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Lecture Series

Virtue as the Wealth of Nations

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Grand Rapids, MI
Virtue as the Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith and many of the American founders understood freedom to be a proximate cause of the wealth and prosperity of a nation. Somewhat less appreciated is their shared emphasis on virtue—salutary habits and moral commitments—as a precondition of freedom and the institutional framework that support it. Drawing on this line of thinking, this lecture will explore the extent to which virtue can be said to be the true wealth of nations.

This lecture is hosted in concurrence with Acton Institute's Sixth Annual Academic Conference. The event will feature a keynote address from Dr. Erik along with three panels of short paper presentations from twelve scholars on the conference theme of “The Spirit of ‘76: Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, and the American Founding.” Register for the full colloquium here.

Erik Matson
Dr. Erik Matson
Adam Smith Program George Mason University

Co-Director

Dr. Erik W. Matson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Gibbons Institute for Human Ecology at The Catholic University of America, a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, and Co-Director of the Adam Smith Program at George Mason University. He earned his PhD in economics from George Mason University in 2017 and held a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University in the Department of Economics from 2018 to 2020. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington D.C.

Dr. Matson’s research focuses on the history and philosophy of political economy (especially in eighteenth-century Britain) and on theological dimensions of economic thought. His research has been published in many flagship peer-reviewed journals including History of Political Economy, Southern Economic Journal, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, and Journal of Scottish Philosophy. His popular writings have appeared in prominent conservative and classically liberal outlets including Law & Liberty, Providence, and National Review. Along with Daniel Klein, he edits a monthly essay series at the Cato Institute’s libertarianism.org called “Just Sentiments."

Dr. Matson has edited and authored several academic books. Most recently, he is the coauthor, along with Jordan Ballor, of A History of Christian Political Economy: From the Patristics to the Present and co-editor, also with Ballor, of a companion volume of primary texts, Sources in Christian Political Economy: A Reader. Both volumes were published in 2026 by B&H Academic.

Dr. Matson has received numerous recognitions for his academic achievements, including the 2022 Michael Novak Award from the Acton Institute for his “outstanding research in the fields of ethics, politics, and economics.”  


 

Event Details

Register Here

Start Date

End Date

Location

Acton Institute
98 Fulton Street E
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
United States

Schedule

11:30 a.m. Doors open
12:00 p.m. Lecture begins
12:30 p.m. Q&A
1:00 p.m. Lecture ends

Tickets

$20 General | $15 Student
Includes box lunch and beverage

(Please RSVP at least 48 hours in advance to guarantee a box lunch.)

Event livestream is free.

Parking

Directions to the Acton Institute

Metered street parking is available. Please bring sufficient change with you for meters or pay for parking with the Motu Parking app on your smartphone (iOS and Android).

Paid parking lots are also available nearby. Please enter building off of Sheldon Blvd.

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