Freedom to Choose Conference: Australia’s Champion of Public Choice: An Appreciation of the Life and Works of Geoffrey Brennan

This year’s Freedom to Choose (FTC) conference on the 4th of July is the thirteenth in a sequence of annual one day events devoted to exploring the effectiveness of free-market policies. It is hosted by the University of Notre Dame Australia and supported by the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation.

The theme of FTC 2023 is Australia’s Champion of Public Choice: An Appreciation of the Life and Works of Geoffrey Brennan. Geoffrey Brennan(1944-2022) was one of Australia’s leading scholars of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Geoff collaborated extensively with Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan, co-authoring with him The Power to Tax (1980) and The Reason of Rules (1985)—and later become a co-editor of the collected works of Buchanan. He also extended Buchanan’s contributions by exploring alternative assumptions about the behaviour of economic agents—such as morals, norms, and esteem—for the study of economic and political behaviour. FTC 2023 will provide an appreciation of the life and works of Geoff Brennan and also consider the relevance of his contributions for the current issues faced by society.

The confirmed speakers for FTC2023 include Jeff Bennett (ANU), Michael Brennan (Productivity Commission), William Coleman, Michael McLure (UWA), and Lachlan Umbers (UWA).

The conference website can be found here:

https://events.nd.edu.au/freedomtochoose2023.

If you would like to attend FTC2023, please contact Riko Stevens at riko.stevens@nd.edu.au.

Freedom to Choose is open to the general public and forms part of Notre Dame’s Public Choice Theory winter school unit (BUSN2080) running from June 26 – July 7. Notre Dame are offering full scholarships for this course to 14 Mannkal Alumni, so be quick to register your interest!

For more information and to enrol in BUSN2080 – Public Choice Theory or register for the Freedom to Choose conference contact Riko Stevens at riko.stevens@nd.edu.au