Per Bylund

Per Bylund, PhD, is a Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Johnny D. Pope Chair in the School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University, and an Associate Fellow of the Ratio Institute in Stockholm. He has previously held faculty positions at Baylor University and the University of Missouri. Dr. Bylund has published research in top journals in both entrepreneurship and management as well as in both the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics and the Review of Austrian Economics. He is the author of three full-length books: How to Think about the Economy: A Primer, The Seen, the Unseen, and the Unrealized: How Regulations Affect our Everyday Lives, and The Problem of Production: A New Theory of the Firm. He has edited The Modern Guide to Austrian Economics and The Next Generation of Austrian Economics: Essays In Honor of Joseph T. Salerno.

Articles

The Impotence of Knowledge in Economics

02/04/2025 Mises Wire Per Bylund

It’s become fashionable among economists to refer to knowledge as a silver-bullet explanation for all kinds of phenomena and processes. Whereas Hayek (and Hayekians) is known for the “knowledge...

Visiting the Free City of Próspera

01/16/2025 Mises Wire Per Bylund

I had the pleasure of visiting Próspera, a free city located on the island Roatán off the coast of Honduras, on a rainy day in December. Jorge Colindres, the city’s mayor, generously guided and shared...

Bitcoiners’ Guide to Austrian Economics

12/18/2024 Mises Wire Per Bylund

Austrian economics is a scholarly tradition that consists of a body of theory that explains how an economy works. Austrian economists develop theory a priori, meaning explanations are derived...

Publications

How to Think about the Economy: A Primer

08/17/2022 Per Bylund

From the Preface ... This little book was written to accomplish something big: economic literacy. It is intentionally kept very short to be inviting rather than intimidating, as economics books typically are. If I managed to meet this bar, you, the

What We Know and What We Don’t Know about the Firm

03/08/2019 Per Bylund

[This is a chapter from The Problem of Production: A New Theory of the Firm.] This book is about what is generally referred to as the ‘firm’, a phenomenon in the market that appears obvious but that remains difficult to explain. While there is a

The Next Generation of Austrian Economics: Essays in Honor of Joseph T. Salerno

03/14/2015 Per Bylund David Howden

The Next Generation of Austrian Economics: Essays in Honor Joseph T. Salerno is a celebratory volume honoring the work of a respected and beloved teacher. It signifies a flourishing career of significant achievement, and also the gratitude and well

Media

Anti-MMT Panel

03/25/2025 Per Bylund Lucas M. Engelhardt Joshua Mawhorter Jonathan Newman Patrick Newman Joseph T. Salerno

This panel exposes flawed assumptions of Modern Monetary Theory, including the origins of money, government spending, job guarantees, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.

Bitcoin and Gold: Are They Money?

02/06/2025 Ryan McMaken Per Bylund

Ryan McMaken and economist Per Bylund discuss the nature of money in our paper-money world. Are Bitcoin and gold money? If not, how do they become money?

Bitcoiners’ Guide to Austrian Economics

01/23/2025 Per Bylund

Bitcoin is many things to people and it certainly has developed into a valuable asset. It also has been used as a medium of exchange. But is it money? According to Austrian economics, the answer is “no.” At least not yet.