In the 2009, Dr. Luisa Blanco was approached by the Koch Foundation during a conference of the Association for Private Enterprise Education to discuss grant opportunities for a speakers series project she envisioned for the School of Public Policy. She structured the seminars and invited various speakers to the school. The result was the Koch Reading Group, which was a series of six discussion sessions attended by students on a variety of public policy topics.
Dr. Blanco provided us with a description of the program:
“I was motivated to start this reading group because with all the changes happening in terms of policy due to the financial crisis (fiscal stimulus, federal reserve policy, health care, etc..), I felt that it is necessary to have a conversation on what the role of government should be in today’s society. I have attended some colloquiums from the Liberty Fund, where issues related to the role of government in society are discussed. The participants of these colloquiums are mainly scholars and professionals. I decided to bring this experience to SPP since I think that it is necessary that our students engage in this conversation. It is likely that SPP students will become policy-makers in the future; thus, it is important that they are critical about the role of government on society.
The reading group did not have any agenda to follow; it was just an opportunity for students to get exposed to a variety of literature on liberty and to discuss what the role of government should be. Using the literature I have chosen, I wanted students to be critical about the views of these scholars and about the policies implemented in the last year. The group’s conversations were outstanding and students seemed to have enjoyed the experience. This group was an excellent opportunity for students to explore other ideas in the role of government, to make connections between other classes they were taken, and to learn from other participants and professors.
Furthermore, the students benefited significantly by having the opportunity to listen to distinguished guest speakers, who had significant hands on experience. The speakers have worked in the government at the state and federal level. Another important benefit of this reading group is that it took an interdisciplinary approach, where professors from different disciplines were invited to direct the discussion and share their views on the readings. The selection process for the group was competitive (30 applications for 15 spaces); resulting in a very diverse and dynamic group of highly qualified participants. The participants were School of Public Policy students (first and second year) and also undergrad students from Seaver. Through the grant from the Koch Charitable Foundation I was able to cover the expenses related to bringing the distinguished guest speakers, as well as to provide a stipend, books, and food for the participants.”
If you would like to check out some of these lectures, they are available on Youtube:
“The Bush-Obama Stimulus Programs and the Future of American Capitalism” by Randall Holcombe, Florida State University
“The Future of Regulation” by Jerry Ellig, George Mason University
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