New study by our director Charles Courtemanche and co-authors Jordan Jones, Antonios M. Koumpias, and Daniela Zapata that examines the connection between state Medicaid expansions and adult mortality was featured on Marginal Revolution
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.
Remembering Patrick D. Walker
The University of Kentucky has suffered a profoundly sad loss of a vibrant, kind, and engaging member of our community and Honors family. Patrick D. Walker, the inaugural Ruth Jones Lewis Faculty Scholar in Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, an endowed position in the Lewis Honors College, passed away on June 17, 2021, in Lexington, KY. Patrick was also a faculty affiliate of UK African American and Africana Studies, Center for Equality and Social Justice, and the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise (IFSE).
“It is difficult to put into words how much Patrick meant to the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise during his two years as an affiliate. He was an endless source of ideas and enthusiasm, and it was a great privilege to support his initiatives that aimed to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among UK students and the development of African-American-owned businesses,” Courtemanche said. “He was also the driving force behind a series of events – jointly sponsored by Lewis, ISFE, and other university partners – on free enterprise and racial inequality. More personally, I will deeply miss Patrick’s unwavering positive energy, encouragement, and support.” - ISFE Director Charles Courtemanche
As we mourn the loss of Patrick D. Walker, we want to ensure that his legacy of service continues. The Patrick Douglas Walker Scholarship has been established for first-generation students who are members of underrepresented racial or ethnic groups in his memory at the University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College. Gifts may be sent to UK Philanthropy, P.O. Box 23552, Lexington, KY 40523, Attention: Patrick Douglas Walker Scholarship. You may also contact the Lewis Honors College at 859-319-6886. To make an online gift to the scholarship, please follow these steps:
• Visit https://uky.networkforgood.com/causes/4739-lewis-honors-college
• Click on the link that says "Patrick Douglas Walker Scholarship"
• Fill in amount you wish to give
• Select Memorial in the drop-down menu under "Honor or remember someone with your gift."
• Fill in Patrick Douglas Walker under "Whom do you want to recognize?"
Annual Report
Our Next Event
34th Annual Economic Outlook Conference
February 07, 20238:30am to 12:00pm
Central Bank Center
Current Research
Charles Courtemanche, Jordan Jones, Antonios M. Koumpias, Daniela Zapata
Michael F. Pesko
Abigail S. Friedman, Michael F. Pesko
Click here for the published version in Addiction
In the News
Congratulations to VACE's Fall 2022 Monday Night Session Entrepreneurs Bootcamp 1.0 winners! ISFE was proud to provide the prize money for this great competition!
1st Place: Erin Webb/Advosense
2nd Place: Vaugh Holder/Tranquil
3rd Place: Bertin Louis & Tina Ho/Navigating Higher Education
4th Place: Mark Litvin/Revelation Woodworking
5th Place: Demethra Sanders/Be Fly Fitness
Congrats to our director Charles Courtemanche and co-authors Rahi Abouk, Dhaval Dave, Bo Feng, Abigail Friedman, Catherine Maclean, Michael Pesko, Joseph Sabia, and Samuel Safford on their paper “Intended and Unintended Effects of E-cigarette Taxes on Youth Tobacco Use” being accepted for publication in the Journal of Health Economics!
This paper was previously released as ISFE Working Paper No. 41
Aaron Yelowitz, ISFE Affiliate, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship in a hearing entitled "Small Business Franchising: An Overview of the Industry, SBA's Role, and Legislative Proposals."
A study by our affiliate, Aaron Yelowitz, and economist, Brian Blase, is referenced in this Committee on Ways and Means GOP article.