Ryan McMaken

Ryan McMaken (@ryanmcmaken) is editor in chief at the Mises Institute, a former economist for the State of Colorado, and the author of two books: Breaking Away: The Case of Secession, Radical Decentralization, and Smaller Polities and Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre. He is also the editor of The Struggle for Liberty: A Libertarian History of Political Thought. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in public policy, finance, and international relations from the University of Colorado. Send in your article submissions for the Mises Wire and Power and Market, but read article guidelines first.

Ryan is a cohost of the Radio Rothbard podcast and the Loot & Lobby podcast, has appeared on Fox News and Fox Business, and has been featured in a number of national print publications including Politico, The Hill, Bloomberg, and The Washington Post.

He’s been married for 26 years and has four children.

Journalists seeking comment: Email Ryan at rwmcmaken@mises.org.

Articles

Germany Restricts Emigration to Prevent Young Men From Escaping the Military Draft

04/08/2026 Power & Market Ryan McMaken

Late last year, German lawmakers passed new legislation paving the way for military conscription. As the Guardian reports, “ The change will include the obligatory screening of all 18-year-old men to...

Rothbard, the Mises Institute, and the Battle of Ideas

04/08/2026 Mises Wire Ryan McMaken

Over the centuries, many academic institutions and publications have played their role in the good work of defending freedom. The Mises Institute does this today.

From the Editor—March/April 2026

04/07/2026 The Misesian Ryan McMaken

In this issue of The Misesian, Patrick Newman explores the many ways that Rothbard remains relevant to current economic and political controversies. And other articles, all of which are in the Rothbardian tradition of advancing the scholarship of freedom and sound economics.

Publications

The Fight for Liberty: Past, Present, and Future

01/12/2026 Ryan McMaken

The Fight over Economics Is a Fight over Culture The Left long ago figured out how to get ordinary people interested in economic policy. The strategy is two pronged. The first part is to frame the problem as a moral problem. The second part is to

Breaking Away: The Case for Secession, Radical Decentralization, and Smaller Polities

10/13/2022 Ryan McMaken

Breaking Away differs from countless other books on secession and decentralization in that it considers examples and benefits of secession and radical decentralization in a much broader historical, geographical, and theoretical context. This book is

Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre

01/11/2016 Ryan McMaken

The Western genre has long been associated with right-wing and libertarian politics, and is said to promote individualism and free-market economics. In a new look at the Western, however, Ryan McMaken shows that the Western is in fact often anti

Media

A Libertarian Theory of Parental Obligations

04/10/2026 Ryan McMaken Jake Desyllas

Parental obligations can't be reduced to a contractual or property-based relationship. Jake Desyllas joins Ryan McMaken to talk about why parents are responsible for the well-being of their children.

Is a Ceasefire Happening? + Should Christians be Socialist?

04/09/2026 Connor O'Keeffe Ryan McMaken Tho Bishop

On this episode of Power and Market, Ryan, Connor, and Tho look at the updates on the Iran war front, including whether or not a ceasefire will last and recent reporting on Israel's influence on Trump's war decision. Plus, discussion about a recent Tucker Carlson Show guest and his view that Christianity is inherently socialist.

Rothbard, the Mises Institute, and the Battle of Ideas

04/08/2026 Ryan McMaken

Over the centuries, many academic institutions and publications have played their role in the good work of defending freedom. The Mises Institute does this today.