FREE ISI Conference at SJSU on May 7!
“Economic Liberalism and the Free Society in the Developing World”
What: ISI Regional Leadership Conference 
When: May 7, 2011
Where: San Jose State University
Engineering Auditorium, Room 189
1 Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192
Program Overview:
The process of economic liberalization is well advanced in most first world countries. Fewer government regulations and greater individual liberty have been the hallmark of economic progress in Western countries. The question arises, “What policies, resources, and institutions promote economic liberalization in less-developed countries that struggle with political instability?” The relevance of this question is clear. Upheavals across the Middle East and Africa will produce change, but what institutional changes would be conducive to the creation of flourishing market economies and civil societies? Building a social infrastructure that respects individual liberty and creativity and which sustains a truly free and prosperous society is the next great challenge for developing countries seeking to make their mark in a globally competitive economy. Developed countries, awash in unemployment, home foreclosures, and looming debt are facing their own upheavals. Can the small gains made in developing countries such as Guatemala and Kenya remind the United States and European countries of the roots of economic prosperity?
This one-day conference will consider these questions and seek to shed light on the movement toward economic liberty in several key developing regions, exploring in particular the complex situations in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. The evidence of budding liberalization is presented not in economic graphs and charts, but in the telling of on-the-ground stories of change in policies, resources, and institutions. The speakers were selected for their excellent communication skills, personal experience in the region, and scholarly study of the issues of entrepreneurship and economic growth.
Co-Sponsored by the Economics Department at San Jose State University and The Independent Institute.
Schedule:
9:30 a.m.
Registration
10:00 a.m.
Welcome
Douglas Minson, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
10:15 a.m.
“Globalism, Governance and the Extended Order of Exchange”
Emily Skarbek, Professor of Economics at San Jose State University
11:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break
11:00 a.m.
“How Free Trade Agreements and Trade Liberalization Have
Impacted the Economic and Political Situations in Latin America”
Roberto Blum, Professor of Economics at Universidad Francisco Marroquin
12:15 p.m.
Lunch (FREE!!!)
1:30 p.m.
“Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa”
June Arunga, Founder and President at Open Quest Media
2:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break
3:00 p.m.
“What Should Be a Culture of Enterprise in an Age of Globalism:
Realizing Freedom in the Middle East”
Tom Palmer, Senior Fellow at Cato Institute and Vice President for International Programs at Atlas Economic Research Foundation
4:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Douglas Minson, Intercollegiate Studies Institute
4:15 p.m.
Reception
Parking:
Public parking at East San Fernando St. and South Fourth St. across from the Martin Luther King Library. The Engineering Auditorium is near the campus entrance at East San Fernando St. and South 7th St.
This event is free and open to the public. Lunch and a closing reception are included!
Click here to register.
