Hillsdale College, in conjunction with the Acton Institute and the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, recently launched its Center for the Study of Monetary Systems and Free Enterprise.  As part of its educational mission, the Center administers two programs to promote understanding and appreciation of free market systems: the Free Market Forum and the Visiting Speakers Program.

As its inaugural event, in the fall of 2006 the College hosted the first Free Market Forum on “The Role of Markets and Governments in Pursuing the Common Good.”  The program included presentations by Rev. Robert Sirico of the Acton Institute, Richard Epstein of the University of Chicago Law School, and author George Gilder.  In addition, four panel discussions covered a wide range of topics which incorporated free market strategies:

• The Rise of the U.S. to Economic Superpower
• The Great Depression and the New Deal
• The Role of the Federal Reserve
• Globalization and the U.S. Economy
  

The Free Market Forum seeks to encourage the study of free enterprise.  Consequently, over 50 invitees, including faculty members from colleges and universities around the country with ties to the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities or the Acton Institute, attended as guests of the Free Market Forum.  Included in this group were representatives from ten state-based policy centers.  These scholars and state policy leaders came together for a dynamic exchange of information, to enhance the discussions at the colloquium and to encourage the exchange of ideas in the future.

Read the papers given at the 2006 Free Market Forum. 

The second Free Market Forum on “The Role of Markets and Governments in Pursuing the Common Good” was held on the campus of Hillsdale College on September 27-29, 2007. Over one hundred faculty members and state policy leaders from across the United States and Canada attended the discussions. Evening speakers included Walter Williams, Burton Folsom, Jr., and Mark Steyn. Six panel discussions filled the remainder of the weekend:

• Monetary Policy and the Common Good
• The Legacy of Milton Friedman
• How to Teach Economics
• Globalization and the Common Good
• The Moral Foundations of Classical Economics
• Christian Benevolence and the Welfare State

Read the papers given at the 2007 Free Market Forum.

For further information, e-mail freemarketforum@hillsdale.edu.