The Journal of Libertarian Studies is a scholarly journal

Academic journal

An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...

 published annually by the Ludwig von Mises Institute

Ludwig von Mises Institute

The Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...

 and Lew Rockwell

Lew Rockwell

Llewellyn Harrison "Lew" Rockwell, Jr. is an American libertarian political commentator, activist, proponent of the Austrian School of economics, and chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute.-Life and work:...

. It was established in the spring of 1977 by Murray Rothbard

Murray Rothbard

Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...

 who also served as its editor until his death in 1995. The journal had been published by the Center for Libertarian Studies

Center for Libertarian Studies

The Center for Libertarian Studies was a libertarian and anarcho-capitalist oriented educational organization founded in 1976 by Murray Rothbard and Burton Blumert, which grew out of the Libertarian Scholars Conferences...

, but moved to the Mises Institute in 2000.

The focus of the journal is "libertarian theory

Libertarianism

Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...

", with a strong influence of Austrian School

Austrian School

The Austrian School of economics is a heterodox school of economic thought. It advocates methodological individualism in interpreting economic developments , the theory that money is non-neutral, the theory that the capital structure of economies consists of heterogeneous goods that have...

 and anarcho-capitalism

Anarcho-capitalism

Anarcho-capitalism is a libertarian and individualist anarchist political philosophy that advocates the elimination of the state in favour of individual sovereignty in a free market...

, which has in the past included articles from the fields of history

History

History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

, economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, and philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

.

The journal was originally a quarterly publication under Rothbard, and later under Hans-Hermann Hoppe

Hans-Hermann Hoppe

Hans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:...

 and Roderick Long

Roderick Long

Roderick Tracy Long is a professor of philosophy at Auburn University and libertarian anarchist blogger. He also serves as a senior scholar for the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an editor of the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, director and president of the Molinari Institute, and an advisory panel...

. In 2008, it was changed to an annual print and online publication, edited by Thomas Woods

Thomas Woods

Thomas E. "Tom" Woods, Jr. is an American historian, economist, political analyst, and New York Times-bestselling author. He has written extensively on the subjects of American history, contemporary politics, and economic theory...

.

Notable contributors

Randy Barnett Randy Barnett Randy E. Barnett is a lawyer, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches constitutional law and contracts, and a legal theorist in the United States... Walter Block Walter Block Walter Edward Block is a free market economist and anarcho-capitalist associated with the Austrian School of economics.-Personal history and education:... Kevin Carson Roy A. Childs, Jr. Roy Childs Roy A. Childs, Jr. was an American libertarian essayist and critic.Childs counted among his early influences Ayn Rand, Ludwig von Mises, Rose Wilder Lane, and Robert LeFevre.... Thomas DiLorenzo Thomas DiLorenzo Thomas James DiLorenzo is an American economics professor at Loyola University Maryland. He is an adherent of the Austrian School of Economics. He is a senior faculty member of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and an associated scholar of the Abbeville Institute... Antony Flew Antony Flew Antony Garrard Newton Flew was a British philosopher. Belonging to the analytic and evidentialist schools of thought, he was notable for his works on the philosophy of religion.... Paul Gottfried Paul Gottfried Paul Edward Gottfried is Horace Raffensperger Professor of Humanities at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and a Guggenheim recipient... F.A. Hayek Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August Hayek CH , born in Austria-Hungary as Friedrich August von Hayek, was an economist and philosopher best known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought... Hans-Hermann Hoppe Hans-Hermann Hoppe Hans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:... John Hospers John Hospers John Hospers was an American philosopher. In 1972 he was the first presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party, and the only minor party candidate to receive an electoral vote in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election.... Jesús Huerta de Soto Jesús Huerta de Soto Jesús Huerta de Soto Ballester is a leading Austrian School economist and Professor of Political Economy at Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid, Spain. He received doctoral degrees in Law and Economic and Business Sciences , both from Complutense University of Madrid, and an MBA from Stanford... Anthony de Jasay Anthony de Jasay Anthony de Jasay is a Hungarian-born philosopher and economist known for his anti-statist writings. He was born at Aba, Hungary in 1925. . He was educated at Szekesfehervar and Budapest, taking a degree in Agriculture...

N. Stephan Kinsella Stephan Kinsella frame|right|Stephan KinsellaNorman Stephan Kinsella is an American intellectual property lawyer and libertarian legal theorist. His electronically published works are primarily published on his blog and websites associated with the Ludwig von Mises Institute and anarcho-capitalist... Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard -Education and employment:Kurrild-Klitgaard is Ph.D. , M.Sc. and B.A. , and M.A.... Don Lavoie Don Lavoie Don C. Lavoie was an Austrian school economist. He worked at the Cato Institute. He wrote two books on the problem of economic calculation. His first book on this subject was Rivalry and Central Planning . This book stressed the importance of the process of competitive rivalry in markets... Bruno Leoni Bruno Leoni Bruno Leoni was an Italian classical-liberal political philosopher and lawyer.Besides being editor for the political science journal Il Politico, Leoni was also involved as secretary and later president of the Mont Pelerin Society... Leonard Liggio Leonard Liggio Leonard Liggio is a classical liberal author, research professor of law at George Mason University, and executive vice president of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation in Fairfax, Virginia, USA.-Present positions:... Donald Livingston Donald Livingston Donald Livingston is an American philosophy professor based at Emory University with an expertise in the writings of David Hume. Livingston received his doctorate at Washington University in 1965. He has been a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow and is on the editorial board of Hume... Roderick Long Roderick Long Roderick Tracy Long is a professor of philosophy at Auburn University and libertarian anarchist blogger. He also serves as a senior scholar for the Ludwig von Mises Institute, an editor of the Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, director and president of the Molinari Institute, and an advisory panel... Carlo Lottieri Carlo Lottieri Carlo Lottieri is an Italian free-market anarchist philosopher.- Life :He studied philosophy in Genoa and sociology at the Institut Universitaire d’Etudes Européennes at the University of Geneva and in Paris, where he obtained a D.E.A. and a Ph.D. at the Paris-Sorbonne University... Tibor Machan Tibor R. Machan Tibor Richard Machan, Ph.D. is a Hungarian-American philosopher. A professor emeritus in the department of philosophy at Auburn University, Machan holds the R. C... Wendy McElroy Wendy McElroy Wendy McElroy is a Canadian individualist anarchist and individualist feminist. She was a co-founder along with Carl Watner and George H. Smith of The Voluntaryist in 1982.-Sex-positive:... Robert P. Murphy Robert P. Murphy Robert P. "Bob" Murphy is an Austrian School economist and anarcho-capitalist.-Education and personal life:Murphy completed his Bachelor of Arts in economics at Hillsdale College in 1998. He then moved back to his home state of New York to continue his studies at New York University. Murphy earned... Jan Narveson Jan Narveson Jan Narveson, OC is professor of philosophy emeritus at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. An anarcho-capitalist and contractarian, Narveson's form of libertarian anarchism is deeply influenced by the thought of Robert Nozick and David Gauthier.Narveson was born in Erskine,... Ralph Raico Ralph Raico Ralph Raico is an American historian, libertarian, and specialist in European classical liberalism and Austrian Economics. He is currently a professor of history at Buffalo State College and a senior faculty member at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. Raico was a student of Ludwig von Mises and... George Reisman George Reisman George Gerald Reisman is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Pepperdine University and author of Capitalism: A Treatise on Economics . He is also the author of an earlier book, The Government Against the Economy , which was praised by F.A...

Morgan Reynolds Morgan Reynolds Morgan O. Reynolds is a former professor emeritus at Texas A&M University and former director of the Criminal Justice Center at the National Center for Policy Analysis headquartered in Dallas, TX.... Lew Rockwell Lew Rockwell Llewellyn Harrison "Lew" Rockwell, Jr. is an American libertarian political commentator, activist, proponent of the Austrian School of economics, and chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute.-Life and work:... Murray Rothbard Murray Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the... Joseph Salerno Joseph Salerno Joseph T. Salerno is an Austrian School economist in the United States. A professor at Pace University, Salerno is an active scholar in the areas of banking and monetary theory, comparative economics, and the history of economic thought.-Early life:... Pascal Salin Pascal Salin Pascal Salin is a libertarian French economist, professor at the Université Paris-Dauphine and a specialist in public finance. He is a former president of the Mont Pelerin Society .... Joseph R. Stromberg Joseph R. Stromberg Joseph R. Stromberg is an independent historian and former columnist for antiwar.com and LewRockwell.com. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, the War on Terrorism, the Antifederalists , and an on-going critique of the Unitary Executive theory of the U.S. Presidency... Thomas Szasz Thomas Szasz Thomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. Since 1990 he has been Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. He is a well-known social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, and of the social... Mark Thornton Mark Thornton Mark Thornton is an American economist of the Austrian School. Thornton has been described by the Advocates for Self-Government as "one of America's experts on the economics of illegal drugs." Thornton has written extensively on that topic, as well as on the economics of the American Civil War,... Jeffrey Tucker Jeffrey Tucker Jeffrey Albert Tucker is the publisher and executive editor of Laissez Faire Books. He is past editorial vice president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and past editor for the institute's website, Mises.org... Carl Watner Carl Watner Carl Watner is an American author and historian of libertarian studies, and a voluntaryist. He has written articles for Reason magazine, The Libertarian Forum, and The Journal of Libertarian Studies.... Lawrence H. White Lawrence H. White Lawrence H. White is an Economics Professor at George Mason University who teaches graduate level Monetary Theory and Policy. He is considered an authority on the history and theory of free banking... Tom Woods Thomas Woods Thomas E. "Tom" Woods, Jr. is an American historian, economist, political analyst, and New York Times-bestselling author. He has written extensively on the subjects of American history, contemporary politics, and economic theory... Leland B. Yeager Leland B. Yeager Leland B. Yeager is an American economist and an expert on monetary policy and international trade. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1948 with an A.B. and was granted an M.A. from Columbia University in 1949 and a Ph.D. from there in 1952. He had previously served in the United States Army in...