The Austrian Economics Research Conference is the one of the most important annual events in the discipline of the Austrian school, bringing together scholars from around the world to present and discuss groundbreaking work in a variety of fields.
Last year’s AERC included Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne presenting his plan to replace Wall Street with blockchain technology—beginning with his company being the first to use it for public stock offerings. Other speakers including John Tamny of Forbes and RealClearMarkets, Arizona State University’s William Boyes, and Hans-Hermann Hoppe being presented with the Murray N. Rothbard Medal of Freedom.
This year’s exciting lineup features a number of prominent scholars addressing some of the most important issues of the day.
Paul Gottfried, who will also be presenting a new book on fascism, will address the scourge of political correctness as this year’s Rothbard Memorial Lecture. David Cowan, a professor at Boston College, will discuss the “Economic Indulgences: Old and New Debates on Welfare and Freedom.” From Clemson University, Bruce Yandle will speak on F.A. Hayek and the Growth of the American Regulatory State. The conference will conclude with talks from Mises Senior Fellows Jeffrey Herberner and Guido Hülsmann presenting the Ludwig von Mises and Lou Church Memorial Lectures, respectfully.
AERC’s highlights are not limited to our keynote speakers, however. The presence of so many young, rising Austrian scholars is one of the most exciting signs of the strength and vitality of the Austrian school.
Among our many presenters include a number of former students who have attended the Mises Institute’s various programs, such as Mises University, Rothbard Graduate Seminar and our Summer Fellowship program.
Among them include:
Matthew McCaffrey, who teaches at the University of Manchester, speaking on “The Economic and Social Function of Social Entrepreneurship”
Karl-Friedrich Israel from the University of Angers, dives into the lost origins of econometrics in his paper “Pawel Ciompa and the Meaning of Econometrics.”
Coventry University’s Carmen Elena Dorobat will present a paper on “The French Liberal School: Contributions to International Economics.”
AERC also allows the opportunity for professionals outside of the academic system to offer their own contributions in applying Austrian insights into their own fields. Dr. Michel Accad, for example, will be presenting a paper on “Praxeological Reflections on Health and Medical Care.” Hunter Hastings, a titan of marketing consulting in Silicon Valley, will discuss “Individualism in the Age of the Smart Machine.”
Prizes will also be rewarded to truly outstanding works presented at AERC. The Lawrence W. Fertig Prize in Austrian Economics will be awarded to the paper that best advances economic science in the Austrian tradition, while the O.P. Alford III Prize in Political Economy will go to the best application of Austrian economic theory or libertarian theory to political, economic, or social issues.
AERC is a celebration of the growing advances of the Misesian tradition, and 2016 will be the best one yet.
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Watch the named lectures live at Mises.org/LIVE.
Thursday, March 31st
1:15 - 2:15 p.m. Murray N. Rothbard Memorial Lecture | Paul Gottfried, Elizabethtown College, “Why Political Correctness Is Political” Sponsored by Helio Beltrao
4:15 - 5:15 p.m. Henry Hazlitt Memorial Lecture | David Cowan, Boston College, “Economic Indulgences: Old and New Debates on Welfare and Freedom” Sponsored by Hunter Lewis
Friday, April 1st
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. F.A. Hayek Memorial Lecture | Bruce Yandle, Clemson University, “Professor Hayek’s Marvelous Eureka Moment and America’s Regulatory Saga” Sponsored by Don Printz
Saturday, April 2nd
10:45 - 11:45 a.m. Ludwig von Mises Memorial Lecture | Jeffrey Herbener, Grove City College, “Time and the Theory of Cost” (Wolfe Lecture Hall) Sponsored by James Walker
4:15 - 5:15 p.m. Lou Church Memorial Lecture | Jörg Guido Hülsmann, University of Angers, “The Political Economy of Gratuitousness” (Wolfe Lecture Hall) Sponsored by the Lou Church Foundation
