Adam Smith Week
Every spring semester we organize Adam Smith Week. Through a variety of events, Adam Smith Week is a way for the Center to create awareness and explore important topics in political economy, entrepreneurship, and the role of government. The weeklong event has a series of educational opportunities for students, faculty, and the community to engage in the discussion on Adam Smith and his economic philosophy.
Adam Smith is one of the most recognizable figures in economics, and his contributions to the fields of philosophy and economics are still relevant today. Smith explained that the wealth of nations was created through changes in the division of labor, the growth of firms and industries. Entrepreneurship was essential to the division of labor and, hence, to economic growth.
Adam Smith’s 1776 book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, is one of the most important works in economics. As Smith endeavors to explain, the fundamental idea of the market's "invisible hand" is such that individuals' self-interest often promotes society's interests. Illustrating this concept is the following passage:
“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity, but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages.”
Adam Smith Week 2023
March 20-24, 2023
"The Economics of Urban Planning"
Our 15th Annual Adam Smith Week will be held in-person and via Zoom March 20-24, 2023. The theme this year is the economics of urban planning. Click here to view the event schedule and registration links.
ASW speakers include:
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Emily Hamilton |
Ryan Yonk |
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Sanford Ikeda |
Jay White |
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Vince Graham |
Brad DeVos |
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Chris Mothorpe |
Peter Calcagno |
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Alain Bertaud |
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Schedule
All times are Eastern Standard Time. Additional speakers may be added.
| Date | Time | Location | Zoom | Event Description |
| Tuesday, March 21 | 1:40 PM EST | Wells Fargo Auditorium | Register | "Why Let Planners Do What They Do?" Speaker: Ryan Yonk |
| 6:00 PM EST | Wells Fargo Auditorium | Register | "Zoning Reform and Housing Abundance" Speaker: Emily Hamilton |
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| Wednesday, March 22 | 3:00 PM EST | Alumni Center | Register |
"Panel Discussion: Charleston Housing" |
| 6:00 PM EST | Wells Fargo Auditorium | Register |
"Learning Economics and Social Theory from Jane Jacobs" |
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| Thursday, March 23 | 3:00 PM EST | Wells Fargo Auditorium | Register | "Are modern city managers the slaves of some defunct philosopher? Unfortunately, they have chosen Jean Jacques Rousseau instead of Adam Smith!" Speaker: Alain Bertaud |
| Friday, March 24 | 12:00 PM EST | Beatty 301 | “Discover Economics!” |
