School of Public Policy Professor Gordon Lloyd Pays Tribute to Milton Friedman
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On April 4, Gordon Lloyd, professor of public policy at the School of Public Policy, with support from the Koch Charitable Foundation, presented "Three Cheers for Milton Friedman: Still Going Strong After All These years." Lloyd concentrated on the enduring contribution of Friedman, the winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in economics, to economic policy on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth and the 50th anniversary of the publication of Capitalism and Freedom.
"What I find fascinating about Friedman's extensive work is just how straightforward
it is," said Lloyd. "He has what I call a 'quantitative theory of freedom.' That sounds
complicated, but the test can be collapsed into a one-liner: the more capitalism,
the more freedom and vice versa."
Friedman's connection to Pepperdine extends back to the year 1977, when he became the first speaker to take the stage at the first annual Pepperdine Associates dinner. In 1987 he was the guest speaker at one of Pepperdine’s Great Issues luncheons, a series that brought together the most impressive thought leaders to meet and discuss the challenging issues of the day. An economic advisor to president Ronald Reagan and a University of Chicago professor, Friedman was a long- time opponent of the military draft and instrumental in successfully abolishing the mandate in 1973. He worked tirelessly to promote economic freedom with wife and collaborator, Rose, who received an honorary LLD from Pepperdine in 1986 (pictured).