F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics

09/21/2026

"As a new, liberal nation was being hatched on the Atlantic’s western shore, a new, liberal explanation of why Great Britain, the United States, and every other nation should largely ignore their own nationalities in matters of commerce was being published on the Atlantic’s eastern shore.

The truly liberal nation is one whose citizens—feeling no economic fear, jealousy, inferiority, or superiority to the peoples of other nations—are free and eager to engage commercially with foreigners no less than with one another."

—Don Boudreaux via The Independent Review

In the eighteenth century, of course, no intelligence was artificial; it was all natural. This natural intelligence was abundant and disproportionately

09/18/2026

On this episode, Peter Boettke & Rosolino Candela explore the science and art of economics.

Candela draws on his experience growing up in an immigrant family to discuss how it shaped his views on cultural integration in economics. He goes on to explore why he believes commerce creates peaceful, social interaction and how New York's cosmopolitan nature reinforced this view in his youth.

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In this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, we'll hear part one of a conversation between Peter Boettke & Rosolino Cand

09/17/2026

How can Public Choice renew political economy?

In the second-part of his essay on the past, present, and future of Public Choice, Peter Boettke calls for an economics attentive to institutions, processes, and cultures of peace, drawing on Buchanan, Hayek, Ostrom, and Smith.

Read more here.

James Buchanan This is Part II of a two-part essay: The Past, Present, and Future of Public Choice: Part I The Past, Present, and Future of Public Choice: Part II As mentioned in the previous essay, the rise of Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) programs since 2013 has been significant, inclu...

09/16/2026

Nic Bewley discovered the Mercatus MA Fellowship after a career change brought him to Northern Virginia. With a background in financial management from Hillsdale College, Nic developed an interest in economics and was drawn to the fellowship’s focus on understanding the theories behind statistics, policy, and free markets.

Mercatus Alum Nic Bewley shares his Mercatus Fellowship Story.
https://loom.ly/qbaiIfI

09/14/2026

What made standing armies politically advantageous in an age of commercial society?

In her article, “Invisible Death,” Kristen Collins examines Adam Smith’s account of technology, warfare, and liberty. Smith argued that modern weaponry diminished the importance of individual dexterity and courage while increasing the value of discipline, regularity, and obedience. Yet his defense of professional armies rested not only on military necessity, but also on their potential to expand independence and liberty through commercial relations.

As Adam Smith saw it, modern warfare required professional standing armies to make up for the deficiencies of a commercial population, composed of individuals who were simultaneously excessively attuned to specialized forms of labor and pampered by luxuries. Smith thought modern weaponry rendered a....

09/11/2026

On this episode, our panel of discussants talk about Erwin Dekker's book, "Jan Tinbergen (1903-1994) and the Rise of Economic Expertise."

Dekker argues that Tinbergen's crucial contribution is the theory of economic policy and the legitimation of economic expertise in service of the state. It traces his youthful socialist ideals which found political direction in the Plan-socialist movement of the 1930s for which he developed new economic models to combat the Great Depression. The book then turns to an examination of his attempt to repeat this achievement in the development projects in the Global South and at the international level for the United Nations.

Peter Boettke moderates the panel, with contributions from Sandra Peart and Michele Alacevich.

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On this episode of the Hayek Program Podcast, we'll hear a book panel discussion of Erwin Dekker's

09/10/2026

What is the future of public choice?

In the first of a two-part essay, Peter Boettke reflects on the intellectual legacy of James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock, the development of the Virginia School of Political Economy, and the continuing importance of studying how ideas, interests, and institutions shape political outcomes. He argues that future research should focus not only on state capacity, but also on self-governance and the institutional pathways that make liberty and prosperity possible.

James Buchanan This is Part I of a two-part essay: The Past, Present, and Future of Public Choice: Part I The Past, Present, and Future of Public Choice: Part II Sixty years ago, the Public Choice Society was founded by Gordon Tullock and James Buchanan, nearly coincident with the publication of the...

09/09/2026

How did more than 70,000 Americans overcome collective-action problems to support Central American immigrants during the Sanctuary movement of the 1980s and early 1990s?

Karla Segovia, Nathan Goodman, and Molly Rovinski examine how polycentric networks and nested governance arrangements enabled diverse religious communities to coordinate effectively in pursuit of a shared public good.

Read the full article to learn how decentralized institutions helped sustain one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in modern US history.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, civil wars contributed to significant waves of migration from Central American countries such as El Salvador and Guatemala. The United States federal government, specifically the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), systematically denied Central American immigr...

09/08/2026

Bryan Cheang discovered the Adam Smith Fellowship during his PhD studies in political economy at King's College London. Coming from Singapore, Bryan was drawn to the fellowship's interdisciplinary approach and its focus on understanding how free markets and liberal institutions work across different cultural contexts.

Smith Alum Bryan Cheang shares his Mercatus Fellowship Story.
https://loom.ly/4v3e_-8

09/04/2026

In the second of a two-part series, Peter Boettke and Virgil Storr finish their conversation on the legacy of Don Lavoie as both a mentor and scholar. Virgil Storr first reflects on the untimely death of Don Lavoie, how his death influenced those close to him, and the impact he left on his colleagues and students.

Later on, Boettke and Storr discuss the nature of scholarship and the process of exploring gaps in the social sciences before finishing their talk with some thoughts on the importance of interdisciplinary conversations.

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In the second of a two-part series, Peter Boettke and Virgil Storr finish their conversation on the legacy of Don Lavoie as b