Contest to Reward Essays about Government Parasitism

The 2010 Sir John M. Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest is underway. Open to college students (undergraduates and grad students) and untenured college teachers from around the world, the contest will award a total of $26,500 in prize money for the best essays addressing a question prompted by political economist Frederic Bastiat.

“Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” —Frederic Bastiat (1801–1850)

Assuming Bastiat is correct, what ideas or reforms could be developed to make people better aware that government wants to live at their expense?

Junior Faculty Division:

1st Prize: $10,000
2nd Prize: $7,500
3rd Prize: $4,000

Student Division:

1st Prize: $2,500
2nd Prize: $1,500
3rd Prize: $1,000

The deadline is May 3, 2010. The winners will be announced in October 2010. (Winners of the 2009 Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest will be announced this October.)

More information about the 2010 Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest, including rules, full eligibility requirements, bibliography, and winning essays from previous years

Carl P. Close is a Research Fellow and former Executive Editor for Acquisitions and Content at the Independent Institute and former Assistant Editor of The Independent Review.
Beacon Posts by Carl P. Close | Full Biography and Publications
Comments
  • Catalyst
  • Beyond Homeless
  • MyGovCost.org
  • FDAReview.org
  • OnPower.org
  • elindependent.org