Not too long ago, Fox News contributor and hedge fund manager Jonathan Hoenig asked ARI’s Yaron Brook, “Why should we practice free trade when other countries don’t?”
At the end of October and beginning of November, Steve Simpson, director of Legal Studies at ARI, set out on a nationwide speaking tour to defend free speech. “Free speech is increasingly under attack today,” noted Simpson. “After the election, the right is more important than ever. But if we don’t defend, we will lose it.” In eight days, Simpson participated in ten well-attended and well-received events — seven talks, two panels and one debate — addressing hundreds of people, mostly students. Several of the talks were organized by student chapters of the Federalist Society, and Simpson distributed copies of his recently released book Defending Free Speech to attendees.
This talk examines the development, operation and performance of monetary systems in the absence of government intervention. Topics covered include the spontaneous evolution of money, the rise of banks, bank self-regulation under competition and crisis management in the absence of a central bank.