I am delighted to welcome Sam Bowman as TCC’s newly appointed Education Network Executive Director. A first class graduate in History and Economics from University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, Sam is currently doing an MA at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. A former national vice-chair of the Young Progressive Democrats in Ireland, in 2009, he won a full scholarship to the Mises University Economics Conference at Auburn, Alabama, in the US. Winner in 2009 of the John B. O’Brien Annual Prize in History at UCC, in 2010, he won the title of ‘Outstanding Delegate’ in the London International Model United Nations.
Currently, as well as being a part-time intern student with the Adam Smith Institute Sam is putting the finishing touches to TCC’s bi-weekly Austrian reading group seminars. Here, his purpose is to create a small group of roughly ten to twelve undergraduate and postgraduate humanities students and give them a strong grounding in the Austrian school of economics. On this, Sam comments: “This will encourage participants to do Austrian-related work in their fields and form a cadre of intelligent Austrians who will work to promote Austrian thought in British academia. To this end, group’s members will ideally be interested in pursuing academic careers in the humanities and social sciences.”
Following an agreement with the General Director of the Institute of Economics Affairs, Mark Littlewood, the group will meet and be hosted at the IEA’s offices in Westminster. To be initially advertised to students through the University of London’s email service, personal connections and friendly blogs, Sam also expects to involve students from the Universities of Birmingham, East Anglia and alumni of the Mises University.
Concerning the vision of the venture he says: “My ultimate aim is for the group to read Murray Rothbard’s Man, Economy and State. This will give members of the group the firm foundations in Austrian economic thought, which will have practical benefits for students attending the group and can be applied in their academic work. It will also provide a foundation for further study and discussion of the Austrian school. This reading group will offer students the chance to develop their knowledge of Austrian economics and at the same time produce a group of dedicated, enthusiastic proponents of liberty who can spread their ideas. If the first year proves successful, it can be recreated in other British cities and universities under the auspices of The Cobden Centre, and help to create a new generation of Austrian scholars in British academia”.
So, if you want to take part in this venture why not contact Sam directly? You can email him here.
