Freedom & Progress 2023: FREOPP’s Annual Conference

A gathering of those who, like Frederick Douglass, believe that freedom is humanity’s greatest engine of prosperity and progress.

The 2023 Freedom & Progress conference took place on November 5–7 in Washington, D.C. Descriptions and videos of the sessions are below. Click here for highlights of the opening session from C-SPAN.

About the Freedom & Progress Conference

The 2023 Freedom & Progress Conference united American leaders in politics, policy, journalism, and philanthropy who believe that economic and political freedom are humanity’s greatest engines of prosperity and happiness.

Our goal? To build a 21st century movement that embodies the principles best described by Frederick Douglass, who in 1870 declared, “I never intend to belong to any other party than the party of freedom and progress.”

Agenda

Monday, November 6, 2023

OPENING REMARKS & PLENARY SESSIONS

9:00am — 9:45am ET
Expanding Freedom to Achieve Progress
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP

To expand the constituency for freedom, it is essential that we show how freedom makes lives better for Americans on the bottom half of the ladder.

9:45am — 10:30am ET
The Conservative Case Against Free Markets
Ben Domenech • Editor-at-Large, The Spectator
Tim Carney • Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Julius Krein • Editor, American Affairs
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)

A group of nationalist intellectuals has sought to reorient the conservative movement toward a greater role for government intervention in the economy and for traditional social values. What are their strongest arguments?

10:30am — 11:15am ET
The Moral Case for Freedom
George Will • Columnist, The Washington Post
Matthew Continetti • Director of Domestic Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)

In July, a group of scholars, writers, and activists launched the Freedom Conservatism Statement of Principles. Hear from two eminent observers on the state of the conservative movement, and the prospects of preserving individual and economic freedom at its core.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 1

11:30am — 12:15pm ET
State-Based Solutions for Freedom & Progress
John Hood • President, John William Pope Foundation (Moderator)
Jared Meyer • Partner, August Strategy Group
Grover Norquist • President, Americans for Tax Reform
Randy Hicks • President & CEO, Georgia Center for Opportunity
Ben Toma • Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives

What are the most exciting policy opportunities for freedom and progress at the state and local levels? Hear from leaders working on the front lines in state capitals across the country.

11:30am — 12:15pm ET
A Deep Dive on Polling Data
Kathleen O’Hearn • Director of Economic Progress, Stand Together Trust (Moderator)
Emily Ekins • Vice President, Cato Institute
George Hawley • Associate Professor, The University of Alabama
Henry Olsen • Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

What can surveys tell us about the state of public support for individual and economic freedom? Hear from some of America’s leading analysts about where Americans are open to pro-freedom arguments, and where they are skeptical.

11:30am — 12:15pm ET
Freedom and the Rising Generations
Alexandra Hudson • Founder, Civic Renaissance (Moderator)
Casey Given • Executive Director, Young Voices
Daniel Di Martino • Graduate Fellow, Manhattan Institute
Marshall Kosloff • Media Fellow, Hudson Institute

Much of the energy on the illiberal right comes from young activists, especially those who were radicalized on left-wing campuses. The illiberal left has also attracted substantial support from Millennials and Gen Z. Where do rising generations stand on freedom?

LUNCH SESSION

12:15pm — 1:30pm ET
Policy Victories: Getting the Substance & Situation Right
Michael Franc • Chief Research Officer, FREOPP (Moderator)
Preston Cooper • Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Dan Lips • Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Roger Valdez • Research Fellow, FREOPP

PLENARY SESSION

1:30pm — 2:15pmET
Freedom and Racial Equality
Emily Benavides • Principal, Benavides Strategy (Moderator)
Michael Tanner • Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Devon Westhill • Senior Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity
Jose Mallea • CEO, The LIBRE Foundation

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke powerfully of America’s founding creed as a “promissory note” for equal opportunity for Americans of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. For those who oppose both racial discrimination and racial quotas, what is the fairest and freest path to equality?

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 2

2:30pm — 3:15pm ET
Smarter & Fairer Policing
Robert Fisher • Partner, Nixon Peabody (Moderator)
Jillian Snider • Policy Director of Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, R Street Institute
Jonathan Blanks • Research Fellow, FREOPP
Jennifer Doleac • Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures
Vikrant Reddy • Senior Fellow, Stand Together

Over the last decade, we have experienced a vigorous debate between advocates of the police, and those who argue that policing tactics are overly aggressive and racially biased. A third group of reformers believes that you can improve public safety while also increasing public trust in the police. We’ll hear from those reformers today.

2:30pm — 3:15pm ET
What’s Next for Education Reform
Dan Lips • Senior Fellow, FREOPP (Moderator)
Corey DeAngelis • Senior Fellow, American Federation for Children
Nina Rees • President & CEO, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Gavin Schiffres • Founder and CEO Emeritus, Kairos Academies

The last two years have been landmark years for education reform, especially in states that have enacted universal Education Savings Accounts. Hear from several of the leading figures in K-12 reform and school choice on where we stand today.

2:30pm — 3:15pm ET
The Chinese Cold War
Michael G. Franc • Chief Research Officer, FREOPP (Moderator)
Jamil Jaffer • Founder, National Security Institute, George Mason University
Candice Pierucci • Representative, Utah House
Simon Lee • Writer-in-residence, Unsubject

China has emerged as America’s principal geopolitical competitor. China’s critics accuse it of harming American workers through predatory trade practices, and of preparing for military conflict with the United States over Taiwan. How should America respond?

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 3

3:30pm — 4:15pm ET
Yes in My Backyard
Jon Hartley • Research Fellow, FREOPP (Moderator)
Michele Reynolds • Senator, Ohio Senate
Roger Valdez • Research Fellow, FREOPP
Judge Glock • Director of Research, Manhattan Institute

A growing movement of “YIMBYs” is working to increase the affordability of U.S. housing by increasing its supply. How are YIMBYs doing? Where are the biggest opportunities for market-based reforms?

3:30pm — 4:15pm ET
Is Higher Education Obsolete?
Annie Bowers • Visiting Fellow in Higher Education, FREOPP
Preston Cooper • Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Audrey Mickahail • Senior Vice President, Delivery, Opportunity@Work
Michael Hunter • Chief of Staff, Arizona House of Representatives

An increasing share of young people are deciding to forego college due to its high costs and uncertain benefits. What can we do to make higher education more affordable? What alternative models enable Americans to achieve economic success without a traditional 4-year degree?

3:30pm — 4:15pm ET
Redesigning the Safety Net
Robert Rector • Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
Aparna Mathur • Visiting Scholar, FREOPP
Michael Tanner • Senior Fellow, FREOPP

Americans are increasingly dropping out of the labor force, in part because the government is paying them to do so. How can we ensure that people get the help they need, while ensuring that welfare is a leg up, not a hand down?

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 4

4:30pm — 5:15pm ET
A Climate of Energy Abundance
Grant Dever • Resident Fellow, FREOPP (Moderator)
Travis Fisher • Director of Energy and Environmental Policy, Cato Institute
Drew Bond • President and CEO, C3 Solutions
Christopher Barnard • President, American Conservation Coalition

The rising cost of energy is a key driver of the rising cost of living for lower- and middle-income Americans. What can we do to reduce carbon emissions while increase the supply, consumption, and resilience of U.S. energy?

4:30pm — 5:15pm ET
Strengthening the American Workforce
Laura Maristany • Founder and CEO, Prospera Insights (Moderator)
Natalia Dashan • Visiting Fellow, FREOPP
David Bier • Associate Director of Immigration Studies, Cato Institute
Preston Cooper • Senior Fellow, FREOPP
Jackson Mejia • PhD Candidate, MIT

Businesses all over America are complaining that they don’t have enough workers — both skilled and unskilled. What can we do to encourage more Americans to seek work, and to attract the best and brightest workers from other nations?

4:30pm — 5:15pm ET
Bitcoin’s Comeback
David Zell • Co-Founder, Bitcoin Policy Institute (Moderator)
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP
C. Wallace DeWitt • Senior Counsel, Allen & Overy LLP

Bitcoin has once again risen from the dead — and last year’s FTX debacle. What are its near-term prospects? Could it ever replace the dollar as the world’s most attractive currency?

FREDERICK DOUGLASS AWARDS DINNER

7:00pm ET
Fireside Chat with The Honorable Betsy DeVos
Corey DeAngelis • Senior Fellow, American Federation for Children (Moderator)
The Honorable Betsy DeVos • 11th United States Secretary of Education

2022 and 2023 have seen the most significant victories for the education choice movement in American history. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has long been the most significant philanthropic force behind education choice. In this fireside chat, she’ll discuss how things went down behind the scenes with Corey DeAngelis of the American Federation for Children, the nonprofit that DeVos founded in 1998.

7:50pm ET
Fireside Chat with Gov. Doug Ducey

Dan Lips • Senior Fellow, FREOPP (Moderator)
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)
Governor Doug Ducey • 23rd Governor of Arizona & CEO, Citizens for Free Enterprise

Doug Ducey just completed his second term as Governor of Arizona. In his eight years in office, he achieved a number of landmark victories for Freedom & Progress, including: universal education savings accounts, occupational licensing reform, and unemployment benefit reform. FREOPP President Avik Roy and Resident Fellow Dan Lips — the inventor of ESAs — will talk to Gov. Ducey about what he learned, and what he thinks the future holds for the Freedom & Progress agenda.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

OPENING REMARKS & PLENARY SESSION

9:00am — 9:15am ET
Jonathan Bush • Chairman of the Board of Directors, FREOPP

9:15am — 9:45am ET
Fireside Chat with Governor Sununu
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)
Governor Chris Sununu • Governor of New Hampshire

Cable news and social media are full of sensational stories of polarizing politicians. But outside of the media’s glare, common-sense leaders are succeeding in purple states by building bridges across partisan lines. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will share with us his insights on how to achieve freedom & progress in a politically diverse state.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 1

10:00am — 10:45am ET
Reducing Health Care Prices
Grant Rigney • Visiting Scholar, FREOPP (Moderator)
Joel White • President, Council for Affordable Health Coverage
Brian Blase • President, Paragon Health Institute
Ge Bai • Professor, Johns Hopkins

The high cost of health care ranks consistently as one of Americans’ top issues. But any effort to reduce the cost of health care services encounter steep resistance from those who benefit from high health care prices. Hear from leading health care reformers on how we can do more to make health care affordable.

10:00am — 10:45am ET
Free Trade and Blue-Collar Americans
Iain Murray • Vice President for Strategy, Competitive Enterprise Institute (Moderator)
Oren Cass • Executive Director, American Compass
Bryan Riley • Director, Free Trade Initiative, National Taxpayers Union

Donald Trump’s rise to the White House in 2016 has reinvigorated debates about the value of free trade, especially for blue-collar workers. Hear from one of free trade’s leading critics on the right, Oren Cass, and the National Taxpayers Union’s Bryan Riley as they debate the value of free trade for ordinary Americans.

10:00am — 10:45am ET
Reforming the Administrative State
Russell Greene • Senior Fellow, Stand Together (Moderator)
Kent Lassman • President & CEO, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Philip Howard • Chair and Founder, Common Good
David Frum • Staff Writer, The Atlantic

Unelected federal officials have taken an outsized role in determining the laws and policies of the United States. What can be done to ensure that such officials are politically and legally accountable for the decisions they make? Can we reform civil service laws in order to reward top performers in the government — and let go of those on the bottom end of the performance spectrum?

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 2

11:00am — 11:45am ET
Can Lower Drug Prices Increase Innovation?
Michael Cannon • Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute (Moderator)
Gregg Girvan • Resident Fellow, FREOPP
Peter Bach • Chief Medical Officer, Delfi Diagnostics
Anna Kaltenboech • Principal, ATI Advisory

In August of 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which included provisions enabling the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices for the first time. Some argue that this is a long-overdue step. Others argue that it will harm pharmaceutical innovation. Who’s right?

11:00am — 11:45am ET
Defining Victory in Ukraine
Danielle Pletka • Distinguished Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (Moderator)
Luke Coffey • Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Dalibor Rohac • Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Andrei Illarionov • Senior Analyst, Center for Security Policy

Critics of America’s aid for Ukraine argue that the Biden administration has not defined what victory should look like. Is that true? How does aiding Ukraine advance America’s strategic interests? Hear from leading experts on the topic.

11:00am — 11:45am ET
The Next Wave of Affirmative Action Litigation
Jimmy Soni • Author (Moderator)
Devon Westhill • President and General Counsel, Center for Equal Opportunity
Ilya Shapiro • Director of Constitutional Studies, Manhattan Institute

The Supreme Court’s majority opinion in the Students for Fair Admissions case has elevated the possibility of eliminating race-based policies in other important domains, like employment and federal contracting. Where will public interest law firms go next? Are there cases already on the docket in important jurisdictions?

CLOSING PLENARY SESSIONS

12:15pm — 1:00pm ET
Freedom, Progress, and the Public
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)
Kristen Soltis Anderson • Founder, Principle Echelon Insights
Joe Walsh • Political Director, Mission Democracy
Lanhee Chen • David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies, The Hoover Institution, Stanford University

The media plays an essential role in transmitting our values and ideas to the broader public. How are we doing?

1:00pm — 1:45pm ET
Advancing Freedom & Progress
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)
John Hood • President, John William Pope Foundation
Brian Hooks • Chairman and CEO of Stand Together, President of the Charles Koch Foundation
Heath Mayo • Founder, Principles First

What do advocates of freedom and progress need to do to advance our principles and policies?

1:45pm — 2:00pm ET
Closing Remarks
Avik Roy • President, FREOPP (Moderator)