A short introductory video about the Free Market Road Show can be found on the media page of the Hayek Institut. This is a good way to understand why the conferences are important.

By now, nearly everyone is all too familiar with the current financial crisis engulfing the world. We all hear about someone new needing a “bail-out” every day, and governments are obliging them with enormous amounts of public funds. This, among other spending travesties, has to skyrocketing debt levels that put taxpayers at risk both today and tomorrow. This makes it imperative to discuss this pressing issue in an open forum to educate both the public and politicians alike. Enter the Free Market Road Show. Panels full of distinguished speakers will help shed light on this growing crisis borne from the recent financial collapse. “Values worth fighting for” will discuss the base morals and principles of state spending. What to expect from government and how to hold them accountable will be discussed, along with possible state bankruptcies. “How does the state finance its debt?” will delve into how the government is generating all of the money they are spending. Current issues surrounding public debt will be discussed along with possible areas of reform. “Solutions to the need of financing public tasks” will cover the more basic reasons for government spending and debt financing. The panel will search for the underlying issues as well as ways to solve them.

 

Panel 1: Values worth fighting for
This year we want to focus on the role of the state: what do we expect from the state? What preconditions need to be fulfilled? Accountability of the state? What if Greece goes bankrupt? Morals and markets; trust in markets and confidence as factors responsible for economic growth? Social responsibility – economics is not enough.


Panel 2: How to finance the state?
How does the state finance its debts? Where is there room for reform? Government issued bonds are no longer viewed as being without risk. Is there too much borrowing? Will the market for government bonds and other debt instruments become over-saturated with the continual new issues? Who will buy these securities at that point? Will governments be able to pay off this debt, and will people believe that they can? What are the most effective ways of reforming or controlling the level of public debt?


Panel 3: Solutions and best-practices
Solutions to the need of financing “public” tasks. Technical questions and successful reform solutions. Does the problem lie mainly in the methods of spending or the methods of revenue collection? How can a government balance their budgets, thereby reducing debt levels? Is the current financial crisis an excuse for deficit spending? What are some possible reforms to the tax system, such as a flat tax? What targets of spending can be reformed, such as pension programs or health care? Discussion on several possible reform solutions.

 

Confirmed Speakers so far:
-    Prof. Deirdre McCloskey, University of Chicago
-    Prof. Victoria Curzon-Price, University of Geneva
-    Prinz Michael von Liechtenstein, Industrie und Finanzkontor (Liechtenstein)
-    Dr. Pierre Bessard, Liberales Institut Zürich
-    Prof. Pierre Garello, Univ. Aix en Provence, IREF
-    Dkfm. Michael Jäger, Taxpayers Association of Europe
-    Dr. Dan Mitchell, CATO
-    Dr. Richard W. Rahn, Center for Global Economic Growth
-    Kelsey Zahourek, Americans for Tax Reform
-    Dr. Philipp Batthyány

-    Peter Brandner

-    Maja Drakic

-    Bernhard Felderer

-    Peter Gonda

-    Fr. Marcel Guarnizo, EICEE

-    Milorad Katnic

-    Nikolaus Kimla

-    Barbara Kolm, Hayek Institut, Austrian Economics Center, ECEG

-    Igor Luksic

-    David Pistrui, Austrian Economics Center, Illinois Institute of Technology

-    Florian Stapf, Standard and Poor's
-    and well known top representatives of European enterprises


The Format of the Conference:
3 panels (60-90min. each)
1 main speaker with max. 20 min (preferably academic or top CEO), commentated by max. 5 panelists (Business people, journalists, politicians from the prospective country - max. 7 min each), coordinated by a moderator. This format allows a lively discussion with the audience.

There is only one coffee break between the sessions.
Additionally either a lunch or a cocktail/dinner event with a key note presented by a top speaker in each city (depending on time and funding).


The Audience:
Business people and students, opinion leaders, politicians, journalists and bureaucrats, diplomats
We have decided to invite “no free market people” – to have a livelier discussion


The Panels
“Values worth fighting for” will discuss the base morals and principles of state spending. What to expect from government and how to hold them accountable will be discussed, along with possible state bankruptcies. “How does the state finance its debt?” will delve into how the government is generating all of the money they are spending. Current issues surrounding public debt will be discussed along with possible areas of reform. “Solutions to the need of financing public tasks” will cover the more basic reasons for government spending and debt financing. The panel will search for the underlying issues as well as ways to solve them.