Political Economy Reading Program

Human Action and the Foundations of Prosperity

The theme for the fall 2025 reading program is Human Action and the Foundations of Prosperity. Participants will explore how individuals and societies make choices, and how those choices shape social outcomes and long-term development. The readings and discussions will engage questions such as:

• What drives human decision-making across different contexts?
• How do social institutions and rules influence outcomes?
• Why do some societies flourish while others struggle?
• What patterns can we observe in the progress of nations over time?

Participants will receive a set of readings that will provide a foundation for the discussions to address these and other questions of importance to the program theme. The schedule of readings and topics of discussion will be posted to this page at a later date.

The program will begin with an introductory meeting at the start of the fall 2025 semester, followed by ten (10) discussion meetings.

• Angelo State University — Mondays — 5:30-6:45 PM

Dinner will be provided at each discussion meeting. The program will conclude on or before Monday, November 17, 2025.

Political Economy Reading Program Summit

Participants will also attend a weekend summit on September 19-20, 2025 (Friday/Saturday) at Texas Tech University. The summit will feature formal remarks from Claudia Williamson Kramer, Scott L. Probasco, Jr. Distinguished Chair of Free Enterprise and Professor of Economics at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Participants in the summit program will read and discuss selected publications authored by Prof. Williamson Kramer prior to the summit program and participate in interactive discussion groups on issues related to the program theme.

Program Eligibility and Application

Full-time undergraduate students at Angelo State University from any field of study are eligible and encouraged to apply. Participants that successfully complete the program receive a $1,000 scholarship. To apply, please visit the link below:

Political Economy Reading Program — Fall 2025 Application

The deadline to apply for the fall 2025 program is Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Past Reading Programs

To view information about previous iterations of this program at Angelo State University and Texas Tech University, visit the archive at the following link:

FMI Political Economy Reading Program Archive