Outlet profile

Mises Institute

U.S. libertarian (Austrian economics, anarcho-capitalist/paleolibertarian)

Owned byIndependent nonprofit educational organization based in Auburn, Alabama. It has no outside owner. It was founded by Lew Rockwell, who is chairman, and Jeff Deist became president in 2018.

FundingPrivate donations from individuals and foundations, plus sales of books and other materials. The institute says it takes no government funding. Its content is free to read.

On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Ludwig von Mises Institute was founded in 1982 by Llewellyn Rockwell Jr., with support from economist Murray Rothbard and Margit von Mises, the widow of Ludwig von Mises. It is named after the Austrian-school economist. Its publishing, such as Mises Wire, Power & Market, podcasts and a large online library, along with programs like Mises University, has made it a hub of Austrian economics. Rockwell and Rothbard also took a 'paleolibertarian' direction in the 1990s, and the early-1990s newsletters published under Ron Paul's name drew racist and other controversial content that later became a scandal. Rockwell has been named as a likely author of those newsletters, which he has denied. Critics have accused the institute of tolerating or courting neo-Confederate, secessionist and far-right ideas, and of downplaying climate science and the harms of some economic policies. Supporters see it as a consistent defender of free markets, sound money and non-interventionism. Jeff Deist, a former adviser to Ron Paul, became president in 2018, and the institute has stayed independent of either major party. Its coverage opposed Trump's tariffs, the Iran war, large deficits and expansive presidential power. Some staff and contributors have also welcomed Trump's deregulation and spending cuts.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-10-16; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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