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What is the Mises Institute? The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order....

Ladies and gentlemen I am very pleased to welcome you to the eighth Karl Brunner Distinguished Lecture. We are delighted and honoured that Professor Kristin Forbes accepted our invitation. I would like to thank the ETH Zurich and its President, Joël Mesot, for their hospitality. When we began our search for tonight’s speaker, we had specific qualities in mind. We were looking for an exceptional economist who is at home both in academia and policy, and who can...

Those who scoff at the notion that nuclear war between the United States and Russia is an increasing possibility have an advantage in the argument. If they prove to be correct, they will be able to crow, “See, I told you worrywarts that there was nothing to be concerned about. Putin wasn’t about the start a nuclear war no matter how much we pushed, provoked, and dared him.” On the other hand, if there is a nuclear war, those of us who warned about that...

Federal Reserve technocrats like to use a variety of slogans and buzzwords designed to make the Federal Reserve look like it’s an apolitical, “scientific” institution guided only by a quest for sound management of the economy. Specifically, nearly every time Fed chairman Jerome Powell makes an appearance—whether it’s the usual FOMC press conference, or when testifying before Congress—Powell is careful to make mention of how the Fed is “data driven,” and how the Fed...

Fundamentally, there are only two forms of economic and political organization—centralized or distributed. The distributed model is based upon the principle of subsidiarity, which is, “an organizing principle that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority.” Governments today are in the centralized category. By contrast, the free market—to the extent it was allowed to operate in the age of classical liberalism—was a...

Overview: The dollar enjoys a firmer tone today. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is keeping the market on edge. And then there is tomorrow's US employment report. Among the G10 currencies, sterling has been the hardest hit. It is off around 1% after Bank of England Governor Bailey seemed to signal that after pausing last month, the central bank may turn more aggressive here in Q4. Nearly all the emerging market currencies are lower. Global equities and...

Labor unions are exempted from federal antitrust laws including the Sherman Antitrust Act, which outlaws “conspiracies in restraint of trade.” This is not a bad thing: Everyone should be exempted from antitrust laws. They are an assault on property rights and because their rulings are so arbitrary they are incompatible with justice and fairness. They are also a tool of rent-seeking businesses who practice “lawfare” by routinely suing their superior competitors for...

On his podcast Wealth Formula, Buck Joffrey recently covered, together with his guest Richard Duncan, the Austrian School of Economics. Despite being only 42 minutes long, the episode is packed full of errors and fallacies. Superficially, there is no reason for anyone to watch the episode, let alone for someone to write a response correcting the many misconceptions therein contained. However, the episode does merit discussion by Austro-Libertarians, not because...

The system has reached the limits of its adaptability. Everything else is entertainment. A great many people have immense faith in political solutions to looming crises: if only we elect new leaders, if only we replace current policies with new policies, everything would be fixed and the crises will all dissipate. There are powerful reasons for this faith and equally powerful reasons why political solutions fail in crisis. Our faith in politics is nurtured by...

In the final stretch of any presidential campaign, the goal is to attract any remaining undecided voters. This usually means that candidates moderate and soften their messaging, especially in comparison to the proposals and rhetoric used to attain the nomination of their respective parties earlier in the campaign. This was on full display in last night’s vice-presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz.I also want to discuss a few important things that...