at fmi@ttu.edu or 806.742.7138.

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More general information about the program and application process can be found on the Political Economy Reading Program page.

For details about previous reading programs, visit the McLane Teammates Reading Program page.