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Due to security concerns FREE does not post the date or location of current conferences. Current program topics are:
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 Exploring Breakthroughs in Entrepreneurship & Public Policy
A Program for Social Entrepreneurs |
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Climate Change, Economics, & the Courts
A Program for Federal Judges, State Supreme Court Justices,
& Law Professors |
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Terrorism, Civil Liberty, & National Security
A Program for Federal Judges, State Supreme Court Justices,
& Law Professors |
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Breakthrough: Ethics, Economics, & the Environment
A Program for Religious Leaders |
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Past Program Agendas |
Please
contact us if you’d like additional information.
FREE’s social entrepreneurship program is designed to explore the creation of new institutions and innovative public policies that promote environmental progress and social wellbeing. We bring together scholars from across the country for two days of stimulating and insightful conversation. This year the program will focus on a groundbreaking new book by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger: Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility.
Nordhaus and Shellenberger argue for a new environmentalism, one based on unleashing the potential of human action rather than on constraining it. They write, “Few things have hampered environmentalism more than it’s long standing position that limits to growth are the remedy for ecological crises. ... Think of verbs associated with environmentalism and conservation: ‘stop,’ ‘restrict,’ ‘reverse,’ ‘prevent,’ ‘regulate,’ and ‘constrain.’”
Nordhaus and Shellenberger challenge the conventional political wisdom on climate change. They urge us to take our narrow focus on carbon mitigation and expand it to include a cornucopia of creative policies, including geoengineering and technological innovation. The way forward is not to focus on limits, but rather on our technological prowess.
This conference will provide an excellent opportunity to creatively explore a new approach to environmental policy—an approach where optimism, not pessimism, is the answer and opportunities, not constraints, are the focus.
Last year climate change topped the world’s agenda. Despite all the attention, questions remain and dealing with climate change remains a hot topic. As policy is formed, it is vital to have a solid understanding of the science, economics, and politics surrounding the issue and the choices we face.
FREE’s conference will bring together leading academics from several fields to facilitate a true interdisciplinary discussion of climate change. The program will explore questions critical to addressing climate change in an informed and responsible manner.
Steve Running, University of Montana, will discuss the science of climate change, while Roger Pielke of UC-Boulder will look into the policy and politics of this science in decision-making. Robert Mendelsohn, Yale University, will cover the economics of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Bob Thompson, Gardner Chair in Agricultural Policy at the University of Illinois, will discuss the effect on the developing world of climate change and the policies formed to address it. Case Western Reserve law professor Jonathan Adler will offer a legal perspective on climate change policy.
What policy options are available to respond to climate change? What are the costs and benefits of mitigation versus adaptation? What policies are most effective in helping the developing world deal with climate change? These questions and more are the focus of FREE’s July conference.
FREE’s conference on terrorism and civil liberties is back once again. This topic was ranked the “most interesting and important” in our 2006 judicial survey, and our conference in 2007 received rave reviews. Calls for increased national security continue to threaten our civil liberties, and debate over this encroachment persists. Many influential and far-reaching decisions are made from the bench, thus, an understanding of these issues is essential.
This year’s program will bring back some familiar faces, as well as some new ones. Participants will partake in exciting dialogue with speakers who are true experts in their fields.
Amos Guiora, University of Utah College of Law, will give a fresh perspective on self-defense in a post 9/11 world. His additional presentation exploring global perspectives on counterterrorism will complement those given by Andrew Dolan of the U.K. Defence Academy. Dolan will discuss intelligence and counterterrorism from a European perspective, along with the Jihadist terrorist threat in Europe. Participants will also hear encore performances by the Honorable Rick Stearns, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, and Ed Meese, former Attorney General and now with the Heritage Foundation. Both are returning for their fourth consecutive year.
How can we best address calls for increased national security? What are the tradeoffs we face? Will civil liberties in the U.S. give ground as they largely have in Europe? Join FREE in August to examine these important questions and more.
In 2007, FREE successfully launched its new conference series for religious leaders. These conferences help participants better understand the political economy dimensions of environmental policy reform. Good intentions are not enough; rather, an understanding of science, economics, and risk analysis is necessary for effective environmental stewardship reform.
Participants will partake in conversation with presenters from several disciplines. Steve Eagle of George Mason Law School will repeat his excellent performance from last year, exploring our notions of stewardship, the environment, liberty, and human cooperation. Ed Larson, Pepperdine Law School, will also join us again. Larson will discuss the benefits of nuclear power from an energy, environmental, and national security perspective, as well as how popular perceptions of risk impact public policy decisions. Roger Stern of the Princeton Environmental Institute will look into the rise of state-controlled oil companies and their effect on global supply. A social framework analysis of Christians and climate change will be offered by Janel Curry, Calvin College, who was a participant at FREE’s program last year. Andy Morriss, University of Illinois College of Law, will cover the tragedy of the commons, and a yet unnamed economist will discuss basic economic concepts and how they can be applied to environmental policy.
The conference will focus on how policies influence the incentives and information that affect our behavior. A few simple, but powerful, analytic tools will be an immense benefit when examining alternatives and deriving prudent stewardship programs. Our September program will provide these tools.
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