![New Challenges to the Free Economy banner](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/optimized/public/2022-08/challenges-free-economy-banner-new.jpg?itok=u1D5Odh3) Conference # New Challenges to the Free Economy ### (from Left and Right) Date and Time October 6, 2022 9 AM - 5:30 PM EDT Location Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC Share This Event ##### Featuring [Ryan Bourne](/people/ryan-bourne) R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute [ ](https://x.com/MrRBourne) [ ](mailto:rbourne@cato.org) Jason Furman Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy, Harvard Kennedy School [ ](https://twitter.com/jasonfurman) Douglas Holtz-Eakin Former Director, Congressional Budget Office Hal Varian Chief Economist, Google Adam S. Posen President, Peterson Institute for International Economics Susan Houseman W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Casey B. Mulligan Professor, University of Chicago [Jeffrey Miron](/people/jeffrey-miron) Director, Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, Department of Economics at Harvard University [ ](https://x.com/jeffreyamiron) [ ](mailto:jmiron@cato.org) Elisabeth Kempf Professor, Harvard Business School [Jennifer Huddleston](/people/jennifer-huddleston) Senior Fellow, Cato Institute [ ](https://x.com/jrhuddles) Joshua D. Wright Executive Director, Global Antitrust Institute at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University Aurelien Portuese Executive Director, Global Antitrust Institute at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University Arvind Panagariya Professor of Economics and Indian Political Economy, Columbia University Robert Atkinson President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Matthew Mitchell Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute & Senior Research Affiliate, WVU James Broughel Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center [Bryan Caplan](/people/bryan-caplan) Professor of Economics, George Mason University, and *New York Times* bestselling author of *Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration* [Vanessa Brown Calder](/people/vanessa-calder) Former Director of Opportunity and Family Policy Studies, Cato Institute Alan Cole Senior Economic Policy Analyst, Committee for Economic Development Marc Goldwein Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget A Cato special conference—New Challenges to the Free Economy (from Left and Right)—will bring together leading economists and policymakers to discuss the **ascendant political threats of progressivism and national conservatism to the free economy**. This all-day event will feature keynote addresses from **former President Obama CEA chair Jason Furman** and **former director of the Congressional Budget Office Douglas Holtz-Eakin** as well as panels exploring topics as diverse as antitrust populism, protectionism, business politicization, prospects for the regulatory state, and the unsustainability of the public finances. --- ## Conference Schedule Follow the conversation on Twitter [ #CatoEcon ](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoEcon) 8:15 - 9:00 AM Registration and Light Breakfast 9:00 - 9:10 AM Welcoming Remarks [Peter Goettler](/people/peter-goettler) President and CEO, Cato Institute 9:10 - 10:15 AM Session 1: Fighting Back against Antitrust Populism Chaired by **Aurelien Portuese** Director, Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation **Jennifer Huddleston** Policy Counsel, NetChoice **Hal Varian** Chief Economist, Google **Joshua Wright** Executive Director, Global Antitrust Institute at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University 10:15 - 10:30 AM Break 10:30 - 11:25 AM Session 2: Resisting the Protectionist Tide Chaired by [Scott Lincicome](https://cato.org/people/scott-lincicome) Director, Herbert. A Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute **Susan Houseman** Vice President and Director of Research, Upjohn Institute **Arvind Panagariya** Professor of Economics and Indian Political Economy, Columbia University **Adam Posen** President, Peterson Institute for International Economics 11:30 AM - 12:25 PM Session 3: The Politicization of Business: What Gives? Chaired by [Emily Ekins](/people/emily-ekins) Vice president, director of polling, Cato Institute **Robert Atkinson** President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation **Elisabeth Kempf** Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School **Matthew Mitchell** Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute. Senior Research Affiliate, WVU 12:30 - 1:45 PM Luncheon Address ##### INTRODUCED BY [Jeffrey Miron](/people/jeffrey-miron) Vice President for Research, Cato Institute and Director of Graduate and Undergraduate studies, Department of Economics, Harvard University ![Jason Furman headshot](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/aside_mobile/public/2022-08/Jason-Furman.png?itok=cBcepTus) **Jason Furman** Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard University 2:00 - 3:15 PM Session 4: Does the Regulatory State Fuel Populism? Chaired by [Vanessa Brown Calder](/people/vanessa-calder) Director of Opportunity and Family Policy Studies, Cato Institute **James Broughel** Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center **Bryan Caplan** Professor of Economics, George Mason University **Casey Mulligan** Professor of Economics, University of Chicago 3:15 - 3:30 PM Break 3:30 - 4:30 PM Session 5: Unsustainable Fiscal Policy—The One, True Bipartisan Commitment Chaired by [Ryan Bourne](/people/ryan-bourne) R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute [Romina Boccia](/people/romina-boccia) Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy, Cato Institute **Alan Cole** Senior Economic Policy Analyst, Committee for Economic Development **Marc Goldwein** Senior Vice President and Senior Policy Director, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget [Jeffrey Miron](/people/jeffrey-miron) Vice President for Research, Cato Institute 4:30 - 5:30 PM Closing Speech ##### INTRODUCED BY [Ryan Bourne](/people/Ryan-Bourne) R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, Cato Institute ![Douglas Holtz-Eakin photo](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/aside_mobile/public/2022-08/douglas-holtz-eakin.jpg?itok=1ChisvkY) **Douglas Holtz‐​Eakin** President, American Action Forum 5:30 - 6:30 PM Reception [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).