The Oxford Libertarian Society is committed to the advancement of individual liberty, that is, social and economic freedom. We are supporters of private property, the rule of law, free markets and civil liberties.
The Society was founded as the Oxford Hayek Society in 1983 after Friedrich August von Hayek (1899–1992), an Austrian-born economist and political philosopher.
We have links with a number of free-market think tanks, including the Institute of Economic Affairs, the Adam Smith Institute and the Globalisation Institute.
During term time, we hold a mixture of speaker events and socials. Our guest speakers talk on a wide variety of topics, including current affairs, economics, political philosophy and history.
Speaker events are open to both members and non-members, and we encourage students of all political persuasions to attend and to contribute. The usual format is a brief talk followed by questions and informal discussion. Drinks are often held afterwards in the bar or a nearby pub.
Involvement with the Society can lead to paid internships, and our members regularly take part in summer seminars, both in the UK and abroad.
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Posted by Andrew Roocroft, Thursday 14th May @ 3:35pm Professor of Economics and Dean of the Business School at the University of East London, Len Shackleton is an expert on the labour market and recently author of an IEA monograph, 'Should We Mind the Gap?,' a critique of the popular arguments in favour of legally-enforced equality of pay between the sexes. He will discuss this and other interventions into the labour market in pursuit of egalitarian ends, touching on such topical issues as bankers' bonuses, footballers' wages and the minimum wage. Whilst generally well-intentioned, he will argue that these policies lack any sound economic basis and ignore the lessons of previous government interventions in the labour market. He will also discuss the political philosophy underlying such interventions and the light shed on their 'social justice' roots by Hayek's extensive criticism. Posted by Andrew Roocroft, Saturday 9th May @ 2:43am Network Director at the International Policy Network, Alec van Gelder conducts research into trade and technology, with a focus on the effects on the developing world. The efforts of many Western charities in this arena have a long history of well-intentioned failures, sparking recent enthusiasm for the Fair Trade initiatve, which retains some of the competitive features which make markets so adaptable and successful. Fair Trade Fortnight is becoming a national fixture, like Red Nose Day or Children in Need. Unlike those events, however, Fair Trade Fortnight, and the Fair Trade movement, claims to be about trade, not aid - an alternative to charity for people in poor countries. Choosing to buy products that guarantee a 'fair price' to the producer is presented as only giving poor farmers their due, allowing them to earn a living that our exploitative trade practises had previously made impossible. Yet is this true? A thoughtful sceptic must ask: why are these farmers poor? Is it really our fault? Moreover, is a fixed price actually the best way to help them? Does sustaining farmers on the land sound like a good strategy for economic development in poor countries? Posted by Andrew Roocroft, Saturday 9th May @ 2:40am Currently completing his PhD in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews, Ralf Bader specialises in Kantian metaphysics and ethics. He is also co-editing the Cambridge Companion to Robert Nozick, and will speak about Nozick's 1973 libertarian classic 'Anarchy, State and Utopia'. After examining Nozick's arguments to the effect that the state is only justified in providing for the protection of persons and property (and not much else), he will explain why such an austere state is inspiring as well as just. He will argue for the libertarian vision of utopia - a framework for utopias, a meta-utopia, where each individual is able to interact voluntarily with others in creating his or her own version of the best possible world. Whilst an undergradaute at Oxford, Ralf refounded the dormant Hayek Society - the precursor to the Libertarian Society - and we are delighted to welcome him back. Posted by Andrew Roocroft, Wednesday 21st January @ 11:39am Assistant Professor of Economics at the London campus of ESCP-EAP European School of Management, Anthony J Evans is an economist specialising in monetary policy and macroeconomic fluctuations. He also studies the foundations of social and cultural transitions, in which field his first book,The Neoliberal Revolution in Eastern Europe, is shortly to be published. He is one of the contributors to The Filter, a group blog on various aspects of economics and culture. He will speak about the lessons to be drawn from Austrian Economics as to the causes of and correct policy resopnse to the current recession, based on a paper published in the latest issue of Economic Affairs. In it, he claims that central bankers, by focussing solely on the Keynesian and Monetarist approaches to monetary policy, fail to appreciate the necessity of recession to purge malinvestment and the dangers of moral hazard from ubiquitous government guarantees to investors. Previous items
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