Free Market or Big State?

Free Market or Big State?

Conference on the 100^th Anniversary of Ludwig von Mises’ Lecture Tour in Budapest

Date: April 28, Monday, 14.00

Venue: Corvinus University of Budapest, Gellért Campus (Budapest, Mányoki út 9.)

Otto von Habsburg is best known for his political career and his dedication to a free and united Europe. However, a lesser-known but compelling aspect of his intellectual legacy lies in his deep engagement with economic thought. From the early stages of his career, he cultivated close relationships with key figures of the Austrian School of Economics, including Friedrich August von Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, and Fritz Machlup.

Encouraged by these thinkers, the future member of the European Parliament joined the Mont Pelerin Society in the late 1950s—a distinguished intellectual forum committed to advancing the principles of a free society and economy, which, in its formative years, was deeply influenced by the Austrian School. The Society’s emphasis on free-market principles, individual liberty, and the imperative of limiting state intervention substantially shaped the Archduke’s approach to (economic) governance and reinforced his advocacy for decentralisation and subsidiarity.

Contested in many ways, this broader intellectual tradition remains a subject of debate while continuing to exert a profound influence on contemporary economic and political thought. In commemoration of the centenary of Ludwig von Mises’s lecture tour in Budapest, the conference will convene Hungarian and international scholars to reflect on the enduring legacy and impact of the Austrian School and the intellectual currents it inspired while also offering fresh perspectives on the relevance of these ideas in addressing the complexities of today’s challenges.

Programme

14.00 – 14.10 | Welcome and Opening

Gergely Prőhle, Director, Otto von Habsburg Foundation, Budapest

Zoltán Balázs, Chairman of the University Doctoral Council, Corvinus University of Budapest

14.10 – 15.10 | Introductory Lectures

Wolfgang Schüssel, Former Federal Chancellor, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Friedrich August von Hayek Foundation

Prince Michael von Liechtenstein, President of the European Center of Austrian Economics Foundation Vaduz

Alberto Mingardi, Professor, Director, Bruno Leoni Institute

Otto Hieronymi, Professor, Former Advisor to József Antall

15.10 – 15.25 | Coffee Break

15.25 – 16.25 | Short Lectures

Gergely Kőhegyi, Associate Professor, Corvinus University of Budapest

The reception of the Austrian School in Hungary

Levente Nyitrai, Diplomat, President of the Hungarian LSE Alumni Association

Friedrich August von Hayek in England

Gergely Prőhle, Director, Otto von Habsburg Foundation

Ludwig von Mises’ Concept for Peace in 1941

Bence Kocsev, Research Fellow, Otto von Habsburg Foundation

Otto von Habsburg and the Free Market

16.25 – 16.40 | Coffee Break

16.40 – 18.00 | Free Markets and Regulation: Theory and Practice during the System Change – Roundtable Discussion

Péter Ákos Bod, Former Minister of Industry and Trade, Former President of the Hungarian National Bank

László Békesi, Former Minister of Finance

László Urbán, Professor, Former Member of the National Assembly

Moderator: Enikő Győri, MEP

18.00 | Reception

The conference will be held in Hungarian and English, with simultaneous interpretation provided.

We are looking forward to welcoming you!