Now entering its 40th year, the Piedmont Economics Club is South Carolina's oldest civic organization dedicated to the promotion and discussion of economic ideas and thought.
Holding dinner meetings at the Poinsett Club in Greenville, SC, the Club offers its members and their guests the opportunity to hear leading economists, financial analysts, journalists, and government policy makers.
The Club meets six to seven times a year, and always begins its meetings with a 6:00 pm reception and time of fellowship. This is followed by dinner and the speaker's presentation. A time for questions and reflection rounds out the club meeting.
In addition to promoting economic thought and discussion among its members and their guests, the Club seeks to enrich the teaching of economics at area universities. Faculty members at Clemson University, Furman University, and Wofford College enjoy a standing invitation to attend meetings as guests of the Club. The Club also hosts university students as guests.
Fall Programs for 2009-2010
September 8 – Susan Bies. Dr. Bies is former Governor of the Federal Reserve with a career career spent in academia, banking, and as member of key national financial policy organizations. Susan will share insights on the Fed, on activities that led to the 2007-08 financial collapse, and on future prospects for the economy.
October 7 – Robert Lawson. Dr. Lawson leads a center for economic freedom at Auburn University. Robert was the coauthor and project director for the first Economic Freedom Index of the World. He continues to be the leading world figure in measuring and analyzing economic freedom. Robert will discuss his work and what he sees happening to economic freedom around the world.
November 11 – Larry White. Dr. White is the Frederich v. Hayek Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri--St. Louis and a leading scholar in monetary history and policy. Larry has published widely on the relative merits of commodity money and is currently completing a book on history of economic thought. He will share ideas about money and the economy.
January 19 - Doug Woodward. Dr. Woodward is director of research and lead economic forecaster at the University of South Carolina's Moore College of Business. Doug is widely known for his work as a forecaster and for his research on economic development. Dr. Woodward will share his thoughts on the 2010 outlook for the nation, region, and state.
February 16. Robert Ariail. Robert Arial is a nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist. His widely published cartoons capture the essence of the risks and uncertainties of economic policies embraced by politicians. Robert will give a presentation on the history of cartooning and will show and comment on a sample of his artistic renderings
March 16. Susan Dudley. In December 2008, Susan Dudley ended a two-year stint as Director of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. As the nation's regulatory czar, Susan oversaw the regulatory activities of the federal government. Susan will tell us about what is going on with regulation in the United States and beyond
Last Season’s Speakers
Michael Schermer -- The Mind of the Market: Evolutionary Economics
Karol Boudreaux -- Enterprise Africa: Can Capitalism Work in Africa?
Richard Ebeling -- Why the Specter of Communism is Still Haunting the World
Mark Vitner -- The Outlook for 2009
Scott Baier -- The Economic Council of Advisors
Gerald O’Driscoll -- Life after the Sub-Prime Mess
Bill Poole -- Monetary Policy Effects on Today’s Economy
Membership Information
Membership is open to all who are interested in the discussion of economic ideas, trends, and related topics.
The membership fee for 2008-2009 is $475.00. Members may bring guests for a fee of $50.00. The regular guest fee is $85.00.
For more information, contact:
Piedmont Economics Club
PO Box 1805
Greenville, SC 29602
Sydney Taylor at sydney@canal-ins.com
Aug 20, 2009
The Piedmont Economics Club
Jun 30, 2009
August 2009: Alexei Marcoux
Our next meeting will be on August 5, 2009. Our speaker will be business ethicist Alexei Marcoux of Loyola University (Chicago).
Jun 22, 2009
Meeting June 2009: Promoting Prosperity
Our June speaker will be Jo Kwong of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Her topic will be:
"Promoting Prosperity Around the World – Is There a Recipe for Success?"
Why are some nations rich, while others seem trapped forever in poverty? Many authors and great thinkers have tackled this subject, offering a fascinating variety of explanations. One small non-profit organization called the Atlas Economic Research Foundation believes it has something to contribute to this debate.
Atlas believes that economic freedom sows the seeds for prosperity. When people are free to develop and act on innovative ideas, entrepreneurship develops and wealth is created. Institutions that unleash human action, creativity, and ingenuity offer the best hope to lead millions out of poverty. Join us to hear how Atlas is actively working to promote economic freedom around the world, and why it sees this freedom as vital to human flourishing. Unless you travel the globe regularly, you are likely to leave feeling grateful for the many freedoms Americans take for granted on a daily basis. Come hear how people are working in countries around the world to fight for the freedom to work, produce, consume and invest the fruits of their labor.
Jo Kwong is the Vice President of Institute Relations at the Atlas Economic Research Foundation in Washington, DC.
Members and their guests may RSVP by clicking here.
May 13, 2009
May 6, 2009
US Economic Freedom Index 2008
Dr. Eric Daniels is a Research Assistant Professor at Clemson University's Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He previously served as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting assistant professor at Duke University's Program on Values and Ethics in the Marketplace, where he was nominated for a teaching award. In addition, Daniels has taught at the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his doctorate in American history. He has lectured internationally on the history of American ethics, American business and entrepreneurship, and the American Enlightenment. He has appeared on C-SPAN's "American Writers" series and his articles have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the San Diego Business Journal. Daniels's other publications include a chapter in The Abolition of Antitrust and five entries in the Oxford Companion to United States History. Most recently, he co-authored the U.S. Economic Freedom Index, 2008 Report.
Nov 21, 2008
Ebeling on the Auto Bailout
Richard Ebeling, one of our speakers in November, 2008, has published a comment on the proposed bailout of the Detroit automobile industry. It appeared in the Detroit News.
An excerpt: "However the auto bailout is paid for -- through higher taxes, increased borrowing, or by cranking up the Bureau of Engraving's printing presses -- it amounts to little more than "spreading the wealth" from the rest of us to those who know how to buy political friends wisely."
Read the rest here.
Capitalism Without Guilt
The second speaker in the Moore School of Business BB&T Foundations of Capitalism speaker series will be Yaron Brook, President, Ayn Rand Institute.
