About the Mises Institute
About the Mises Institute
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The Ludwig von Mises Institute was founded in 1982 as the research and
educational center of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and
the Austrian School of economics. It serves as the world's leading provider of
educational materials, conferences, media, and literature in support of the
tradition of thought represented by Ludwig von Mises and the school of thought
he enlivened and carried forward during the 20th century, which has now
blossomed into a massive international movement of students, professors,
professionals, and people in all walks of life. It seeks a radical shift in the
intellectual climate as the foundation for a renewal of the free and prosperous
commonwealth
"How does a world-class think tank end up in east Alabama?"
asked Kyle Wingfield of the Wall Street Journal (8/4/2006). "Having such
an outfit so far away from the country's usual hubs is in itself a rejection of
the central planning and authority Mises spent his life fighting. He might
never have visited Auburn, but something tells me he wouldn't have put this institute any other
place."
"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote
Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by
others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping
towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust
himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."
It is the mission of the Mises Institute to place human choice at the
center of economic theory, to encourage a revival of critical historical
research, and to advance the Misesian tradition of thought through the defense
of the market economy, private property, sound money, and peaceful
international relations, while opposing government intervention as economically
and socially destructive.
History
In December 1981, Ludwig von Mises's widow Margit gave her approval to
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. to found the Mises Institute. It was formally
established in October 1982 and located in Auburn, Alabama.
Rockwell serves as its chairman and Douglas French is the president.
With the support of Margit von Mises, who chaired the board until her
death in 1993, and such giants as F.A. Hayek, Lawrence Fertig, Henry Hazlitt,
and Murray N. Rothbard, who headed its academic programs until his death in
1995, the Mises Institute has grown into the leading scholarly center for
research and teaching in the Austrian School of economics, as well as an
important research center for classical liberalism and
libertarianism.
The Mises Institute has 350-plus faculty members working with it on
one or more academic projects. With their help, and thousands of donors in 50
states and 80 foreign countries, the Institute has held more than 1000 teaching
conferences, including the Mises University, and seminars
on subjects from monetary policy to the history of war, as well as
international and interdisciplinary Austrian Scholars Conferences.
From these programs, the Institute has sponsored many books and
hundreds of scholarly papers, in addition to thousands of published popular
articles on economic and historical issues.
The Mises Institute publishes books by Ludwig von Mises and other new
and old works by Austrian economists and historians, maintains the complete
Mises bibliography, manages the archive of Murray N. Rothbard, and publishes
periodicals, including two academic journals and a scholarly review of literature.
The in-house Massey and Ward Libraries are a multilingual collection of more
than 30,000 volumes, including Rothbard's personal library, which makes it one
of the most extensive specialized collections of its kind in North
America.
Mises.org went online in 1995. A reliable and stable research tool, it
features working papers, study guides, bibliographies, biographies, e-books,
publication archives, a calendar of events, fellowship applications, audio and
video downloads, foreign language materials, a faculty directory, research
tools, daily editorials, local on-site library access, and an online catalog of
publications. Mises.org provides open access, is linked from classrooms and
libraries around the world, and has earned a far higher Alexa ranking than any
market-oriented non-profit in the world.
The Institute has produced documentary films such as "Liberty and
Economics: The Ludwig von Mises Legacy" and "The Future of Austrian
Economics"; and "Money, Banking, and the Federal Reserve," along
with thousands of hours of rich media available for free. The Institute has
also published or subsidized the publication of 300-plus books and monographs.
Helping students to discover the economics of freedom, and inspiring
them to go on to teach at the university level, is perhaps the Institute's most
important program. Since 1985, the Institute has held Mises University summer
schools for students from all over America and the world, and has assisted
10,000 students at more then 1000 colleges and universities with aid ranging
from one-year book scholarships to full multi-year PhD fellowships. Altogether,
it has reached millions of students at all levels.
In 1998, The Mises Institute moved into a facility at 518 West
Magnolia Avenue that houses an extensive and unique library in the social
sciences. The building was extended in 2000-2001 to accommodate the need for
more library and faculty space. You can take a virtual tour with images in 360
degrees.
Developmental emphasis for the future includes increases in on-site
faculty chairs, summer-long programs, year-round internships and post-doc
research facilities, along with a dramatic expansion of digital media to become
the full-service infrastructure of the of the entire libertarian tradition.
Publishing projects include original and traditional Austrian works,
the collected letters of Murray Rothbard, translations of classic Austrian
writings, as well as broaden periodical distribution. Mises.org's online
library seeks to be nothing short of comprehensive, even if that means tens of
thousands of scanned books available for free.
Periodicals
Our monthly The Free
Market examines the economic and political scene from a
classical-liberal viewpoint. The
Austrian Economics Newsletter links our academic network
with in-depth interviews. The Mises
Review surveys new books. The Quarterly Journal of
Austrian Economics (the successor journal to the Review of Austrian
Economics), is the premier setting for new research and
ideas in economics. The Journal
of Libertarian Studies, the scholarly venue for political
theory and applications from 1997-2008, has been succeeded by Libertarian
Papers, established in 2009
Fellowships
Through our Fellowships, we give
top students of the Austrian School the practical support and intellectual
tools they need to thrive in today's academic setting. We provide books and
periodicals, internships, academic counseling, and financial assistance to help
them become the professors and intellectual leaders of tomorrow. In-house
fellowships are available for dissertation writing and post-doc work. Please
apply! Students who have been accepted count it as the scholarly highlight of
their lives.
Research
Serious scholarly work in economic theory and intellectual history
does not receive the support it deserves from large foundations. To fill this
crucial gap, the Mises Institute offers long-term grants for in-depth research
in the Austrian tradition. Among the projects currently being backed are
studies in U.S. banking history, the economics of cryptography, the viability
of currency boards, and biographical studies of the Austrian School's major
figures and their role in intellectual history.
Online Research Aids
Mises.org's Scholars Page
features online books, the Austrian Study Guide, a
complete online resource of Austrian School literature, linked to online
articles, where possible; the complete searchable text to Human
Action(3/4th edition) among many other writings
by Mises; out-out-print classics by Austrian scholars; constantly
updated Working
Papers; and the complete and searchable Mises
Bibliography and Rothbard
Bibliography, along with thousands of authors featured in our literature section
Teaching
We sponsor the world's finest teaching programs, including the annual
Mises
University, the History of Liberty Teaching Seminar, the Human Action
Seminar, and the Rothbard Graduate Seminar attracting the best students from
the U.S. and around the world. Mises Circle events take place around the country. Thanks
to outstanding curricula and faculty, our alumni rank among the best
economists, historians, and philosophers working today.
Academic Meetings
The Austrian
Scholars Conference is the annual professional meeting where new
papers in the Misesian tradition are presented and debated, and faculty and
students are able to escape the politicized environments of their home
campuses. We also hold regular scholarly conferences on economics, history,
philosophy, and law, as well as private colloquia exploring new avenues of
research.
Academic Awards
The Schlarbaum Prize for lifetime defense of liberty, given every
year, awards $10,000 to a public intellectual or distinguished scholar. The
Kurzweg Family Prize awards $5,000 for the defense of liberty, property, and
personal responsibility. The George Koether Award, a beautiful medallion and
$2500, for free-market publishing. The Elgin Groseclose Award, a $20
Liberty Head Double Eagle, goes to the best piece of money writing in the
previous year. The Lawrence W. Fertig Prize in Austrian Economics awards $1,000
to the author of a paper that best advances economic science in the Austrian
tradition. The O.P. Alford III Prize in Libertarian Scholarship awards $1,000
to the author of the paper best advances libertarian scholarship.
Books
The Mises Institute publishes important new books and reprints
classics, including The Scholar's Edition of Human Action;
Man, Economy, and State; The Case Against the
Fed; The Costs of War; and Theory and
History; among fifty other titles. Our book catalog, The Library of the Austrian School,
makes them available to students and the public.
Commentary
The Mises Institute balances the social-democratic domination of
public debate with major newspapers and magazines featuring Mises Institute
articles. The Mises Daily is
linked and reprinted the world over. In-box subscriptions are distributed at no
charge. Our speakers' program spreads a pro-liberty message on talk shows and
at conferences and meetings around the country and the world.
Audio and Video
All our conferences on such diverse topics as welfare, bureaucracy,
war, and monetary reform, as well as our weekly seminars, Mises Circle events,
and everything else we can find, are available on tape. And we've produced
award-winning films, including one on Mises and another on the misdeeds of the
Federal Reserve System. Mises.org offers .mp3 files of Mises
speaking and Rothbard
teaching, as well as complete audio files of selected conferences
(again, at no charge). The Mises
Media page includes the remarkable series of lectures Robert
LeFevre Commentaries.
Mises Institute Campus
Our library and research facilities in Auburn, Alabama
provide a huge, multilingual collection of books and special collections (see
the Ward
Library), scholarly archives (papers of Ludwig von Mises, Murray N.
Rothbard, Robert LeFevre, and John William Lloyd), ongoing seminars, and a
collegial atmosphere for completing dissertations, doing post-doc work, helping
with translations and other projects, or using sabbatical time to do Austrian
work.
Publishing Opportunities
This venue features shorter articles (700-3000 words) that employ
Austrian theory and practice to illuminate current or historical events. These
articles, which reach 40,000 people every day, require clarity of thought and
exposition. They are permanently archived and eventually reach hundreds of
thousands. The more steeped in the Austrian tradition, the better. Footnotes
are fine but not required, but internal links are much preferred. Write the
editor.
This monthly journal interprets current policy and events in light of
Austrian theory and free-market policy. The editor seeks articles that are
pithy, rigorous, provocative, and deal with enduring themes. Preferred length:
1500 words. Write the editor.
These are unpublished academic papers in process. Submissions follow
standard scholarly format with footnotes and citations, and include complete
author information including affiliation and email address. They are published
as sent once rendered into PDF format. There is an informal review process. The
papers are read by Austrian scholars, students, and interested people all over
the world. Write the editor.
This refereed journal considers articles that promote the development
and extension of Austrian economics and that promote the analysis of
contemporary issues in the mainstream of economics from an Austrian
perspective. Write the editor.
Founded in 1977, this referred journal is the primary venue for
reconstruction of the history of ideas and politics in terms of libertarianism.
Write the editor.
A Message from the Chairman
Political action is no substitute for a real long-term revolution in
ideas. The Mises Institute was founded to make that possible, and we're
succeeding through a huge range of programs that have served students,
scholars, and professionals all over the world. By advancing the Austrian School and the scholarship of liberty,
the Institute is bringing about change for the better. But we need your help as
a Member. The free society needs fearless and passionate defenders in all walks
of life.
Llewellyn
H. Rockwell, Jr.
Founder and Chairman
Please Join Us
For as little as $50 a year, you can become a Member of the Mises
Institute and join our work for the free society. You will receive
The Free Market and other publications, as well as the
gratitude of the students and teachers of liberty. Please note: the Mises
Institute is funded entirely by voluntary contributions, from individuals,
businesses, and foundations.
The Mises Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Down load our
policy in English
or Spanish.
Contact
us.