Public Education for Freedom and Prosperity
Programme
In pursuing the mission of promoting individual freedom and responsibility, free market and limited government, the Lithuanian Free Market Institute (LFMI) attaches a primary importance to enlightening people and increasing their understanding about the ideas of classical liberalism. People's life depends on ideas and visions they create and foster. But ideas do not automatically translate themselves into action or reality. Turning ideas into action requires broad-based public understanding and support. In addition to generating sound ideas that sustain a society of free and responsible individuals, LFMI pursues an extensive educational programme aimed to:
(i) widely disseminate the message of the role of freedom, the ethical and economic advantages of free markets, the rule of law and the proper scope of government; and
(ii) provide conditions for various public groups to seek knowledge on libertarian ideology and to facilitate self-improvement.
To accomplish these goals, LFMI develops and produces a multitude of educational resources, including publishing, lecturing, briefings, seminars, conferences, panel discussions, regular appearances in mass media through articles, comments and interviews, a website, etc.
In order to strengthen its educational capacity, LFMI is soliciting funding for the enhancement of its educational programme by:
embracing new publishing activities,
building up educational seminars and workshops, and
enhancing the publication of LFMI's newsletter.
Publishing
Seeking to exploit the recognised power of the written word, LFMI publishes and popularises the writings of renowned classical liberal thinkers. There are very few Lithuanian translations of classical texts and most of them are in short supply. Some writings were published eight to ten years ago and have long been unavailable for wide use. The copies available at LFMI's library are widely sought by students and do not meet the growing needs of those seeking knowledge about classical liberal ideas.
LFMI has published:
Friedrich August von Hayek The Road to Serfdom (2,500 copies). The publication of this edition was sponsored by Familien-Vontobel-Stiftung (Switzerland) and Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Germany).
LFMI plans to publish:
Henry Hazlitt Economics in One Lesson (3,000 copies)
Frederic Bastiat Oeuvres completes (Economic and political essays) (3,000 copies)
Murray Rothbard What Has Government Done to Our Money? (3,000 copies)
Ludvig von Mises Bureaucracy (3,000 copies)
Henri Lepage Capitalism Tomorrow (3,000 copies)
Ayn Rand Essays (3,000 copies)
Lectures and seminars
LFMI has utilised educational seminars and workshops as a tool to deliver ideas to specific audiences in a direct and efficient manner. LFMI is often invited to deliver lectures and seminars to youth organizations, regional business associations, economists and media clubs, political parties, and governmental institutions. Such seminars and workshops are designed to provide forums for intellectual debate on the ideas of classical liberalism or to provide expert insight and advice on issues that are high on the policy agenda. They also make it possible to embrace broad audiences as the number of participants ranges between 50 to 200 persons.
Newsletter
One of the anchors of LFMI's educational efforts is the newsletters Laisvoji rinka (Lith.) and The Free Market. Launched in 1994, this analytical educational newsletter is used to spread the ideas of economic liberalism, to introduce the findings of LFMI's research and policy analysis, to highlight recommendations on emerging legislation and to explore the latest trends in economic policy. The newsletter is widely sought by business managers and directors, members of parliament, politicians, state officials and government executives, non-governmental organisations, international institutions, embassies and foreign missions, and media people.
The newsletter is presented in a concentrated and reader-friendly form. Previously published as a bi-monthly publication, now Laisvoji rinka appears four times a year in an electronic form. The list of subscribers contains about 200 regular readers. The material published in the newsletter is frequently reproduced by print media and cited by politicians, government officials and journalists. Reportedly, the newsletter is a valuable source of information and analysis for undergraduate students, therefore LFMI ensures its availability at university and college libraries. The newsletter is also available on the internet.
