CANTON – University of Kentucky Economist John Garen speaks on “Fairness and Needs in a Free Enterprise Economy” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10 in the auditorium of St. Lawrence University’s Hepburn Hall.

Some critics of free enterprise charge that the private sector does not take into account issues of “needs” and “fairness.” But Garen says that the sector includes formal and informal non-profit institutions whose goals may include addressing the “needs” of others.

These organizations face a variety of economic problems, and employ a number of practices to overcome them, providing a useful contrast with public-sector charity programs.

The event, part of the economics department’s visiting speaker series in political economy and the university’s Contemporary Issues Forum, is open to the public, free of charge.