FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
International Event Gathers Hundreds of Austrian Economics Scholars in Vienna
At the Austrian National Bank (OeNB), top scholars from all over the world met and discussed some of our times’ most pressing issues
Rosario, Argentina, and Vienna, Austria (November 18th, 2019) — The Austrian Economics Center, the Hayek Institut, and Fundación Internacional Bases organized the 8th International Conference “The Austrian School of Economics in the 21st Century” on November 12, 13, and 14. The event took place at the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) and gathered more than three hundred scholars, students, investment managers, and think-tankers from five continents. Indeed, participants from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and most of Europe came to Vienna to discuss the most compelling issues of the Austrian School.
The vitality and growing relevance of Austrian economics was not only shown by the amount of attendees but also by their academic and professional status. From Harvard educated and New York Times best-seller author Tom Woods to Veronique de Rugy who regularly testifies in front of the US Congress on matters related to trade policy.
Moreover, the Keynote Speakers roster was also comprised of Robert Murphy — whose latest book is “Contra Krugman: Smashing the Errors of America’s Most Famous Keynesian” — and Prof. Dr. Erich Weede, author of eleven books and about two hundred and fifty other publications in German or English.
The Conference’s program contained more than fifty presentations. Due to the great response to the call for papers, the organizers were forced to distribute most of the activities in three parallel sessions.
What is more, the program itself was a magnificent display of all the different thematic areas the Austrian School amalgamates. Naturally, monetary policy, free trade, taxation, production, the state of the European Union, and free markets ideas were thoroughly discussed. But on top of those, quite sophisticated presentations on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, epistemology, philosophy of science — topics which make the Austrian school truly unique.
Besides the fact that participants at the conference were from all continents populated by men — except Antarctica — the global feature of the Austrian School was also highlighted by the Juan Carlos Cachanosky Memorial Lecture. Originally from Argentina, Dr. Juan Carlos Cachanosky (1953–2015) was one of the leading scholars of the Austrian school in Latin America and acknowledged by many and the most brilliant thinker who belonged to this tradition in the Spanish speaking world. To honor his academic contributions, the conference organizers decided to start a regular lecture in his memory.
Finally, one of the explicit objectives of the conference was to bring Austrian economics back to Austria. Approximately a third of the participants were Austrian residents and the announcement that the conference will take place again in Vienna in 2021 — all lead to the Austrian school may very well recover its roots and flourish once more in the place where it all had begun.
ABOUT THE AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS CENTER AND HAYEK INSTITUT
The Austrian Economics Center (AEC) is a politically independent research institute committed to disseminating the ideas of the Austrian School of Economics. Based in Vienna, the AEC is dedicated to the promotion of the Austrian School of economic thought, promoting a free, responsible and prosperous society. Seeking to improve public understanding of key economic questions, it considers economic and socio-political questions, prepares studies and recommends solutions, and organizes a variety of international educational programs. The Free Market Road Show, being the largest libertarian event in the world, touring through more than 40 countries — providing libertarian solutions to todays´problems — is one of the main events the AEC organizes annually.
The AEC’s sister organization, the Hayek Institute, is a Vienna-based think tank named after Friedrich August von Hayek, an Austrian-British economist and philosopher best known as for his defense of classical liberalism. Hayek and Gunnar Myrdal were awarded the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their work on the theory of money, monetary fluctuations, and the impact of social and institutional phenomena on the economy.
The Hayek Institute is Austria’s first organization dedicated to the study of Hayek’s work. Through publications, international conferences and other events, the institute promotes education and debate among entrepreneurs, students, the media, government, and the public at large.
Both the institute and the AEC are politically independent nonprofit organizations and hold the status of a 501(c)(3).
ABOUT FUNDACION INTERNACIONAL BASES
Fundación Internacional Bases is an institution that thinks globally and acts locally. Bases takes part in the most relevant and important discussions regarding individual freedom and market economy. We do not seek to be just one more voice but to be an active part in a substantial change that brings the triumph of freedom, the transformation into a society of responsible individuals, the opening of the economy, and the diminishing role of government in our lives. For this we actively cooperate with think-tanks, individuals, educational institutions, people of the new media, and all those who want to achieve real freedom.
For more information, please visit: www.fundacionbases.org
