When Free to Choose is the signature publication of Northwood University. It is dedicated to promoting the global, diverse and multi-cultural nature of enterprise. Bringing lessons of the American free enterprise society directly to your inbox or mailbox, When Free to Choose features informative essays about timely issues and events, and thought-provoking point-counterpoint essays written by industry experts, faculty, scholars and researchers.
American institutions were designed to secure for all citizens their natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This gave rise to the world’s most dynamic economy and a well-deserved reputation as the “land of opportunity.” At about the time Northwood was founded, President Dwight D. Eisenhower observed, “only our individual faith in...
The two most important lessons one can learn in economics are: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” and “Incentives matter.” In a world of scarcity, every choice we make has an opportunity cost. As rational beings, every one of us is trying to achieve the best outcomes under the current constraints. Frederic Bastiat...
The following is a recent discussion between U.S. Congresswoman Lisa C. McClain, Northwood University Economics department chair Dr. Dale C. Matcheck and Dr. Timothy G. Nash, director of the McNair Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Northwood University. The conversation centered around recent comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) chairman,...
The Northwood Idea is vibrant and adaptive in a world of change, and its fundamental principles are timeless. Under any circumstances, personal freedom and individual responsibility are essential for a free society. So it is illustrative to examine some of the most compelling expressions of The Northwood Idea that great thinkers have contributed through the...
What passes for ‘deregulation’ or market-based reform has limited connection with any call for a truly laissez-faire capitalist United States.
Parents know better than anyone what is best for their children.
NOTE: A version of this poem was published in the November 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. The definition of belonging is an affinity for a place or situation. As I look around my campus day after day, I meet new people, I see new faces and I embrace different personalities. What...
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the November 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. On April 23, 1910, at the Sorbonne in Paris, America’s 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, delivered his celebrated speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic.” A famous passage of Roosevelt’s address is known as “The Man in the Arena.”...
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the October 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. Individualism is the view that each person has moral significance and certain rights that are either of divine origin or inherent in human nature. Each individual exists, perceives, experiences, thinks, and acts in and through his own...
NOTE: This is an excerpted version of an essay published on the Institute’s website on Aug. 16, 2021. This August marked the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the end to the Soviet Union. During August 19-21, 1991, hardline members of the Soviet Communist Party and the KGB attempted a coup d’état in Moscow to...
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the September 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. Returning to campus for the fall 2021 semester felt different but amazing. As a current DeVos Graduate School student, this is my fifth year at Northwood University, and every year the Timberwolf community continues to impress me....
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the September 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected supply chains on many fronts. Recapping them now would be rehashing information we have all read about or experienced in some way. In addition, the Association of Supply Chain...
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the June 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. Where We Stand Electric Vehicles One way The Northwood Idea remains vibrant is by examining it in contrast to a variety of divergent philosophies. Where We Stand presents the viewpoint of a respected author on a given...
NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the June 2021 edition of When Free To Choose. “The Northwood Idea” is vibrant and adaptive in a world of change, and its fundamental principles are timeless. Under any circumstance, personal freedom and individual responsibility are essential for a free society. So it is illustrative to...