As its editor James A. Dorn explains, the Cato Journal’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.”
The Cato Journal has long appeared on library and bookstore shelves alongside the nation’s major periodicals, and has featured luminaries across numerous disciplines. Highlights from past issues include Nobel laureates James M. Buchanan on the liberal constitution, Milton Friedman on market-based social development, Vernon Smith on the ideas of pioneering economist Ludwig von Mises, and Douglass C. North on institutions and economic development. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan contributed a piece on the current account deficit, his successor Ben Bernanke wrote about globalization and monetary policy, and thenjudge Antonin Scalia squared off with economist Richard Epstein over the role of economic liberty in the judiciary. Other notable contributors have included Anna J. Schwartz, Justin Yifu Lin, Carolyn Weaver, Gertrude Schroeder, and Israel Kirzner.
The Cato Journal has also featured book reviews, most recently under its book review editor Trevor Burrus, with critical analysis of some of the most important contemporary works. Amanda Griffiths, editorial director of the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, has most recently served as managing editor.
Clive Crook of The Economist praised the Cato Journal as “the most consistently interesting and provocative journal of its kind.” Milton Friedman considered it to be “exceptional in consistently publishing articles that combine scholarly excellence with policy relevance.” The final issue includes articles on the recent internet-driven spike in GameStop stock, how the pandemic has affected the use of cash, and the effects of immigration on entrepreneurship and innovation.
Dorn, in the editor’s note for the final issue, expresses his gratitude for everyone who has made the Cato Journal possible: “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.… 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.”
Going forward, Cato is launching a new quarterly journal, Free Society, under the editorship of Cato senior fellow and books editor Jason Kuznicki. The first issue of Free Society is slated to be published in March of next year, and feature commentary on politics, economics, and culture from a libertarian perspective.