ASU to Host Guest Presentation on Foundation of Modern Economics

SAN ANGELO, TX — Angelo State University will host Dr. Bradley Hobbs, clinical professor of economics at Clemson University, for a public presentation on Adam Smith, considered the founder of modern economics, on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 5:30 p.m. in the ASU Mathematics-Computer Science (MCS) Building at 2200 Dena Drive.

Sponsored by the Texas Tech University Free Market Institute at Angelo State University, Hobbs' presentation will take place in Room 100 of the MCS Building and is free and open to the public.

In his presentation titled "What Did Adam Smith Know?," Hobbs will cover Smith's foundational contributions to the modern world through major themes from Smith's books, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" (1759) and "An Inquiry Into the Natures and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776). Hobbs will also discuss how Smith's influence is embedded in many areas of modern economics inquiry over the past 250 years, including economic development, the economic framework of scarcity and efficiency, international relations, and free and open trade. His ideas remain as pertinent and important to the world today as when they were introduced in the 1700s.

In addition to his faculty position in the Department of Economics, Hobbs is a senior fellow at Clemson University's Snow Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He is also a research fellow at the James Madison Institute, sits on the Academic Advisory Board for the Bastiat Society, and is a member of the American Institute for Economic Research and the Mont Pelerin Society.

Hobbs' research interests include property rights, economic freedom, economic growth, financial markets and the philosophic foundations of markets - and his articles and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of journals, including Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, Laissez-Faire, Journal of Economics and Finance Education, Journal of Private Enterprise, Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, and Research in Finance. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University.

The TTU Free Market Institute at ASU aims to advance research and teaching related to the free enterprise system and the institutional environment necessary for it to function well, and to support the missions of the ASU Norris-Vincent College of Business. The institute also develops and operates student and public programming that is supported by $1 million in anonymous gifts for the benefit of ASU students and the San Angelo community.

Free Market Institute programming is also another example of why securing funding to support the various components of ASU's annual Distinguished Speaker Series is one of the top priorities of the ongoing "Leading the Charge" capital campaign.

More details on the campaign and ways to contribute are available online at angelo.edu/leading-the-charge or by calling the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 325-942-2116.