On March 13 – 15, fourteen of TFAS’ brightest young alumni from Eastern and Mediterranean Europe participated in a three-day conference on “Liberty From Locke to Hayek” in Athens, Greece. Led by professors Dr. Stephens Davies of the Institute of Economic Affairs and Dr. Paul Lewis of King’s College London, conference attendees spent the weekend discussing the key concepts of a free society and individual responsibility.

In addition to John Locke, Adam Smith and Friedrich Hayek, participants studied and discussed the works of John Stuart Mill and Frédéric Bastiat. Although many of the readings focus on economic issues, the conference went beyond basic matters of supply and demand and asked participants to consider the broader social, political, cultural and moral implications of different visions of human liberty.

Two participants, Alex Prokofjevs (AIPES 05) andHelen Ginter (AIPES 2008), thoroughly enjoyed the conference saying “A combination of carefully assorted reading materials, a small yet vocal group and the diversity of views all contributed to an intellectually stimulating experience.”

Another participant Lejla Mesic (AIPES 12) was grateful to have attended the conference saying, “Discussions in the conference enabled me to gain a true insight in the ideas of liberty, equality and individualism. I am very thankful to you for providing me with this opportunity to learn, and to meet motivating and incredible students and professors.”

Conference participants included: Beata Berisha (AIPES 14), Helen Ginter (AIPES 2008), Radek Halamka (AIPES 13), Lenka Hlavacova (AIPES 10), Monika Izáková (IEIA 12), Nick Kolev (AIPES 10), Paula Letunic (IIPES 08), Nicholas Loutzakis (IIPES 12), Adrian Lupusor (AIPES 07), Lejla Mesic (AIPES 12), Luka Miladinovic (AIPES 12), Cosmin Popa (IIPES 07), Aleksejs Prokofjevs (AIPES 05) and Iryna Velykokhatko (AIPES 13).