This weekend I attended a colloquium for George Mason University’s Fredric Bastiat Fellowship program.
The year-long fellowship is aimed at introducing graduate students from a variety of disciplines to the Austrian, Virginian, and Bloomington schools of political economy as a foundation for modern policy analysis and policy-relevant academic research.
Our readings have drawn from the works of classical political economists such as Adam Smith and Fredric Bastiat along with a variety of Nobel Prize winners who were pioneers in their respective schools — Friedrich Hayek (Austrian), James Buchanan (Virginian) and Elinor Ostrom (Bloomington.)
While there were lively debates and many opposing perspectives on core issues, everyone I interacted with was firmly committed to open and respectful discussion. The focus was consistently on ideas and achieving shared understanding rather than embracing the type of ad-hominem attacks and “us vs. them” rhetoric that dominates most political discussions I experience these days. I was flooded with ideas and resources that are helping me see new opportunities for how my systems research might provide unique value for scholars and policymakers trying to tackle complex interdisciplinary policy issues.
I’ll have much more to say about the specific ways in which I was inspired in future posts, but for now I just wanted to reflect on the fact that my experience helped me feel something I rarely do in the context of modern American politics— a genuine sense of hope for our country’s future.