Economist Edward P. Stringham will discuss the evolution of the world’s first stock markets and how the lessons are relevant today.  In 18^th – and 19^th – century London brokers devised various forms of private-regulation by transforming coffeehouses into private clubs that created and enforced rules. From Jonathan’s Coffeehouse to the Stock Subscription Room and eventually the (London) Stock Exchange brokers created an atmosphere of trust that enabled people to make contracts that government did understand and did not enforce. Prof Stringham will discuss how private regulation still offers a viable alternative to government regulation.

Prof Stringham earned his PhD in Economics from George Mason University under Peter Boettke in 2002, and he has won numerous awards. He is Past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education, Editor of the Journal of Private Enterprise, editor of two books, and author of more than thirty articles in refereed journals. He has been featured on hundreds of broadcast stations and newspapers worldwide.

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