Applications for the Koch Associate Program are due in just five days, and this is an opportunity that I think some of our readers might be interested in:
The Koch Associate Program is a challenging job opportunity for professionals who are passionate about free-market ideas, and want to become more effective at advancing liberty throughout their careers. The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation’s aim is to develop the capabilities of each Associate through the program by providing management training, professional development, and the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their career potential.
Associates come from a wide range of backgrounds from recent college graduates to PhDs, former employees of the public and private sectors, and students of subjects from economics to communications. What distinguishes an Associate is the drive to effectively advance the ideas of liberty throughout their careers.
The year-long program begins in June and ends in May. While in the program, each Associate works four days a week in a full-time position at a reputable non-profit organization. Job opportunities are as diverse as Associates, and range from policy research to communication and public relations. Each position gives Associates valuable professional experience pursuing their talents and interests, with the opportunity to earn greater responsibility and expand their roles by performing well.
I don’t normally post information about job opportunities. But my fiancee did KAP and had a great experience working for the National Federation of Independent Business Legal Center (NFIB, which represents small business interests, is much more pro-free market than most of the big business interest groups). I myself have lectured in the related Koch Summer Fellows Program, and was very impressed with the quality of the participants. So I recommend both programs highly to people interested in libertarianism and public policy.
Arthur Kirkland says:
The list of internship-appropriate organizations includes many reliably conservative groups, but few, if any, libertarian organizations.
Not that there would be anything wrong with that, absent the headline.
Interested libertarian students might wish to call the ACLU, which somehow missed the cut concerning the Koch-approved “libertarian” list. NORML also would be a good libertarian choice, although it, too, is not Koch-approved.
February 24, 2010, 5:22 pmIlya Somin says:
Interested libertarian students might wish to call the ACLU, which somehow missed the cut concerning the Koch-approved “libertarian” list.
The ACLU is not a libertarian organization, but a left-liberal one that opposes libertarians on many issues. It’s understandable that Koch would not put them on the list (though I should note that the list is not exclusive, and some KAP people in the past have worked at organizations that are not on Koch’s list).
February 24, 2010, 6:07 pmName Changed To Protect... says:
Not to make this a Koch-centric hijack… while the Koch’s are decidedly pro-free-market; sadly, as a corporation they do not ascribe to the Glenn Reynolds theory of allowing open internet access in the workplace. This a shame as many of the libertarian/free-market ideas espoused by company e-mails etc. are often met with a “well, of course a billionaire would say that.”
Normally, one could instantly and easily counter that mindset with a quick trip to the blogosphere, be it Insty, Volokh, Chicagoboyz, DuToit’s archives etc.
Instead, one can only say “trust me, it’s not a billionaire thing” and try to remember to print up an appropriate post at home. But by the next day – the moment is long gone.
February 24, 2010, 6:18 pmIlya Somin says:
while the Koch’s are decidedly pro-free-market; sadly, as a corporation they do not ascribe to the Glenn Reynolds theory of allowing open internet access in the workplace.
I don’t have any strong opinions on Koch’s workplace policies. I imagine that Koch Industries is a good place to work for some people, but a bad choice for others. I don’t believe, however, that a private employer limiting internet access during working hours is in any way contrary to free market principles. I don’t think Glenn believes that either. Different employers can have a wide variety of disciplinary policies and other efforts to limit distractions for workers. What works well in some businesses might not be appropriate for others.
February 24, 2010, 6:22 pmfrankcross says:
I think the ACLU is libertarian on quite a number of issues where Koch seems indifferent. Libertarianism should be broader than free economic markets. Though from that perspective, I can see why the ACLU would not be favored.
February 24, 2010, 6:25 pmArthur Kirkland says:
NORML is more libertarian than, and the ACLU is as libertarian as, any organization on that Koch-arranged list of conservative groups.
There is nothing wrong with promoting conservatism, which makes efforts to costume it as promoting libertarianism puzzling. The Koch program is roughly as libertarian as the Democratic National Committee, or the Republican National Committee.
February 24, 2010, 6:25 pmCalderon says:
Ilya Somin said The ACLU is not a libertarian organization, but a left-liberal one that opposes libertarians on many issues.
I don’t think it’s quite fair to say that the ACLU is not a libertarian organization. I agree that the ACLU does a poor job on property / economic rights issues, and will sometimes promote other “rights” that infringe on property or economic rights. I also agree that they’ll single out certain institutions (e.g., the Boy Scouts) and singlemindedly oppose them on issues that don’t appear to be relevant to the ACLU’s core mission.
That said, on many free speech, abortion, establishment clause, etc. issues, the ACLU is reliably libertarian. I worked for the ACLU for a period and never thought any of the work I did was against libertarian principles.
On the flip-side, I (and I’m betting most people) disagree with Arthur Kirkland’s claim that the ACLU is as libertarian as Cato, Reason, or CEI (3 of the listed partner organizations). These groups are as libertarian as the ACLU on most social issues, but more libertarian than the ACLU on property and economic rights issues. Claiming that these 3 are as libertarian as the DNC or RNC simply is not incorrect.
February 24, 2010, 6:54 pmB.D. says:
He routinely brings up the ACLU whenever the subject of libertarian organizations is discussed.
February 24, 2010, 7:13 pmIlya Somin says:
I think the ACLU is libertarian on quite a number of issues where Koch seems indifferent. Libertarianism should be broader than free economic markets.
The ACLU is libertarian on some issues, mostly those where libertarians and liberals generally agree. On the other hand, it actively opposes libertarianism on a great many others (government-sponsored affirmative action, economic liberties, etc.). Koch is clearly not indifferent to those issues where the ACLU and libertarians agree, as indicated by its support of groups such as the Institute for Justice and the Cato Institute, which do a great deal of work on such issues. But I don’t see why Koch should actively support a group that actively opposes libertarian causes in a substantial proportion of its activities.
As for the claim that Koch is funding “conservative” organizations, I don’t see any organizations on its list that actually are conservative as opposed to libertarian (though a few are not clearly identified with either camp).
February 24, 2010, 7:46 pmfrankcross says:
I think Heritage would be considered conservative rather than libertarian. And I don’t see a lot of support from Koch itself on those issues where libertarians and liberals generally agree.
February 24, 2010, 9:36 pmTim says:
Libertarians and liberals are the same thing, so this comment makes no sense.
The ACLU is not “liberal” nor “libertarian.” It’s a progressive organization founded by Marxists. It is where progressivism and liberalism are consistent with each other that we observe agreement between the two.
Gun rights are a prime example. The ACLU doesn’t support the “liberal” position of broad gun rights because it conflicts with their “social progressive” view that guns are bad and should be banned.
Obviously there is nothing “liberating,” about disarming the population, and thus nothing “liberal” about such a viewpoint.
Calling the ACLU liberal doesn’t make it so. What viewpoint could possibly be more “liberal” than broad property rights?
February 24, 2010, 9:58 pmSteve says:
Does the ACLU “actively oppose” libertarians on affirmative action, or does it merely decline to challenge affirmative action measures?
February 24, 2010, 10:05 pmTim says:
Looks to me like they very clearly and actively oppose libertarians on the subject:
February 24, 2010, 10:09 pmhttp://www.aclu.org/racial-justice/affirmative-action
byomtov says:
There may be worthwhile organizations on the list, but a quick check reveals lot of nutballs as well.
Appreciation receptions for George “macaca” Allen?
February 24, 2010, 10:10 pmyankee says:
If Heritage were on the list, that would singlehandedly discredit any claim that this was a “libertarian” internship, but I don’t see it there. That said, the list is way off on the conservative end of libertarian. Lots of very dubiously libertarian organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, but nothing about left-libertarian causes like gay rights and drug legalization.
February 25, 2010, 1:43 amfrankcross says:
The issue was Koch “funding” conservative organizations, I thought, and he was a big funder of Heritage
February 25, 2010, 10:53 amalumnus says:
As an alum of kap, I can tell you that it is NOT a libertarian program. They stress that it is a free-market program, which is a nice way of saying they only care about economic freedom. Just fair warning so no one ends up disappointed
March 2, 2010, 8:57 amHow does the ISAGENIX associate program work and how much does it cost? | Foilball.com says:
[...] The Volokh Conspiracy » Blog Archive » Applications for Koch Associate Program — an Ex… [...]
March 3, 2010, 2:01 pmKatherin Drawe says:
If you want success, then don’t rely on other people to do what YOU can do!
May 16, 2010, 5:50 pmMaking here also. Try it out.