The Library of Economics and Liberty (Econlib) is a free online library of 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"...

 books and articles from a libertarian

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...

 view and is sponsored by the private Liberty Fund

Liberty Fund

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It is dedicated to the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals...

.

Content

Econlib supplies educational resources of economic thought and has been online since February 1999. It hosts several different resources including daily, weekly, and monthly articles, podcasts

Podcasting

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

, and blog

Blog

A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...

 items, all by economist

Economist

An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...

s. The Resources also include the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (CEE), which includes several articles and biographies by economists. The recently updated CEE was first published as the 1993 Fortune Encyclopedia of Economics.

Authors

On the site are classic books republished, including those by Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...

, David Ricardo

David Ricardo

David Ricardo was an English political economist, often credited with systematising economics, and was one of the most influential of the classical economists, along with Thomas Malthus, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill. He was also a member of Parliament, businessman, financier and speculator,...

, Thomas Malthus

Thomas Malthus

The Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus FRS was an English scholar, influential in political economy and demography. Malthus popularized the economic theory of rent....

, John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...

, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

Eugen Ritter von Böhm-Bawerk was an Austrian economist who made important contributions to the development of the Austrian School of economics.-Biography:...

, John Bates Clark

John Bates Clark

John Bates Clark was an American neoclassical economist. He was one of the pioneers of the marginalist revolution and opponent to the Institutionalist school of economics, and spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University.-Biography:Clark was born and raised in Providence, Rhode...

, Ludwig von Mises

Ludwig von Mises

Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...

, Friedrich 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...

, Karl Marx

Karl Marx

Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...

, and Friedrich List

Friedrich List

Georg Friedrich List was a leading 19th century German economist who developed the "National System" or what some would call today the National System of Innovation...

. Books by authors such as James M. Buchanan

James M. Buchanan

James McGill Buchanan, Jr. is an American economist known for his work on public choice theory, for which he received the 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Buchanan's work initiated research on how politicians' self-interest and non-economic forces affect government economic policy...

 are also available on Econlib.

Satellite Resources

Subsidiaries of Econlib include:

• EconLog, an economics blog ongoing since 2003, with economist
  Economist
  An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
  
  s Arnold Kling
  Arnold Kling
  Arnold Kling is a founder and co-editor of , an economics blog, along with Bryan Caplan and David Henderson.Kling graduated from Swarthmore College in 1975 and received a Ph.D. in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as an economist in the Federal Reserve System from 1980...
  
  , David R. Henderson, and Bryan Caplan
  Bryan Caplan
  Bryan Caplan is an American economist, a Professor of Economics at George Mason University, Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center, adjunct scholar of the Cato Institute, and blogger for Econlog. He is best known for his work in public choice theory and for his libertarian ideology.-Personal...
  
  .
• EconTalk
  EconTalk
  EconTalk is a weekly podcast hosted by professor Russell Roberts at George Mason University. Roberts interviews guests—often professional economists—on topics in economics....
  
  , a continuing series of podcasts begun in March 2006 with host Russ Roberts
  Russell Roberts (economist)
  Russell Roberts is a professor of economics at the George Mason University Mercatus Center. Roberts founded and directed the Management Center at the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis...
  
   of George Mason University
  George Mason University
  George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
  
  . Topics cover the economics of sport
  Sport
  A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
  
  s, law and economics
  Law and economics
  The economic analysis of law is an analysis of law applying methods of economics. Economic concepts are used to explain the effects of laws, to assess which legal rules are economically efficient, and to predict which legal rules will be promulgated.-Relationship to other disciplines and...
  
  , the financial crisis of 2007–2010, health care
  Health care
  Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
  
  , public choice, entrepreneurship
  Entrepreneurship
  Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...
  
  , free trade
  Free trade
  Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
  
  , and more.

Audience

Most Econlib site resources are oriented toward students and teachers in college, late high school, or early graduate school, with a focus on economics. Links to famous passages from syllabi and library reading rooms are available for classroom, syllabi, and general use. Printable formats are available for non-copyright items.

Oversight

Econlib is supervised by economists who serve as editors and overseers. Econlib articles are written economists, with occasional invited contributions on topics in the news written by non-academics.

External links

• Library of Economics and Liberty. econlib.org - Home page of Econlib, the Library of Economics and Liberty.
• EconLog. Economics Blog, Arnold Kling, Bryan Caplan, and David R. Henderson, ed.
• EconTalk. Economics Podcasts, hosted by Russ Roberts
• The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. David R. Henderson, ed.
• Books
• Liberty Fund's Online Library of Liberty. Books and more.