"Economic Freedom II" - Feat. Peter Jacobsen | PELA - Session 6

The 2026 Pearson-Eby Liberty Academy series continues with Part II of Economic Freedom. "Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice." -Adam Smith Does the evidence support the connection between economic freedom and human flourishing? This session examines how fiscal policy, monetary policy, and international trade policy shape economic freedom, and how that freedom influences outcomes like poverty reduction, healthcare access, and life expectancy. Which states keep spending and taxes lower while achieving faster economic growth? Speaker: Dr. Peter Jacobsen is an Associate Teaching Professor and Otto Fellow at the University of Kansas School of Business. He previously served as an assistant professor of economics and director of Business Graduate Programs at Ottawa University's Angell Snyder School of Business, and held the Gwartney Professorship of Economic Education & Research at the Gwartney Institute. His research sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, development economics, and population economics, and has appeared in The Independent Review, Southern Economic Journal, and Review of Austrian Economics. Peter earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from George Mason University and his B.S. in Economics from Southeast Missouri State University. Missed Part I? Watch "Economic Freedom I" with Dr. Russ McCullough:    • Economic Freedom I   Watch the full 2026 series:    • Inaugural Cohort - 2026   Learn more about the Pearson-Eby Liberty Academy: https://pearson-eby.org Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 0:09 Peter Jacobsen — Economic Freedom and Human Flourishing 57:55 Audience Q&A