The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) presented the Gary M. Walton Award for Excellence in Economic Education for 2025 to Professor Robert Lawson of Southern Methodist University at its annual conference in Naples, Florida.
The Walton Award, which recognizes excellence in the field of economic education, is named in honor of longtime Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) president Dr. Gary M. Walton. It is presented to an individual who has taken an entrepreneurial or innovative approach to economic education; has shown exemplary dedication to improving economic education and the teaching of economics; has advanced the understanding of economics and the economic way of thinking; and through their work has inspired students, teachers or the general public to appreciate economics.
Previous recipients of the Walton Award include economists Terry Anderson, former president and executive director of the Property and Environment Research Center, and Russell Roberts, current president of Shalem College in Jerusalem and host of the popular EconTalk podcast.
Dr. Lawson is the Jerome M. Fullinwider Centennial Chair in Economic Freedom and director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. He is a founding co-author of the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report, which presents an economic freedom index for more than 160 countries and is currently used in the high school curriculum of TFAS’s Foundation for Teaching Economics.
Lawson has authored or co-authored over 100 academic publications. With Benjamin Powell, he is co-author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Socialism Sucks: Two Economists Drink Their Way Through the Unfree World.” Lawson’s research has been cited over 14,000 times, according to Google Scholar. Lawson is also the past-president of the Association of Private Enterprise Education, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute, and a member of the Mont Pelerin Society. He has won the Adam Smith Award from the Association of Private Enterprise Education.
TFAS President Roger Ream ’76 praised Dr. Lawson for his work in advancing economic education. “Dr. Lawson is one of the nation’s foremost leaders in promoting greater understanding of economics – particularly the way economics impacts the lives of individuals and the fate of nations,” Ream said. “TFAS and Dr. Lawson share a dedication to promoting economic freedom and economic education in general, which is why we’re so pleased to honor him with this year’s Walton Prize.”
FTE Executive Director Ted Tucker emphasized the positive impact that Dr. Lawson’s work continues to have on students and teachers. “The Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report, which Dr. Lawson helped found and continues to co-author each year, is used by FTE throughout our programs to illustrate real-world economic concepts,” Tucker said. “Thanks to his work in creating this important index of economic freedom across more than 160 countries, Dr. Lawson continues to help thousands of high school students and teachers gain a greater appreciation of the strong link between economic freedom and human flourishing.”