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 SmithWho is Adam Smith?
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: 

 Emily Hamilton

Emily Hamilton
Senior Research Fellow
Mercatus Center at George Mason University

 Ryan Yonk

Ryan Yonk
Senior Research Faculty
American Institute for Economic Research


Sandford Ikeda 

Sanford Ikeda
Professor of Economics
Purchase College, SUNY

Jay White 

Jay White
Principal, Liollio Architecture


 Vince Graham

Vince Graham
President
I'on Group

 Brad DeVos

Brad DeVos
Director of Programs
American Institute for Economic Research


Chris Mothorpe 

Chris Mothorpe
Chair & Associate Professor of Economics
College of Charleston

 Peter Calcagno

Peter Calcagno
Professor of Economics & Director
Center for Public Choice & Market Process
College of Charleston

Dr. Alian Bertaud 

Alain Bertaud
Senior Fellow
Marron Institute of Urban Management
NYU

 


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
Wednesday, March 22 3:00 PM EST Alumni Center Register

"Panel Discussion: Charleston Housing"
Panel Members: Jay White, Vince Graham, Brad DeVos, Chris Mothorpe, and Peter Calcagno

6:00 PM EST Wells Fargo Auditorium Register

"Learning Economics and Social Theory from Jane Jacobs"
Speaker: Sanford Ikeda

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!”