Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Homepage

About Us

The Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise is dedicated to understanding the role that markets play in the economy and in society. The Institute’s mission is to generate intellectually rigorous research and an open dialogue to discover and understand how free enterprise affects peoples’ lives and the well-being of society.

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The Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise (ISFE) is pleased to announce our 2021 Summer Faculty Research Grant Program is now accepting applications. Please apply via the portal by Friday, June 4, 2021.

The Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise is a research and teaching center in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky.

Our mission is to generate intellectually rigorous research and an open dialogue to discover and understand how free enterprise affects peoples’ lives and the well-being of society.

Free enterprise—as characterized by private ownership, economic freedom, choice, and competition—is one of the most important sources of human prosperity. Additionally, government institutions—for example legal systems, property rights, and civil rights—complement markets in enhancing people’s well-being.

The backbone of the Institute, our academic research, encompasses the study of markets, market economies, and government intervention, to understand how greater human well-being is achieved with free enterprise and appropriate government institutions. We also engage in open, civil discussions with the university community and the public on the impact of markets and entrepreneurship.

The Institute supports its mission with faculty research funding, open discussions with undergraduate and graduate students, and public events.

Goals:

• To gain a deep, accurate, and objective understanding of free enterprise and the role of governmental, legal, and political institutions that promote the well-being of society;
• To be intellectually rigorous, using logic and evidence, to foster our understanding and appreciation for free enterprise and complementary institutions; and
• To engage the academic and university communities, as well as the public, in an open discussion on free enterprise.

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Kentucky Junto Discussion Group

The Gatton College formed the Kentucky Junto Club in the fall of 2016. Named for the original Junto started by Benjamin Franklin in 1727, the Kentucky Junto Discussion Group’s purpose is to engage students in an exploration of ideas and issues at the intersection of business, economics, and policy. The Junto Club meets five times per semester. ISFE Director, Dr. Charles Courtemanche, is the group facilitator. 

The readings and discussion are focused through the lens of market-based solutions to economic and social issues. Past topics have included the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship, economic development of low income countries, fairness and markets, how to organize college sports, school choice, and pharmaceutical regulation.

Junto Club members for the spring 2023 semester are:

Junto Discussion Group

"My economics education would not be of the same quality without Junto. The discussion group has facilitated some of the most intellectual, thoughtful, and inquisitive conversations I’ve had while at campus at UK. Junto also provides an opportunity to form genuine friendships among like-minded students. Compound all that with fascinating reading material and with some sharp economic brains, and you end up with a pretty incredible experience."
- Luke Schlake, undergraduate

"Junto has been one of the most intellectually engaging experiences of my college career. It is an environment in which freedom of thought is respected to the uttermost, enabling us to have frank discussions about important topics without the fear of retribution that characterizes so much of the rest of the college experience. I am very grateful for the conversations I have had and the great people I have met in this group. One of the most important topics we discussed this year was Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions. We outlined the distinctions between the “constrained” and “unconstrained” views of the world, comparing and contrasting them with our own ideas and discussing their applicability in the realm of political economy."

- Caleb Waters, undergraduate

CEO Challenge

"It was nice recreation with low stakes of making us understand the decisions that go into improving businesses."

"The simulation was a great learning experience. I like that it was autonomous and hands off, with us getting to just be in the simulation and working with our teams."

"The simulation was incredibly impressive and was helpful to understand how business markets work."

"It was super engaging throughout: well paced, competitive, fun."

There are no opportunities at this time.

The Gatton College’s Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise is seeking applicants for their Junto Discussion Group on a rolling basis. 

Participating in this group has a financial award of $400 for the semester. Additionally, any books or materials needed for the group is provided. Awardees are expected to be full and vigorous participants in Junto activities. This entails the following:

• Attend all meetings
• Participate, engage in, and help facilitate activities that pertain to the Junto group
• Take an active part in the orderly transition between old and new Junto members
• Understand the purpose and objective of the organization
• Meet and speak with visiting scholars
• Participate in reaching across campus to promote interdisciplinary relations

The group will meet formally 5 times per semester. The group will be led by Dr. Charles Courtemanche, Director of the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise. 

The Scholarship is paid over the course of the term. Failure to attain the expectations listed above will result in cancellation of the scholarship and the financial award.

Questions may be directed to Dr. Charles Courtemanche.

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