Mises University 2009

Yet more resources from the amazing mises.org. Last year at Auburn University, a week long gathering called Mises University 2009 occurred. Here is an article about it written by a participant, and all of the talks mentioned and more are freely available at this link.

I am constantly amazed at the quantity and quality of information available online for free. Even the website is open source and free. For information on all that mises.org does to promote the cause of freedom, check out this article "Mises.org joins the fight for liberty".

The Concise Guide to Economics

I've recently finished reading The Concise Guide to Economics. It's a good primer on economic principles. There are a lot of chapters, but don't let that scare you off. Each chapter is very short, but to the point.

This is a good starting point, because if you want to know more about any of the topics covered, there is a bibliography at the end of each chapter and most of the citations are linked online. So it lets you continue learning and exploring on these topics.

Overall, a good basic collection of Austrian economics principles.

Getting the Basics

After spending a couple of weeks so far studying Austrian economics, I am starting to get the basics. What I really like about this is that it is intellectually sound and complete. It all hangs together and makes sense in all the different parts of economics. Money, credit, prices, I am enjoying how it all comes together.

First lecture of Home Study course

I've listened to the first lecture in the Mises Home Study course. It's by Jorg Guido Hulsmann and it is titled "Mises and the Foundation of Austrian Economics". It is 42:29 in length. It's a general overview of Mises' life. It goes over his major works and brings up overviews of his major theoretical contributions. It is a good introduction to Mises' work.

I have been continuing my reading. I'm almost finished with Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson, and I have finished The Concise Guide to Economics, both of which I will review shortly.

What is Austrian Economics?

I started my study with an introductory essay, titled What is Austrian Economics. It is a fairly short and straightforward historical overview of the Austrian School of Economics. It gives you the basic timeline for this.

It is a good lead-in for a book from my reading list. Fifteen Great Austrian Economists [pdf], which greatly expands on this article. I have not yet finished this book, but I am about halfway through. The book goes into much more detail about their lives, their theories and their importance to Austrian economics.

Barbara

Man, Economy and State with Power and Market

The title of this post says it all. This is the major work by Murray Rothbard. It is available in Pdf format and an excellent study guide is also available as a Pdf.

This book started out as a textbook on economics. But eventually it turned into a guide to just about all of Austrian economic thought. He takes Mises Human Action and makes it easier to understand (in my opinion) and extends and expands on it. He created an entire theory of economics. It is a masterful work and worth reading carefully and slowly. With this book and Human Action, you will understand the greater part of Austrian economics.

Overview of the Austrian School of Economics

I found yet another great resources at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. This one is a overview of the Austrian School, with online links. It is yet another way to structure your reading into this fascinating subject.