It is Thanksgiving week in the United States, a holiday dedicated to appreciating all that we have or, at the very least, enjoying too much stuffing, too much pie, and mediocre football games. So, on that theme, I asked a few of my colleagues, students, and former Mercatus folks what they were thankful for about Mercatus.
Before giving you those responses, I think it’s only fair that I go first. I am what is known as a boomerang, meaning I worked at Mercatus (from 2012 to 2016), left and came back (in 2022). At many organizations, this is rare, but it’s surprisingly common at Mercatus. Why? I can only give my own reasons, which double as what I’m grateful for. Mercatus has an incredible intellectual openness and curiosity. There are thinkers here who are miles apart on all sorts of issues, yet such differences have never been a problem for people working together. Thinkers here genuinely want the best ideas shaped by our classically liberal tradition and free markets to win the day. I’m grateful for that sort of openness.
Here’s what others had to say:
Mercatus will always be my intellectual home. The academic environment encourages exploration of ideas and their application to policy debates. Using the economic lens of looking at incentives, tradeoffs and the multidisciplinary interaction between philosophy, politics, economy and society provides a unique perspective and recipe for understanding patterns of behavior in the technology policy space I now work in. I will always be grateful for my time at Mercatus.
— Anne Hobson, former MA Fellow who earned her PhD at George Mason, currently a Public Policy Manager, AR/VR at Meta
I will always be grateful for the opportunity Mercatus gave me right out of college. Even more than that, I’m deeply thankful for the runway the organization provided me to be entrepreneurial and create value—a rare and special experience that I know will be hard to replicate. The memories I’ve made at Mercatus will last a lifetime, and that thought brings me great joy.
— Stephen Strosko, former AI Engineer at Mercatus
I’m grateful to be surrounded by colleagues who show up every day with the goal of making the world better and freer.
There are a number of things I really love about this place, but if forced to choose what I’m most grateful for it would have to be the kindness of the people I work with here at Mercatus. During my career, I’ve worked at a number of different places, but I’ve never worked anywhere with such a high proportion of thoroughly decent folks.
I’m thankful to work at an organization that provides researchers with the authority and independence to study the topics that they think are most important in their policy areas. We are also lucky to work at an organization that offers the resources to get research into the hands of the policymakers who can put it to use.
— Emily Hamilton, Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Urbanity Project
I love your videos, how they are so simple, yet cover everything I need to learn. I actually became seriously interested in econ after watching the sitcom Family Ties with Michael J. Fox. So last year I took the Microeconomics course for 11th grade. I can’t remember the last time I learned so easily.
I’ve been a dedicated listener of your Conversations with Tyler podcast since you launched, and I’ve been reading Marginal Revolutiondaily for over 15 years – it’s been a constant source of intellectual nourishment for me…I’m also hoping that one day my daughter will grow up with the same appreciation for the power of ideas and intellectual curiosity that you inspire. Thank you for all that you do.
— Conor Coughlan, CWT Listener
Ben Brophy Director of Marketing
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Topics & Issues
Veronique De Rugy writes about the GOP’s big opportunity to tackle one of the preeminent challenges of our time, the national debt.
Government interventions in digital markets can be misguided, harmful, and contrary to market forces. Dirk Auer and Geoffrey Manne cover this topic in their latest working paper.
Pluralist Points: Ben Klutsey speaks with Daryl Davis, who has been convincing members of the KKK to leave their hoods behind through consistent conversation.
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