Hayek Lecture Series

The Hayek Lecture Series brings leading scholars and writers to Duke University to talk about compelling issues related to the economy and society.

"Legacy and Athletic Preferences at Harvard" Peter Arcidiacono, Hayek Lecture Series

Peter Arcidiacono, November 18, 2019
On Monday, November 18th, 2019, Peter Arcidiacono presented, "Legacy and Athletic Preferences at Harvard" at the Center for the History of Political Economy at Duke University. Professor Arcidiacono specializes in research involving applied microeconomics, applied economics, and labor economics. Along with Richard D. Kahlenberg, Arcidiacono was hired by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) to serve as an expert witness in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard lawsuit, which was heard by Allison Dale Burroughs in Massachusetts federal district court in Boston in October 2018. To learn how you can support the Center and the Hayek Lecture Series, please contact the director, Bruce Caldwell, at 919-660-6896 or bruce.caldwell@duke.edu. Video recorded and produced by Shaun King, Department of Political Science, Duke University.

"The Game of Worms" Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Hayek Lecture Series

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, October 17, 2019
In this lecture, Professor Bueno de Mesquita will question the impact of the Protestant Reformation, arguing that it was not a major driver either of northern Europe's economic success or of the decline of Roman Catholicism's sway in Europe. Rather, both, along with Europe's secularization and creation of sovereign states, were predictable products of the Concordat of Worms. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Silver Professor of Politics at New York University. He is an expert on international conflict, foreign policy formation, and nation building. His current research focuses on the links between political institutions, economic growth, and political change. He is also investigating the causes and consequences of international conflict as well as national security policy forecasting and analysis. To learn how you can support the Center and the Hayek Lecture Series, please contact our director, Bruce Caldwell, at 919-660-6896 or bruce.caldwell@duke.edu. Produced by Shaun King, Duke University Department of Political Science.

“Editing Embryos: Private Choices and Public Goods,” Jonathan Anomaly, Hayek Lecture Series

Jonathan Anomaly, April 15, 2019
In this Hayek Lecture, Professor Jonathan Anomaly discusses some of the benefits and costs of emerging technologies that will allow parents to influence the genetic characteristics of their kids. Professor Anomaly began with an overview of some basic findings from behavioral genetics. He then discussed the coordination problems that are likely to arise when parents have access to technology that allows them to choose their children’s traits. Anomaly ended by defending principles justifying limited government intervention to solve coordination problems, drawing on insights from Hayek and Mill. To learn how you can support the Center and the Hayek Lecture Series, please contact our director, Bruce Caldwell, at 919-660-6896 or bruce.caldwell@duke.edu.

"Economic Freedom & the Wealth and Health of Nations," Robert Lawson, Hayek Lecture Series

Robert Lawson, February 4, 2019
On Februrary 4th, 2019, Robert Lawson visited Duke University to present his talk, "Economic Freedom & the Wealth and Health of Nations." Robert Lawson is professor of practice and Jerome M. Fullinwider Centennial Chair in Economic Freedom and is director of the O’Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom at the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox School of Business. He previously taught at Auburn University, Capital University, and Shawnee State University. Dr. Lawson is a co-author of the widely-cited Economic Freedom of the World annual reports, which present an economic freedom index for over 150 countries.

"The Captured Economy" Steven Teles, Hayek Lecture Series

Steven Teles, October 22, 2018
Steve Teles, a political scientist from Johns Hopkins University, spoke about his book titled “The Captured Economy: How the Powerful Enrich Themselves, Slow Down Growth, and Increase Inequality,” written with Brink Lindsey.

"Free Market Liberalism is Humane" Deirdre McCloskey, Hayek Lecture Series

Deirdre McCloskey, February 22, 2018
Deirdre McCloskey from the University of Illinois at Chicago talks "Free Market Liberalism is Humane"

"Illiberal Reformers" Thomas Leonard, Hayek Lecture Series

Thomas Leonard, January 25, 2018
Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and the Origins of the Administrative State

Tomorrow 3.0, Michael Munger, Hayek Lecture Series

Michael Munger, November 14, 2017
Tomorrow 3.0: The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics of the New Economy

"The Role of Intellectual Property in an Innovation Economy" Adam Mossoff, Hayek Lecture Series

Adam Mossoff, September 27,2017
Adam Mossoff discusses The Role of Intellectual Property in a Thriving Innovation Economy, September 27, 2017

"Pharmaceutical Freedom" Jessica Flanigan, Hayek Lecture Series

Jessica Flanagan, March 27, 2017
On March 27, Professor Jessica Flanigan gave a guest lecture to Professor Jonathan Anomaly’s PPE class on her forthcoming book, Pharmaceutical Freedom. Professor Flanigan begins with an overview of the doctrine of informed consent, and gives several different justifications for why competent adults should be trusted with the right to make their own medical choices. Flanigan then argues that if the doctrine of informed consent allows us to refuse treatments that our doctor thinks is advisable, it should also permit us to access risky treatments, even if our doctor thinks it is inadvisable. On Flanigan’s view, different patients have diverse interests and attitudes toward risk, so governments should allow patients to access treatments without a prescription from doctors or permission from government authorities like the US Food and Drug Administration. She notes that antibiotics might be an exception, since their overuse by patients can harm other people by spurring the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Finally, for those who aren’t willing to eliminate all barriers to accessing risky treatments, Flanigan considers several different ways we might lower these barriers enough to save lives and increase liberty.

"Are we fleecing the young?" Loren Lomasky, Hayek Lecture Series

Loren Lomasky, March 6, 2017
On March 6, 2017, Dr. Loren Lomasky of the University of Virginia gave a lecture on the ethics and economics of inter-generational transfer programs. Professor Lomasky predicts that as people live longer, and fertility rates decline in the West, public debt will rise and existing workers will pay an increasing amount to finance transfer programs. According to the Lomasky and Brennan thesis, transfer programs are easy to pass and hard to cut because it is cheap for people to vote for such programs, even if the consequences include increased debt spending by governments and reduced economic growth and job opportunities for the young.

"Two incompatible sacred values in American universities" Jon Haidt, Hayek Lecture Series

Jonathan Haidt, October 6, 2016
On October 6, 2016, Professor Jonathan Haidt gave a Hayek Lecture at Duke. The event was co-sponsored by the programs in the History of Political Economy (HOPE), Philosophy, Politics, & Economics (PPE), and American Values and Institutions (AVI). The event was open to the public, but also served as a guest lecture in Professor Jonathan Anomaly’s PPE course. Professor Haidt argues that conflicts arise at many American universities today because they are pursuing two potentially incompatible goals: truth and social justice. While Haidt thinks both goals are important, he maintains that they can come into conflict. According to some versions of social justice, whenever we observe a disparity of outcomes between races, genders, or other groups, we should infer that injustice has been done. Haidt challenges this view of social justice and shows how it sometimes leads to violations of truth, and even justice. Haidt concludes that universities should be free to pursue whatever goals – truth or social justice – they want, but that they should make it clear which of these two goals is their “telos” – their highest purpose. He ends with a discussion of his initiative, HeterodoxAcademy.org, to bring more viewpoint diversity to universities in order to improve research and learning.
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