After more than 40 years, the Cato Journal will be ending publication with this issue. The good news is that Cato is launching a new quarterly journal, Free Society, which will be edited by Jason Kuznicki, and its first issue will appear in March 2022. The journal will feature commentary on politics, economics, and culture from a libertarian perspective.

I have had the honor of editing the CJ since 1982. As an interdisciplinary journal of public policy analysis, the CJ’s goal has always been to publish articles that meet high scholarly standards, that are well written and accessible to a wide readership, and that offer market­-­­liberal solutions to complex policy issues.

Clive Crook of The Economist called the CJ “the most consistently interesting and provocative journal of its kind.” Milton Friedman considered the CJ to be “exceptional in consistently publishing articles that combine scholarly excellence with policy relevance.” A small sample of the hundreds of articles appearing in the Cato Journal confirms those evaluations (see below).

I thank all the authors I have had the privilege of working with over the years to establish the CJ as one of the leading policy journals. Special thanks go to Ed Crane, who founded the Cato Journal in 1981, and to Arthur Seldon, who founded Economic Affairs in 1980. He was a superb editor and my mentor.

I also wish to thank all those who have served on the editorial board and the many referees I have relied on to maintain the scholarly rigor of the CJ. Bill Niskanen was especially helpful and diligent in the review process. Finally, Trevor Burrus has done a yeoman’s job as book review editor, and Amanda Griffiths has performed admirably during her tenure as managing editor.

Although the Cato Journal is being sunset, it will continue to be available online and serve as a valuable research tool for years to come.

Highlights from past issues of the Cato Journal

  • James M. Buchanan on the liberal constitution
  • Alan Greenspan on the current account deficit
  • Fritz Machlup on the political economy of inflation
  • Anna Schwartz on exchange rate protectionism
  • Deepak Lal on market failure
  • Ben Bernanke on globalization and monetary policy
  • Milton Friedman on using the market for social development
  • Kristin Forbes on the future of the Euro
  • Leszek Balcerowicz on limited government
  • Vernon Smith on Ludwig von Mises
  • Robert Mundell on the international monetary system
  • Antonin Scalia and Richard Epstein on economic liberty and the judiciary
  • Douglass C. North on institutions and economic development
  • Robert Zoellick and Sebastian Mallaby on global monetary order
  • Nicholas Lardy on China’s exchange rate policy
  • Justin Yifu Lin on financial reform in China
  • Peter Bauer on financial assistance to Eastern Europe
  • John B. Taylor on Fed policy
  • Douglas Irwin on the future of the WTO
  • Yi Gang on renminbi exchange rates
  • Neha Narula on digital currency
  • Sir Paul Tucker on central banking and the rule of law