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 2021
March 15-19, 2021
Our 13th Annual Adam Smith Week will be held virtually March 15-19, 2021. This year, the Center will be collaborating with multiple universities to bring together a variety of speakers. Click here to view the event schedule.
ASW speakers include:
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Bart Wilson |
Corey DeAngelis |
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Phil Magness |
Virginia Postrel |
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Claudia Williamson |
Karol Boudreaux |
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Michael Munger |
Jonathan Haidt |
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Brian Hooks |
G. Keith Smith, MD |
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Edward Lopez
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Schedule
All times are Eastern Standard Time. Registration will be required to receive the link to each virtual event. Additional speakers may be added.
| Date | Time | Registration | Event Description | Sponsoring Center |
| Monday, March 15 | 2:00 PM EST | Register Now | "Is Capitalism Sustainable? The Platform Economy: Problems for Policy" Speaker: Michael Munger |
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| 4:00 PM EST | Register Now | "The Coddling of the American Mind: How three very bad ideas shape American education." Speaker: Jonathan Haidt |
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| Tuesday, March 16 | 3:00 PM EST | Register Now |
"Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World" |
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| 7:00 PM EST | Register Now | "The Property Species" Speaker: Bart Wilson |
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| Wednesday, March 17 | 3:00 PM EST | Register Now | "COVID-19 Didn't Break the Public School System. It was Already Broken" Panel Members: Corey DeAngelis, Phil Magness |
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| 6:00 PM EST | Register Now | "The Fabric of Civilization" Speaker: Virginia Postrel |
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| Thursday, March 18 | 3:00 PM EST | Register Now |
"Free Market Medicine: A Working Model" |
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| 5:30 PM EST | Register Now | "Culture, Capitalism, and Gender Equality" Speaker: Claudia Williamson |
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| 7:00 PM EST | Register Now | “Land Matters: Women, Developing Communities, and Innovation” Speaker: Karol Boudreaux |
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| Friday, March 19 | 11:00 AM EST | Register Now | “Adaptive-Imitation as Entrepreneurship” Speaker: Edward Lopez |
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