Cwik Lectures at FEE in 2010

This summer I had the opportunity to give eight lectures at two of FEE's Summer Seminars. The first seminar was called "Freedom University" and the second was "Introduction to Austrian Economics."

FEE is in the process of posting the lectures in both audio and video forms. (As they become available, I will update this post.)

The lectures are either new or very much reworked from last year's presentations. There is significantly more content in the lectures.

In addition to the lectures, I have also provided FEE with the PowerPoint Presentations that I used.

I hope you like them. Please give me feedback one way or the other.

So here is the lineup with the appropriate links:

Freedom University
Lecture #1: Praxeology, Supply and Demand
This lecture starts with the foundational building blocks of economics: the Human Action Axiom and derives Supply and Demand curves, a model of the market and finishes with a comparison between the mainstream's derivation of demand curves with that of the Austrians.
The link for the audio page is here. You will also find the link for the PowerPoint on the same page or you can directly access it here.

Lecture #2: Competition and Entrepreneurship
This lecture looks at how markets are able to solve the problems of how we transform raw materials into goods and services, but not just randomly. We need to create useful goods and services, but again, not just randomly useful goods and services. We want to create goods and services that satisfies the most intense wants and desires of the consumers without wasting resources. The lecture concludes with a comparison of the Austrian view of competition with that of the mainstream.
The link for the audio page is here. You will also find the link for the PowerPoint on the same page or you can directly access it here.

Lecture #3: Business Cycles
This lecture is at an introductory level and is not very technical. The lecture focuses on the causes of the business cycle as well as the cures.
The link for the audio page is here. There was no corresponding PowerPoint with this lecture.

Lecture #4: Current Economic Events
This lecture was opened up so that, during the week, students could request topics that interested them. The first part of the lecture deals with the Economic Crisis in Greece. The second part focuses on the economic situation in the US. And the third part centers on the Yasuni National Forest in Ecuador.
The link for the audio is page here. There was no corresponding PowerPoint with this lecture.

Introduction to Austrian Economics
Lecture #1: Menger and the Early Austrians
This lecture covers the thoughts and ideas that found the Austrian School of Economics. It includes the work of Carl Menger [1840-1921], Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk [1851-1914], Friedrich von Wieser [1851-1926], David I. Green [1864 - 1925], Philip Wicksteed [1844-1927], and William Smart [1853-1915].
The link for the audio page is here. You will also find the link for the PowerPoint on the same page or you can directly access it here.

Lecture #2: Methodology
To my delighted surprise, this lecture received the most attention by the students. It starts with a brief discussion of the Methödenstreit. It then critics Modern Positivism/Empiricism. Finally, it presents the Misesian Praxeological view and the relation between theory and history.
The link for the audio page is here. You will also find the link for the PowerPoint on the same page or you can directly access it here.

Lecture #3: Capital and Interest
This lecture begins with the questions posed by Böhm-Bawerk. It then provides an introduction into Austrian Capital Theory and the Structure of Production. It then presents the traditional Austrian theory of interest. And then draws comparisons between the Austrian view and the Neo-Classical view of capital and interest. A proper understanding of capital and interest theories is critical to understanding business cycle theory.
The link for the audio page is here. You will also find the link for the PowerPoint on the same page or you can directly access it here.

Lecture #4: Business Cycles
This lecture is a more advanced presentation of the Austrian Business Cycle Theory. In the tradition of Roger Garrison, extensive use of graphs is made. The lecture then demonstrates how that simply adjusting the money supply, adjusting prices, or spending money to boost aggregate demand are all inadequate to create an economic recovery. The key to an economic recovery is liquidation of malinvested capital and creation of new and proper capital structures.
The link for the audio page is not yet posted. The PowerPoint for this lecture is forthcoming.