Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) can be traced back to Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas. It finds its full expression, though, in the works of Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Friedrich Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises, among others. These early PPE thinkers integrated the unique insights from each of the three individual disciplines to understand the social and political institutions that shape our world.
The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Research Consortium continues this tradition by advancing PPE research with a focus on cultivating, dramatically expanding, and supporting a vibrant ecosystem of PPE scholars. In bringing together the analytical tools of the namesake disciplines along with those of allied fields in the humanities and social sciences, the Consortium will generate a robust repository of interdisciplinary research that seeks to address society’s most pressing issues.
This interdisciplinary approach – and central aim of PPE as an academic inquiry – allows for critical engagement with issues that are vital to human flourishing. The research we support might explore subjects ranging from the role of markets in a free society, to democracy, governance, and the rule of law, to education and public health. The Consortium will leverage PPE’s distinctive advantages by sponsoring projects that apply its tools, insights, and methods towards finding solutions that promote individual liberty and prosperity.
While the immediate goal of the Consortium is to develop an extensive catalog of PPE resources – articles, papers, course materials and syllabi, manuscripts, and pedagogical tools – the overarching aim is to reinforce PPE as a foundational intellectual enterprise and ensure its continued role in addressing the complex challenges facing contemporary society.
