ISPE seeks to broaden the intellectual conversation on the Ball State campus, providing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to hear new and different ideas that might challenge them in important ways.
Menard Speaker Series:
Behind the Screens: Social Media Age Verification in An Unsecure World
September 11, 2025
Shoshana Weissmann
R Street, Director, Digital Media; Resident Fellow,
Technology & Innovation
Governments are pushing new laws to regulate social media through age verification in an effort to safeguard children on the internet. Shoshana Weissmann’s eye-opening talk will break down how these policies may be doing more harm than good. Do these “security” policies put you at risk? From security flaws to identity theft risks, discover what’s really at stake when your digital identity is on the line.
Menard Speaker Series:
Fast Fashion & Sustainable Abundance
Tuesday, Oct. 28 • 5 p.m. • TC121
Joy Buchanan, PhD
Associate Professor of Quantitative Analysis and Economics, Samford University
Dr. Joy Buchanan will share her research about the hot controversy around “fast fashion” raising labor and environmental issues. She will discuss the role of global trade and the likely future of this industry with the introduction of artificial intelligence.
Horwitz Nobel Prize Panel
Thursday, Nov. 13 • 5 p.m. • WB 144
Ball State faculty will give short talks on the discoveries
and achievements honored in 2025. This panel, now in its fifth year, is based
on an idea proposed by the late founder of ISPE, Dr. Steven Horwitz. ISPE is
grateful for the cooperation and support we continue to receive for this event
from faculty experts across our campus.
SPRING 2026 Speakers:
Menard Speaker Series:
Art Carden
Samford University
Menard Speaker Series:
David Henderson
Stanford University, Hoover Institution
Madam CJ Walker Colloquium Speaker:
Isabel Botero
University of Louisville
The fifth annual Midwest Institutes Conference (MIC), hosted by the Institute for the Study of Political Economy (ISPE) at Ball State University, will be May 18-20, 2026, at the BSU Fishers Center.
We welcome the submission of empirical, policy-relevant academic papers on ANY topic, however, we particularly encourage submissions related to our two special research tracks: Disruptive Innovation and Housing Policy. We also encourage submissions from graduate students for inclusion in dedicated graduate student research sessions.
Read more here: https://forms.gle/xsqXMWED1GENcMg26
ISPE’s annual events include:
- Menard Political Economy Speaker Series hosts two speakers each semester to engage with students, faculty, and the community.
Madam C. J. Walker Colloquium in Political Economy is an annual event which presents a public talk with a prominent scholar, as well as a series of smaller events with students --all themed around a topic. Named after the early 20th century African-American beauty products entrepreneur and social activist whose business was headquartered in Indianapolis, this event explores the relevance of free enterprise and entrepreneurship for the past, present, and future of historically marginalized groups.- The Horwitz Nobel Prize Panel features Ball State University faculty giving short talks on the discoveries and achievements that were honored with that year’s Nobel Prizes. The panel is based on an idea proposed by the late founding director of ISPE, Dr. Steven Horwitz. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards given for intellectual achievement in the world and are conferred in six categories: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics. Since 1901, the Nobel Prizes have been presented to Nobel Laureates at ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. ISPE presents the Horwitz Nobel Prize Panel in mid November.