The Economics of Knowledge

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The theme for the spring 2019 program was The Economics of Knowledge. Participants discussed works that examine the economics of education, innovation, and information. Participants explored arguments and engaged debates about the role of education in a modern economy, the role of the market and the state in encouraging innovative economic activity, the role of experts in guiding public policy, and the more general tradeoffs between expert planning and market competition.

In February 2019, participants attended a summit hosted at Southern Methodist University (SMU) with participants from the programs at SMU, Baylor University, and the University of Central Arkansas. The summit featured formal remarks from Dr. Bryan Caplan on his recent book The Case Against Education: Why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money. In his remarks, Dr. Caplan drew on the findings of social scientists regarding the returns to education and the value of education more generally. He presented his conclusions about the role that education serves in modern economies and why individuals are incentivized to pursue too much formal education. Participants had the opportunity to engage in interactive discussion groups both with one another and Dr. Caplan after his remarks.

The schedule of readings and topics of discussion for the spring 2019 McLane Teammates Reading Program can be found at the following link:

McLane Teammates Reading Program — Spring 2019 Reading List

Please contact the Free Market Institute with any questions by email at free.market@ttu.edu or by phone at 806.742.7138. 

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