Econ Society
Mason’s Economics Society is a student organization dedicated to promoting the economic way of thinking and committed to the personal, professional, and academic development of all students interested in the study of economics.
The Economics Society hosts an economist about once a month to give a lecture open to all students at Mason. In February, the group hosted Bryan Caplan and Karl Smith as they debated “How Deserving are the Poor?” On Wednesday, April 16, Mason's own Donald Boudreaux spoke about “The Economics of Drug Prohibition.”
The Economics Society also has a monthly Law & Economics Seminar and Economic Liberty Lecture Series (ELLS) co-hosted by the Future of Freedom Foundation (FFF). In February and March, Claudia R. Williamson discussed "The Trouble with Aid" and Scott Sumner spoke to students about monetary policy and the crash of 2008. On April 23, Ben Powell gave a lecture entitled, "No Sweat: How Sweatshops Improve Lives and Economic Growth."
Students this semester have had a chance to discuss the Gold Clause cases with FFF’s Jacob Hornberger, a former law professor, at the Law & Economics Seminar. The last seminar for the semester will occur on May 7 and also serve as a finals study session for students.
Every other week, the Economics Society gets together for alternating reading and current-events discussion sessions. The reading discussions are widely attended by undergraduate students, who all feel comfortable enough to participate in a lively debate. The other discussion sessions, called EconSquawk, give students a great chance to look at current events from the perspective of economics, without being too formal. The last EconSquawk of the semester discussed the KONY 2012 movement.
If you would like to learn more about the Economics Society send an email to gmueconsociety@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook!