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Ludwig von Mises Institute
MottoTu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito
Latin: Do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it
FoundersLew Rockwell, Jr., Murray Rothbard, Burton Blumert
Established1982
MissionTo 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.[1]
FocusEconomics, Historical revisionism, Anarcho-capitalism
PresidentLew Rockwell, Jr.
Faculty16[2]
Staff21
Key peopleLew Rockwell, Jr. (President)
Joseph Salerno (Editor
Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics)
BudgetRevenue: $5,704,596. Expenses: $4,547,235[3]
Endowment$17,862,528[4]
Location
Auburn
,
Alabama
,
United States
Coordinates32°36′24″N 85°29′28″W / 32.60667°N 85.49111°W / 32.60667; -85.49111
Websitemises.org
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The Ludwig von Mises Institute (LvMI), or "Mises Institute", is an American tax-exempt organization located in Auburn, Alabama.[5][6] It is named for Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973). Its website states that it is dedicated to advancing "the Misesian tradition of thought through the defense of the market economy, private property, sound money, and peaceful international relations, while opposing government intervention."[1]

The Mises Institute was founded in 1982 by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. following a split between the Cato Institute and Murray Rothbard, a libertarian anarchist polemicist and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute instructor of economics, who had been one of the founders of the Cato Institute.[7] Rothbard and Burton Blumert were co-founders of the Mises Institute with Rockwell.[8][9]

Background and location

Burton Blumert, Llewellyn Rockwell, David Gordon, and Murray Rothbard
Further information: Split among the contemporary Austrian School

The Ludwig von Mises Institute was established in 1982 by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr in the wake of a dispute which occurred in the early 1980s between Murray Rothbard and the Cato Institute, another libertarian organization co-founded by Rothbard.[10][11] Rockwell has stated that the Mises Institute met strong opposition from parties affiliated with the Koch family, Rothbard's former backers at Cato.[12] Rothbard was the Mises Institute's vice president and head of academic programs until his death in 1995.[13]

In a discussion of the early years of the Mises Institute, Austrian economist Steven Horwitz criticized the Institute for what he describes as its "numerous connections with all kinds of unsavory folks: racists, anti-Semites, Holocaust deniers". In Horwitz' analysis, the association of these people was due to a strategy, articulated by Llewellyn Rockwell,[14] and based on Rothbard's "paleolibertarian" views formulated in the 1980s after his separation from the Koch brothers and the Cato Institute. Horwitz and political scientist Jacob Levy state that Rothbard identified the need to attract social and religious conservatives to establish a libertarian-conservative fusion constituency, distinct from the more socially progressive followers of Cato and the Koch Brothers.[15] In Horowitz' view, "the paleo strategy was a horrific mistake, both strategically and theoretically...There was the Rothbard-Rockwell Report, which was another major place publishing these sorts of views. They could also be found in a whole bunch of Mises Institute publications of that era", which Horwitz calls "really unsavory garbage that the paleo turn produced back then."[16]

Citing and concurring with Horwitz' view of the libertarian movement of the era, Jonah Goldberg referred to the "sinful strategy adopted by so-called paleolibertarians in the 1980s. The idea was that libertarians needed to attract followers from outside the ranks of both the mainstream GOP and the libertarian movement – by trying to fuse the struggle for individual liberty with nostalgia for white supremacy. Thinkers such as Murray Rothbard hated the cultural liberalism of libertarians like the Koch brothers (yes, you read that right) and sought to build a movement fueled by white resentment."[17]

Early after its founding, the Mises Institute was located at the business department offices of Auburn University, later moving to an unused shed behind the school's football stadium. The institute relocated nearby to its current site in 1998.[18] According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, the Institute claims to have chosen its Auburn location for low cost of living and "good ol' Southern hospitality". The article goes on "to make an additional point", that "Southerners have always been distrustful of government," making the South a natural home for the organization's libertarian outlook.[19] The institute has a staff of 16 senior scholars and about 200 adjunct scholars from the United States and other countries.[20] The Institute houses an on-site library of nearly 35,000 volumes.[21]

Views espoused by founders and organization scholars

Main articles: Lew Rockwell and Murray Rothbard

The Institute is critical of democracy, which authors in Mises Institute publications have called coercive,[22] incompatible with wealth creation,[23] replete with inner contradictions,[24] and a system of legalized graft.[22] Writers associated with the Mises Institute typically take a critical view of most U.S. government activities, foreign and domestic, throughout American history. The Institute expresses non-interventionist positions on foreign policy, asserting that war tends to increase the power of government. The Institute's website offers content which is explicitly critical of democracy, collectivism, fascism, socialism, and communism.[citation needed]

Mises Institute scholars hold diverse views on the subject of immigration.[25] Walter Block argues in favor of open borders.[26] Hans-Hermann Hoppe argues that in a stateless society individuals would only be able to travel with permission of individual land owners.[27]

Mises Institute scholars' views on the Confederacy

Institute scholars have condemned Abraham Lincoln's conduct of the American Civil War (e.g. suspending habeas corpus), asserting that his policies contributed to the growth of statism in the United States. Senior faculty member Thomas DiLorenzo, in his critical biographies The Real Lincoln and Lincoln: Unmasked, argues that the sixteenth president substantially expanded the size and powers of the federal government at the expense of individual liberty. Adjunct faculty member Donald Livingston shares a similar view, blaming Lincoln for the creation of "a French Revolutionary style unitary state" and "centralizing totalitarianism."[28]

LvMI's Thomas DiLorenzo's references to the American Civil War as the "War to prevent Southern Independence" and Mises faculty member Thomas Woods's presence at the founding of the League of the South were cited by James Kirchick, writing for the New Republic, as suggesting a "disturbing attachment to the Confederacy."[29] Woods has stated that he was present at the meeting at which the organization was founded,[30] and later contributed to its newsletter,[31] but that his involvement was limited.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has categorized the Institute as "Neo-Confederate."[32] Lew Rockwell responded to the criticism: "We have published revisionist accounts of the origins of the Civil War that demonstrate that the tariff bred more conflict between the South and the feds than slavery. For that, we were decried as a dangerous institutional proponent of “neoconfederate” ideology. Why not just plain old Confederate ideology."[33]

Criticisms

The institute has been characterized by some writers as "right-wing,"[34][35][page needed] a label which Lew Rockwell and others affiliated with the Institute deny.[36] David Boaz wrote:

The fact is, there’s a small band of self-styled “libertarians” who over the past two decades have associated the great ideas of Austrian economics and libertarianism with bigotry, reflexive anti-Americanism, and vitriol directed at everyone from the Trilateral Commission to Cato and Reason. They have very little association with the larger libertarian movement or with such libertarian-inspired movements as the Tea Party, the drug reform movement, or the school choice movement. Virtually their only point of contact with the broader constituency for smaller government is through Rep. Ron Paul, who, for whatever reasons, has unfortunately continued his association with the people who have tarred him and the causes that are drawing many voters to him.[37]

Julian Sanchez and David Weigel have examined the paleo libertarian movement which supported the founding of the Mises Institute:

The most detailed description of the strategy came in an essay Rothbard wrote for the January 1992 Rothbard-Rockwell Report, titled "Right-Wing Populism: A Strategy for the Paleo Movement." Lamenting that mainstream intellectuals and opinion leaders were too invested in the status quo to be brought around to a libertarian view, Rothbard pointed to David Duke and Joseph McCarthy as models for an "Outreach to the Rednecks," which would fashion a broad libertarian/paleoconservative coalition by targeting the disaffected working and middle classes.[38]

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Mises Institute as a hard right organization. It noted that Rothbard had negative views about lesbianism and other scholars were anti-immigrant.[39]

Mises Scholar Robert Murphy wrote in support of the Institute's founder, Llewellyn Rockwell. He called the critics of Rothbard and Rockwell "hyenas" and defended Rockwell's refusal to respond to the controversy surrounding the racist content in the Ron Paul newsletters.[40][41][42][43]

Commentators in Time Magazine and the National Review[44][45] each noted that William F. Buckley, Jr. compared Murray Rothbard to David Koresh in his obituary of Rothbard.[46] In Time, Justin Fox discussed the Mises Institute's aggressive promotion of Rothbard and Mises and its denigration of other Austrian views.[need quotation to verify]

Economist George Selgin wrote about the agenda of Murray Rothbard and Llewellyn Rockwell's to promote their views and denigrate the views of other Austrian and Chicago School economists. He notes that Rockwell stated that Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman "is almost nobody outside of mainstream economics." Selgin goes on to state that, unlike Friedman, "Rothbard, on the other hand, was only too determined to identify himself with the Austrian School and, more than that, to both take part in a personality cult, built around von Mises, and attract such a cult himself. One sign of the presence of such a cult is precisely the scorn its members heap on potential rivals to the cult figure." Selgin, who had at one time considered himself an Austrian economist wrote: "To add to the record, I had the privilege of getting to know both Murray and Milton. Like most people who encountered him while in their "Austrian" phase, I found Murray a blast, not the least because of his contempt for non-Misesians of all kinds. Milton, though, was exceedingly gracious and generous to me even back when I really was a self-styled Austrian. For that reason Milton will always seem to me the bigger man, as well as the better monetary economist."[47] Friedman's son, libertarian economist David D. Friedman discussed Rockwell's remark: "I do not usually waste my time defending my father, a job he did more than adequately for himself, but this seemed like a striking example of one prominent Austrian – Lew Rockwell founded the Mises Institute, which publishes several of the Rothbard books I listed – who appears to be living in a fantasy of his own invention."[48]

Catholic journalist Christopher Ferrara discussed the disparagement of his recent book by Llewellyn Rockwell and Mises Fellow Thomas Woods. In Ferrara's words: "Clearly the cult of Murray Rothbard, of which Woods and Rockwell are the most prominent Catholic spokesmen, is concerned about the impact [Ferrara's recent book about Catholicism and libertarianism] is having." Ferrara wrote: "One thing is certain, however: “Austrian economics” is never just “Austrian economics.” The cult’s radical libertarian baggage is always there, ready to be unpacked whenever an opportunity presents itself." Ferrara calls Rothbard and von Mises "two philosophical and ethical bunglers".[49]

Publications, conferences, activities and awards

Murray N. Rothbard Medal of Freedom
Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics

The Mises Institute has published nearly 50 books and pamphlets[50] and archives various writings on its website. Its Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics is dedicated to the promotion of its version of Austrian economics.[51] It published the Journal of Libertarian Studies from 1977 to 2008.[52]

The web-based "Are You An Austrian?" quiz is designed to test an individual's economic reasoning.[53] It has been criticized by economists such as Arnold Kling, who wrote, "the 'Are you an Austrian?' quiz does not distinguish between knowledge of doctrine and belief in doctrine. To me, this is symptomatic of a sect, which focuses on doctrinal purity above all else. For a sect, to know is to believe, and to believe is to know."[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b About The Mises Institute. Accessed November 23, 2012
  2. ^ "Mises Academy: Faculty". Ludwig von Mises Institute.
  3. ^ "Charity Rating". Charity Navigator.
  4. ^ "Ludwig von Mises Institute (search)". Melissa data. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Secretary of State of Alabama Registration No.: 907–356 Business Entity Records
  6. ^ Tax ID: 52-1263436 (public charity) Exempt Organizations Select Check, Internal Revenue Service
  7. ^ Boettke, Peter (Fall/Winter 1988). "Economists and Liberty: Murray N. Rothbard" (PDF). Nomos. American Society for Political and Legal Philosophy: 29–34, 49–50. ISSN 0078-0979. OCLC 1760419. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Utley, Jon Basil (May 4, 2009). "Freedom fighter". The American Conservative. ISSN 1540-966X. Retrieved September 16, 2013 (from HighBeam Research). In memoriam. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ At the time, Rockwell was chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Ron Paul. See: Berlau, John "Now playing right field – Rep. Ron Paul – Interview" Insight on the News. February 10, 1997; and Hayes, Christopher, The Nation, "Ron Paul's Roots", December 6, 2007, retrieved January 14, 2008
  10. ^ Rockwell, Lew. "Libertarianism and the Old Right." Mises.org. August 5, 2006. [1]
  11. ^ Stromberg, Joseph (August 2, 2000). "Raimondo on Rothbard and Rothbard on Everything". Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  12. ^ Gordon, David (April 22, 2008). "The Kochtopus vs. Murray N. Rothbard". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  13. ^ "About the Mises Institute." Mises.org
  14. ^ �Liberty Magazine Vol. 3 No.3, 1990, page 34. http://mises.org/journals/liberty/Liberty_Magazine_January_1990.pdf
  15. ^ http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2011/12/ron-paul-continued/
  16. ^ http://bleedingheartlibertarians.com/2011/12/how-did-we-get-here-or-why-do-20-year-old-newsletters-matter-so-damn-much/
  17. ^ Goldberg, Johan. "Rand Paul's Paleo Problem". National Review. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  18. ^ "The Mises Campus". Mises.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  19. ^ Wingfield, Kyle. "Auburnomics: Von Mises finds a sweet home in Alabama." Wall Street Journal. August 11, 2006. [2]
  20. ^ "Faculty Members". Mises.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  21. ^ "Ward & Massey Libraries". Mises.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  22. ^ a b Christopher Mayer. "Democracy is Coercive". Cite error: The named reference "url" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  23. ^ "Does Democracy Threaten the Free Market? – N. Joseph Potts – Mises Institute".
  24. ^ "Chapter 5 – Binary Intervention: Government Expenditures (continued)".
  25. ^ "Immigration Symposium" (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  26. ^ "A Libertarian Case for Free Immigration" (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  27. ^ "The Case for Free Trade and Limited Immigration" (PDF). Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  28. ^ Beirich, Heidi and Mark Potok. "The Ideologues." Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Winter 2004. [3]
  29. ^ Kirchick, James. "Angry White Man." The New Republic. January 8, 2008. [4][full citation needed]
  30. ^ LewRockwell.com Blog: In Case You Were Wondering
  31. ^ Cathy Young from the June 2005 issue. "Reason Magazine – Behind the Jeffersonian Veneer". Reason.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "The Neo-Confederates". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Summer 2000, Issue 99. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Rockwell, Lew (2003). "Speaking of Liberty". Ludwig von Mises Institute.
  34. ^ Hardisty, Jean V. (1999). Mobilizing Resentment: Conservative Resurgence from the John Birch Society to the Promise Keepers. Boston: Beacon Press, pp. 166–72. ISBN 978-0807043165 OCLC 460365639
  35. ^ Heider, Ulrike. (1994). Anarchism: Left, Right, and Green. Translated by Danny Lewis and Ulrike Bode. San Francisco: City Lights Books. ISBN 978-0872862890 OCLC 29702707
  36. ^ Rockwell, Lew. "What is Left? What is Right?" The American Conservative. August 28, 2006.[5]
  37. ^ Boaz, David. "Ron Paul and the Libertarians". Cato Institute. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  38. ^ Julian Sanchez and David Weigel. "Who Wrote Ron Paul's Newsletters?". Reason. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  39. ^ Berlet, Chip (Summer 2003). "Into the Mainstream". Intelligence Report, Issue Number 110. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 24, 2013. It also promotes a type of Darwinian view of society in which elites are seen as natural and any intervention by the government on behalf of social justice is destructive. The institute seems nostalgic for the days when, 'because of selective mating, marriage, and the laws of civil and genetic inheritance, positions of natural authority [were] likely to be passed on within a few noble families.'
  40. ^ Murphy, Robert. "In Defense of the Mises Institute". Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  41. ^ Coates, Te-Nehisi. "Old News". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  42. ^ Boaz, David. "Ron Paul's Ugly Newsletters". Cato Institute. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  43. ^ Coates, Te-Nehisi (Dec. 20, 2011). "Ron Paul's Shaggy Defense". The Atlantic. Retrieved 1 September 2013. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ Fox, Justin. "Tyler Cowen: Statist, anti-Rothbardian agent of the Kochtopus, http://business.time.com/2009/01/02/tyler-cowen-statist-anti-rothbardian-agent-of-the-kochtopus/#ixzz2dshLFHKy". Time Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  45. ^ Goldberg, Jonah. "Idealists v. Empiricists". National Review. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  46. ^ http://notableandquotable.blogspot.com/2008/04/william-f-buckleys-obituary-of-murray.html
  47. ^ Selgin, George. "Me Murray and Milton". Free Banking. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  48. ^ Friedman, David. "Austrian Fantasy". Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  49. ^ Christopher, Ferrara (June 24, 2011). "Fury in the Cult of Rothbard". The Remnant. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  50. ^ "Mises Institute Books".
  51. ^ "The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics".
  52. ^ "Journal of Libertarian Studies".
  53. ^ "Are you an Austrian?". Mises.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  54. ^ Kling, Arnold. "The Sect of Austrian Economics" TechCentralStation Daily. November 11, 2003. [6][dead link‍]
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