Mises Event

Join the Mises Institute at the 2023 Libertarian Scholars Conference on Saturday, September 23.

We'll meet at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee.

The first Libertarian Scholars Conference was held in New York City in 1972 under the aegis of the Center for Libertarian Studies. The conference was held annually (except for 1973) throughout the 1970s in New York or Princeton, New Jersey (1977, 1978), with the 8th and last “national” conference taking place at the Hotel Diplomat in New York. In the early 1980s regional Libertarian Scholars Conferences were held in Chicago and other cities. The conferences featured papers by the founding fathers of modern libertarian scholarship, including Murray Rothbard, Leonard Liggio, Walter Block, Ralph Raico, Ron Hamowy, Roy Childs and Walter Grinder. Other prominent scholars who presented papers were Henry Veatch, Leland Yeager, Hillel Steiner, Douglas Rasmussen, David Calleo, Bruce Russett, and Samuel Brittain.

The Libertarian Scholars Conference was originally conceived as a forum for scholars from different disciplines to meet and exchange ideas on the study of liberty. The ultimate goal was to integrate their diverse insights and approaches into a broad interdisciplinary perspective on liberty, what Murray Rothbard called "the discipline of liberty." The founders of the conference hoped that this discipline or systematic body of knowledge would give shape and direction to the growing ideological movement of modern libertarianism, much as British classical and French liberal political economy had guided the movement of classical (laissez-faire) liberalism. This series of conferences succeeded admirably in stimulating scholarly research from a libertarian perspective and attracting many new scholars, young and old, to the scientific study of liberty.

The libertarian movement has grown tremendously since the early 1980s and so has the need for intellectual guidance from experts in the social sciences and humanities, whose several disciplines help elucidate the nature of human liberty and its importance in nurturing and sustaining the social order that permits human civilization to flourish.

With this in mind, the Mises Institute, as heir to the Center for Libertarian Studies, recently revived the Libertarian Scholars Conference.

Proposals for individual papers, complete paper sessions, and symposia are encouraged. Papers should be well developed, but at a stage where they can still benefit from the group's discussion. Preference will be given to recent research papers that are intended for submission to scholarly journals and have not been given at major conferences. All topics related to libertarian themes in the social sciences and humanities are welcome. Abstracts should be limited to 250 words. All proposals are peer reviewed by the Libertarian Scholars Conference Program Committee.

Accommodations and Registration

We do have a room block at the Grand Hyatt Nashville. Use this link to book our event rate of $349/night before tax. The reservation cutoff is July 24, 2023. 

Registration for Presenters is $145. The Observer rate is $195. Both prices include an opening reception at the Grand Hyatt Friday, September 22, attendance to the event Saturday, September 23, and breakfast and refreshments on Saturday.

Submit your proposal using this form by July 2. Proposals after the deadline will be considered as space permits. Decisions will be communicated by July 14.

Student Contest

For a New Liberty: Lessons for Today: In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of For a New Liberty by Murray Rothbard, the Mises Institute is holding a student essay contest at the 2023 Libertarian Scholars Conference in Nashville, TN. The contest is open to graduate and undergraduate students. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes of $2,500, $1,000 and $500, respectively, will be awarded, and the prize winners will be invited to present their papers at the conference. Prize winners will also have their lodging provided and conference registration fees waived. The entire essay manuscript must be at least 1,500 words and cannot be greater than 2,000 words. The purpose of the essay is to inform and persuade readers of the contemporary relevance of Rothbard’s book. Please submit your essay here before July 15. The Mises Institute reserves the right to publish student submissions on mises.org.