Lesson 10 Lesson 10: Freedom of Choice
Presented by: Dr. Jay Richards and Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley
Busch School of Business and Economics at the Catholic University of America and George Mason University
Choices and Freedom
Economist Milton Friedman saw America as a nation of free men and women who govern themselves in private and public affairs, with the scope of the American public sector restricted to protecting citizens from harm to their persons and property and aiding them in doing things they cannot do individually or through voluntary associations. But Friedman observed a trend in American history of government shifting from the role of umpire and support to that of parent. This was nowhere more clearly exemplified than in public education. In this lesson, students will ask with him: “What’s Wrong with Our Schools?”
Key Concepts: (1) Liberty — Economic and Political, (2) Principal-Agent Problem, (3) Education Voucher, (4) Capture of Regulatory Agencies
Learn More
Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman. Free to Choose: A Personal Statement. (New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc., 1980, 1990). “Introduction,” pp.1-8, and Chapter 6, “What’s Wrong with Our Schools?” pp. 150-171; 187-188.
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