The American Economy at 250

Event Details

In this interactive session, Ryan Yonk and Phillip Magness will explore the history, economics and implications of managing the US economy across the past 250 years. Together, they will examine which policies have been enacted and how they have impacted the well-being of Americans, especially those with the fewest resources. Using this historical and policy perspective, they will suggest that most successful periods in American economic history have been those in which markets were allowed to function, and show how these historical lessons can inform current decision making.

Ryan M. Yonk is the Director of Education and Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He holds a PhD from Georgia State University and MS and BS degrees from Utah State University. Prior to joining AIER, Dr. Yonk held academic positions at North Dakota State University, Utah State University and Southern Utah University and was one of the founders of the Strata Policy. He is the (co) author or editor of numerous books, including Green V. Green; Nature Unbound: Bureaucracy vs. the Environment; The Reality of American Energy; and Politics and Quality of Life: The Role of Well-Being in Political Outcomes. He has also co-authored numerous articles in academic journals, including Public Choice; The Independent Review, Applied Research in Quality of Life; and The Journal of Private Enterprise. His research explores how policy can be better crafted to achieve greater individual autonomy and prosperity.

Phillip Magness is a Senior Fellow and the David J. Theroux Chair in Political Economy at the Independent Institute. He has served as Senior Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, as Academic Program Director at the Institute for Humane Studies and as Adjunct Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His books include The 1619 Project: A Critique; Colonization after Emancipation: Lincoln and the Movement for Black Resettlement (with Sebastian N. Page); The Rules of the Game: How Government Works and Why it Sometimes Doesn't (with Paul Weissburg); and Cracks in the Ivory Tower: The Moral Mess of Higher Education (with Jason Brennan). Dr. Magness' scholarly articles and reviews have appeared in The Independent Review; Journal of Markets and Morality; Journal of Private Enterprise; Journal of Supreme Court History; Journal of the History of Economic Thought and many more. His popular articles have been published in Newsweek; Wall Street Journal; New York Times; Daily Caller; History News Network and Civil War Monitor. He holds a PhD and MPP from George Mason University and a BA from the University of St. Thomas (Houston).

This event is part of the Menard Family Lecture Series and is presented by the Center for Free Enterprise in the College of Business. It is free and open to all UofL students, faculty, staff and the community. Registration is not required. Pizza will be served to attendees.