We
‘re incredibly excited to have the Institute for Humane Studies as a Partner level sponsor at the ISFLC! The Institute for Humane Studies is a fantastic organization, whose mission is to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in advancing the principles and practice of freedom. Each year IHS awards over $1 million in scholarships to students from universities around the world. IHS also sponsors the attendance of hundreds of students at its summer seminars and provides various forms of career assistance, including mentoring, a job board, and online career development seminars.
Not only will IHS have wonderful breakout sessions at the ISFLC, they’ll also be running a career development lunch for individuals interested in a career in academia with free food and highly qualified speakers. You can find out more about the lunch by clicking this link: https://www.theihs.org/on-campus-education/isflc-career-development-seminar. It is limited to 30 participants, so RSVP before it fills up!
Below are all of the wonderful breakout sessions IHS will have available at the ISFLC:
James Stacey Taylor, Votes or Sale!
When people say that a politician “bought” an election they mean this as a criticism. James Stacey Taylor doesn’t—he thinks that elections should be for sale, with voters being able to buy and sell votes like candy. In this talk, he explains why this system would actually be better than the current system where votes sales are prohibited. Even if it might not affect the outcomes of elections, allowing vote sales would make the poor and the politically disinterested better off than they currently are.
Adam Martin, Myths of Economic Development and Foreign Aid
Why are some nations rich and others poor? This is the oldest question in economics, but was ignored for many years. In the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in economic development and foreign aid. This talk explores popular myths about development, explaining how they run afoul of both basic economic reasoning and contemporary academic research.
Antony Davies, Is Freedom Really Good?
The argument for coercion holds that, left to their own, people will consolidate power, stifle competition, exploit each other, and confiscate wealth. The argument for freedom holds that, left to their own, people will disseminate power, encourage competition, cooperate with each other, and create wealth. Comparing income, equality, poverty, social, and environmental outcomes across societies with differing levels of freedom provides hard evidence in favor of the argument for freedom.
David Friedman, Should we Abolish Criminal Law?
Modern legal systems use two systems, criminal law and tort law, to do essentially the same work—impose costs on those who impose costs on others. Is there any good reason to have both? Could criminal law be abolished and tort law expanded to replace it, what problems might arise in such a system, how could they be dealt with, and would the change be an improvement?.
Bryan Caplan, Immigration Restrictions: A Solution in Search of a Problem
Immigration laws heavily restrict foreigner’s freedom to work, travel, and reside. Are there any decent arguments – libertarian or otherwise – in favor of such laws? Caplan covers all the major rationales for restricting immigration, and concludes libertarians should not only favor open borders, but make this issue their top priority.
Phil Magness, Nigel Ashford, and Mario Villareal-Diaz, Activism through Academia: Life in the Ivory Tower
Are you interested in advancing classical liberal ideas at the forefront of the intellectual discussion? Is activism alone not enough for you? Come find out what it takes to succeed in graduate school, and how making an intellectual case for a free society in the university can be a viable and fulfilling career path for classical liberals and libertarians.