If ideas shape the world, then teachers shape the future. Few economists embody that truth more fully than Peter J. Boettke.
In his latest Substack essay, Pete reflects on how economic understanding—properly grounded in institutions, incentives, and human dignity—creates the conditions for human flourishing. It’s a familiar theme in his writing, but it also captures something deeper about his career: For decades, Pete has been training others to think
like economists in the classical-liberal tradition.
As head of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, Pete has helped build one of the most influential intellectual communities in political economy. Through seminars, workshops, reading groups, and sustained mentorship, he has shaped generations of PhD students and young scholars—many of whom now teach, write, and advise policymakers around the world.
Pete’s influence isn’t measured only in books or citations (though there are many), but also in people. Former students routinely describe the Hayek Program as a place where they learned how to ask better questions, argue with charity, and take ideas seriously because ideas have consequences. It’s a model of intellectual formation that prizes curiosity, humility, and rigorous engagement over ideological shortcuts.
At Mercatus, we often talk about long-run impact. Pete Boettke’s career is a case study in what that looks like: investing patiently in minds and trusting that well-trained thinkers will carry good ideas into classrooms, institutions, and public life for decades to come.
Ben Brophy Vice President, Strategic Engagement
Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Topics & Issues
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The Common Reader.
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