The Adam Smith Forum

Ideas of freedom are of paramount importance in the world today. They are not, as it might seem, all about politics. They actually have a huge impact on our everyday life. In most diverse spheres of human action ideas of freedom have guaranteed success to people of different ethnicities, cultures and religions, living in different countries. It is these values that unite people and help them interact in times of globalization. Whatever country you choose, normal functioning of its contemporary economy would be a complete impossibility if it were not backed up by the development of ideas of freedom.
In Russia, ideas of freedom have been adopted by relatively few people compared to some other countries, the fact which has had its negative influence upon Russian economy and financial sector. However, those ideas enjoy considerable support among politicians, economists, lawyers, analysts, financial experts, accountants, businessmen and other professionals. The problem Russia is facing today in this respect is that proponents of freedom in Russia feel reluctant to make their case to the public. Many of us are prone to self-seclusion in our ‘ivory towers’ and generally avoid discussing our ideas even with like-minded people let alone larger audiences. There is a lack of direct communication between full-fledged proponents of freedom and those likely to become ones. These are the factors that separate values of freedom from a wider audience.

With these concerns in mind, we decided to establish a regularly held Forum discussing theoretical and practical freedom-related issues, first and foremost, those pertaining to economic freedom. We expect that the Forums will attract notable speakers representing various trends of freedom-oriented thought, as well as a wide and interested audience.

The title we have chosen for this regular event, the “Adam Smith Forum” (ASF), is anything but gratuitous. An outstanding figure in the economy and philosophy of the 18th century, Adam Smith was among the first to explain and prove the advantages inherent to the free market and formulate the concept of ‘natural order’. It was Adam Smith who coined the universally known metaphor of ‘the invisible hand of the market’ demonstrating the self-sufficiency and efficacy of a system based on rational egoism with people interacting in a mutually beneficial way.
In the autumn 2011 the Adam Smith Forum will be held for the 3rd Time.

The first ASF took place on October 16, 2010 in Moscow featuring as keynote contributors and panelists:

Pavel Usanov – Ph.D., teacher, National Research University – Higher School of Economics (St. Petersburg), Head of Hayek Institute for Economy and Law
Andrey Illarionov – President, Institute for Economic Analysis, Senior Research Associate, Cato Institute, former advisor to the President of the Russian Federation,
Evgeny Chichvarkin – businessman, founder of Euroset cell phone retailer,
Sergei Zhavoronkov – Senior Expert, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy,
Yuliya Latynina – writer, journalist,
Alexander Rakviashvili – professor, Lomonosov Moscow State University,
Grigory Sapov – economist and private business consultant,
Larisa Burakova – economist, author of Why Georgia Has Succeeded,
Anatoly Vasserman – political consultant,
Yury Kuznetsov – writer, columnist,
and many other economists, political scientists and public personalities.
The second Forum was held in St. Petersburg on April 9, 2011. In addition to a number of those featured at the first Forum, the keynote contributors included:
Andrey Zaostrovtsev – economist, Ph.D., associate of the Center for Modernization Studies,
Alexey Shustov – political consultant,
Leonid Nikonov – Director, Center for the Philosophy of Freedom,
Alexander Shirokovskikh-Smirnov – President, National Association of Participants of the E-Payments Market

3rd Adam Smith Forum 

The next scheduled ASF will take place on November 12, 2011 in Moscow co-organized by the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, the Science Support Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the Libertarian Party of Russia.

The Chairman of the ASF Steering Committee is a well-known economist, head of the Hayek Institute for Economy and Law Pavel Usanov; Andrey Shalnev, head of the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom Moscow, is the co-chairman of the Steering Committee. 

The Forum agenda will be broken down into three sections:
1. The Wealth of Nations (economics section).
This section will be devoted to economic problems as viewed from the libertarian perspective.
2. Moral Sentiments (ethics and law section).
This section will focus on the ethical and legal theoretical foundations of freedom.
3. Political rhetoric (practical politics section). 

This section will focus on the ways to efficiently promote ideas of freedom, e.g. on how to best implement the libertarian agenda within the contemporary political system and which steps the contemporary libertarian movements should take to make themselves heard by politicians.
The titles of the first two sections allude to the corresponding works by the great economist and celebrated champion of freedom Adam Smith.
A speaking slot at the ASF is given to all applicants whose presentations have been accepted by the Steering Committee (abstracts are due in no later than a week before the Forum). Each contributor has a speaking time slot of 15 to 45 minutes; this time includes ensuing discussion and Q&A.
The presentations from the Forum will be collected in a book with a CD containing media materials to accompany it. Earnings from the sale of the Collected Papers will be invested in the next Forum.

Prospective speakers at the 3rd Adam Smith Forum include (participation unconfirmed):
Spanish economist, Professor at Rey Juan Carlos University Jesús Huerta de Soto; economist Slavisa Tasic; Atlas Economic Research Foundation executive vice-president Tom G. Palmer; economist, 2009 Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom; Hernando de Soto; José Piñera; Kakha Bendukidze; Walter Block; Raimondo Cubeddu, Andrei Illarionov, Alexander Nikonov, Alexander Auzan, Pavel Usanov, Vladimir Chetvernin, Konstantin Ksenofontov, Dmitry Balkovsky, Stepan Demura, Alexander Dolgin, Yaroslav Romanchuk, Sergei Zhavoronkov and others.
The speakers list is still under construction and may be further extended; a detailed program will be available later this autumn.
Please head to www.smithforum.ru to stay tuned for the updates on the Forum program, venue, etc.

Why support the Forum 

Successful modernization requires a corresponding state of economic thought and public opinion. It requires that young scholars, economists, political scientists, sociologists and lawyers at think-tanks, banks, financial holding companies, mass media etc. introduce fresh, independent yet logical thinking, adopt new and advanced ideas and reject those that have become stagnant and obsolete.

These are the people who will be able to lead Russian businesses, including your company, to prosperity.
For innovative ideas in economic theory and practice to originate and gestate gaining ever growing popularity, the existence of independent expert platforms where representatives of various trends and schools of thought could freely promote their cause, hold debate and exchange ideas regarding the whole range of economic and associated issues becomes an absolute necessity.

The Adam Smith Forum serves the purpose.

People attending the Forum will include the most intellectually curious students and postgraduates from Moscow’s leading universities and colleges, journalists from business dailies and weeklies, young financial experts, teachers and scholars.

Your logo in the Forum sponsors’ list will serve as a clear sign that your company supports development of economics, making them your potential employees, customers or investors.

Furthermore, armed with advanced economic ideas illustrating the advantages of economic freedom over a system based on red-tape restrictions and absurd regulations, young experts will no doubt influence each their own economic sectors as a whole and, consequently, the country’s economy. While per se salutary, this influence will be instrumental in boosting the development of economy in general and your company in particular.

Sponsorship packages

For those who wish to support the 3rd Adam Smith Forum we offer the following sponsorship packages varying according to the sum you contribute and to your wishes. All benefactors of the event will be listed among the Forum sponsors unless they wish to remain anonymous. All benefactors, persons and entities alike, excluding those preferring to remain anonymous, will be mentioned on the Sponsor Acknowledgement page of the official website of the Forum and in the Collected Papers from the Forum regardless of the size of their contribution.

Bronze sponsor package: $ 1,000-2000
– sponsor’s name and/or logo will be placed on the homepage of the Forum website along with a link to sponsor’s official website;
– a free copy of the Collected Papers will be available. 

Silver sponsor package: $ 2,000-4000
– sponsor’s name and/or logo will be placed on the homepage of the Forum website along with a link to sponsor’s website;
– sponsor’s name and/or logo will be placed in the Collected Papers and on advertising boards and banners
– three copies of the Collected Papers free of charge.

Gold sponsor package: $ 4,000 and more
- sponsor’s name and/or logo will be placed on the homepage of the Forum website along with a link to sponsor’s website;
– sponsor’s name and/or logo will appear on the cover of the Collected Papers and on the backdrop of the conference hall;
– sponsor or its representative will get the floor to deliver a welcoming speech or receive a speaking slot at the Forum (the text to be later reprinted in the Collected Papers);
– sponsor ad will appear on a separate page in the Collected Papers;
– five copies of the Collected Papers free of charge. 

The sponsorship packages may be adjusted according to your needs and wishes.
Transaction account details for private benefactors (The Science Support Foundation):
Acc. No. 407 038 405 000 100 100 04
PROMINVESTBANK
SWIFT: PRMIRUMM
acc. № 0104620414 with VTB Dank (Deutschland) AG
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
SWIFT: OWHBDEFF,
Payment purpose ‘Donation to the Adam Smith Forum’.
For legal entities wishing to conclude a sponsorship agreement please contact the Managing Director of the Science Support Foundation Mr. Stanislav Dukhnevich, t. +7 (495) 943-47-79, e-mail: ceo@fpn-ff.ru