Sept 12 6PM: Thief describes his methods and explains how to protect your community

Successful land speculation is really a matter of capturing for yourself the gains that belong to the community.  George Menninger is one of many who have done it.  Far beyond any need to earn a living, George now spends some of his time explaining how the bad public policy he exploited not only made him …

Wed Sep 11 6PM PEBC discusses “The Life of Henry George”

The Political Economy Book Club takes up Henry George, Jr‘s biography of his father. Junior was a skilled writer and professional journalist, important in the single tax movement, and a political activist who served two terms in the U S House of Representatives.  The book is available at some public and university libraries and used …

Sept 1 Sunday 3PM Almost* Henry George’s Birthday Party

Our annual end-of-summer gathering to celebrate the year and look forward to another.  Share ideas and thoughts picked up (or dropped off) at the CGO conference.  Discuss plans for the fall term and beyond.  Watch some Georgist videos.  Enjoy whatever food our potluck has brought, along with suitable drinks in a relaxed atmosphere in heavily-taxed …

Aug 24 Saturday 2PM: Economic Cycle Tour of the south loop/lakeshore

This tour looks at the lakefront areas just south of the Chicago loop, including the Central Station, Museum Campus, and Prairie Avenue districts.  We’ll see how the natural and manmade amenities affect what  sites are worth, and how this is (or is not) reflected in assessments. This area has undergone numerous changes over the decades, …

Aug 23 Friday 2PM: Invisible Robbery Tour

Originating as a field trip for “Progress & Poverty” students, our Invisible Robbery Tour is now open to all. See how the community and its infrastructure produce value. See who collects this value, and how it affects us all. We’ll stroll about two kilometers, in about an hour and a half. You’ll get detailed, sourced, …

Thurs, July 25 6 PM: No Farms, No Food

Since earliest civilizations, humans have recognized that food is a product of farmland (and, yes, pastureland, fisheries, etc) and have managed to cultivate enough land to feed themselves. Yet today we routinely convert farmland to urban use. American Farmland Trust (AFT) seek to ensure continued agricultural use of some land by buying development rights from …

Sat June 15: Economic Cycle Tour of the north loop/lakeshore

Join HGS instructor Bob Jene for a leisurely bicycle tour of recent developments near the mouth of the Chicago River, including the “new east side” along the south bank, developments on the north bank, and Trump Tower. If you haven’t had occasion to look around these areas in the past few years, now is your …

June 19, Wed, 6 PM, PEBC continues with Wealth of Nations

Our Political Economy Book Club continues its discussion of Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.  The June 19 session focuses on Book II, Chapters 4 and 5, with discussions of the nature and uses of capital, and interest. The Wealth of Nations is available for free downloading …

Wed May 22 PEBC continues with Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations is a landmark work that marks the start of economics as a science. Smith was arguing against the mercantilism of his day pointing out that laborers and the products of their labor were the real wealth of the nation. We are returning to this great work to consider  Book II, …