On Tuesday August 1st, the Smith Soc summer receptions series came to a conclusion as Smith Soc Chicago hosted a panel discussion about the ongoing Illinois budget crisis.

On Tuesday evening, July 25th, Smith Soc's NYC Professional Chapter hosted a panel discussion that considered the future of New York's tech sector in at a venue on the west side of Midtown Manhattan.

The Adam Smith Society's Austin Chapter opened the Smith Soc Summer Receptions series with a happy hour reception on Tuesday evening, July 18.

The American economy is no longer growing as it once did. From the end of World War II through 1980, the GDP of the United States grew 3.3 percent each year on average. In the 35 years that followed, GDP growth fell, yet there was enormous technological innovation, including the emergence of venture capital, the personal computer, the Internet, and the iPhone. High-growth, high-technology firms now account for one-fifth of the value of U.S.

Smith Soc Treks, the Adam Smith Society's ongoing series of weekend-long, destination-based seminars, opened our Spring 2017 program this past weekend. From March 9th through 12th, a select group of Smith Soc student and professional members met with experts in the field of health care policy. With a program entitled, "Rebooting Health Care," the Treks series embraced a timely topic: discussions recently began in Congress and in the media over the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA).

Our chapter at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business welcomed alumnus David Booth for a dinner on Thursday evening. Thanks to Mr. Booth for an enlightening discussion of entrepreneurship, business leadership, the benefits of the free market, and the dangers of crony capitalism. There was also an informal Q&A with chapter members. 

As 2016 has drawn to a close, tech industry insiders increasingly have been wondering if the "sharing economy" has hit its peak. Has the market become saturated with new start-ups and apps? What is the future of companies operating in this space?

Partially lost in the glare of last week's election results was the successful performance of a number of marijuana-related ballot initiatives.

On November 1, the Smith Soc Chapter at Duke University Fuqua School of Business staged a debate on multiple economic and political policy issues. The chapter tapped two on-campus experts, Dr. Adriano Rampini, a Professor of Finance and Economics, and Dr. Aaron Chatterji, an Associate Professor of Strategy.

There seems to be no escaping debates at the moment. While the just-concluded Presidential Debates have been on the mind of most Americans during the month of October, Smith Soc chapters have taken the debate format and used it to highlight issues and discussions that matter to free market-minded business school students. Multiple chapters have taken on issues as wide-ranging as the relationship between the market and government, the viability of a carbon tax, and the implications of the Brexit vote.