'Free Markets Series' Season 4 reaches millions in US and Canada

Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)’s Season 4 of the Free Markets Series discusses and promotes classical liberal ideas through engaging talks and lessons from some of the best and brightest minds in the think tank industry. This series was made possible through support from the Smith Family Foundation.

Consisting of six episodes, Season 4 highlights the grassroots liberty dynamics, free trade, and the trajectory of freedom. In addition to this discussions, contemporary political topics are addressed such as Brexit, libertarianism in higher education, and public policy concerns.

The series is hosted by TV personality Bob Scully. Scully was named 2012 Person of the Year by American Public Television, and uses his experience to facilitate discussions surrounding the free market.

“Our platform for The Free Market Series—Scully, The World Show—is a syndicated public affairs program broadcast in 9 of the top 10 main television markets in America,” said MEI President and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon. “It is also broadcast in virtually all important Canadian TV markets. With this, and combined with our dissemination of the series on social media, we can very conservatively estimate the viewership to average 1.4 million per episode. With these kinds of numbers, we feel that we can say: ‘Mission Accomplished!’”

This new season of the Free Market Series was incredibly popular with a larger audience than previous productions. In terms of “shares” on social media, Season 4 more than tripled that of Season 3, with an increase of 207 percent. In addition to this, social media “likes” and other similar interactions experienced a 375 percent increase when compared to Season 3. One hundred DVD boxes were also distributed to major policy think tanks in the U.S. and Canada.

Season 4 features dynamic and influential free-market organizations including Free the People, Reason magazine, the Cato Institute, the Universidad Francisco Marroquín, and The Heritage Foundation. Featuring six 30-minute episodes, Season 4 educates and advocates for the principles of liberty around the world.

Season 4 – Episode 1
The grassroots liberty movement

Episode 1 features Matt Kibbe, President and Chief Community Officer of Free the People, and articulates the grassroots liberty movement today.

“Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff,” Kibbe states as the foundational principle of his work. This premise of the libertarian movement is so simple and understandable that Kibbe believes the movement can gain momentum with young people looking for an alternative to the liberal or conservative ideological dichotomy.

Season 4 – Episode 4
Universidad Francisco Marroquín: An entrepreneurial university

Episode 4 stars Gabriel Calzada, the president of the world’s only libertarian university, Univseridad Francisco Marroquín. In the episode, Calzada claims that the university’s approach at promoting free-market principles, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit, allow it to be successful. Through the promotion of classical liberalism, Calzada believes that impoverished countries can learn valuable lessons about the positive effects of a free market.

Season 4 – Episode 6

Brexit and the global trading system

In the sixth episode of the season, Daniel Hannan discusses the implications of Brexit on the global trading system and its potential ramifications. Rather than taking a pessimistic stance on Brexit, Hannan sees the process as an opportunity to rework world trade in favor of a more free-market approach.

For Season 4 and additional seasons, visit the Free Market Series’s library.