Theory to Practice Readings Group

An important component of our Mercatus MA fellowship program is our Theory to Practice Readings Group. Our readings group brings Mercatus MA fellows, Mercatus policy scholars, and authors together to discuss economics, political philosophy, the nature of government, and current issues in public policy. T2P meetings are fast paced and interactive.  MA fellows serve as rotating discussion leaders.

This semester we will investigate F.A Hayek’s “Science of Liberty.”  Hayek, a Nobel Laureate economist and philosopher, has done much to advance our understanding of the institutions required to support a society of free and responsible individuals.  We will be looking at key readings by F.A. Hayek including Hayek’s Road to Serfdom (1944), The Constitution of Liberty (1960), and The Fatal Conceit (1988).

Investigating Hayek’s ‘Science of Liberty’

Reading Schedule

* Monday, October 5th, 12:00pm-1:30pm
F.A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom (1944)
Chapters 1-9. Pages 65-156.

* Monday, November 2nd, 12:00pm-1:30pm
F.A. Hayek’s The Constitution of Liberty (1960)
Introduction, Chapters 1-6, 9-10, 14-15, 17, and Postscript. Pages 1-102, 133-161, 205-233, 253-266, and 397-414.

* Monday, December 7th, 12:00 – 1:30pm
F.A. Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit (1988)
Introduction, Chapters 1-5, and 7. Pages 6-88, and 106-119.

Past semesters have featured the following T2P series:

Spring 2009 – Special Topics in Theory to Practice
We examined specific examples of turning theory into practice, with a focus on publications from Mercatus-affiliated scholars who joined us during the discussion. Sessions discussed Dr. Chris Coyne’s After War: The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy and Dr. Paul Dragos Aligica and Karol Boudreaux’s Paths to Property: Approaches to Institutional Change in International Development.

Fall 2008 – The Problem of Bureaucracy
We explored the challenges of bureaucracy as a key to understanding the obstacles that large organizations, including government, businesses, and non-profits must try to overcome.  Our readings focused on the limits of bureaucracy in an effort to understand the limits of government and to make sense of government failures. Readings included Max Weber’s Economy & Society, William C. Mitchell and Randy T. Simmons’ Beyond Politics, Ludwig von Mises’ Bureaucracy, and Gordon Tullock’s Bureaucracy.