The American Institute for Economic Research, founded in 1933, is dedicated to educating Americans on monetary economics, economic freedom, and political freedom. AIER envisions a society in which people are generally free to order their lives, liberties, and property as they see fit, consistent with the equal rights of others. These primary areas of concern form the heart and soul of AIER’s editorial offerings, and are organized, broadly, into three distinct categories.

Monetary Economics

Monetary policy influences inflation, employment, and economic activity. A stable but dynamic monetary system is vital for supporting economic growth, individual liberty, and a prosperous society. Therefore, we examine the causes and consequences of monetary policy (including inflation), identify ideal and practical steps toward a better monetary policy regime, and look at monetary alternatives and financial regulation. We host the Sound Money Project.

Economics and Economic Freedom

A free and prosperous society requires a functioning market economy at its foundation. Using a broad array of tools drawn from price theory, public choice analysis, Austrian theory, and classical empiricism, our study of economics and economic freedom explores the underpinnings of the market system, the roots of economic prosperity, and emerging threats to the same in the public policy sphere. Our work includes measuring freedom and providing practical economic information for people to make better decisions. As part of this, AIER hosts the Public Choice and Public Policy Project, pursuing what Nobel Laureate James Buchanan described as “politics without romance.”

Defending Freedom, Combatting Collectivism

Against collectivist impulses, the defense of freedom, personal responsibility, and the moral, political, legal, and economic foundations of a free society is ever necessary. Protecting the American experiment in ordered liberty is a debt we owe to the past and a challenge to pursue in the future. We examine the following issues in this area: the case for free trade vs. protectionism, individualism vs. the new collectivists (DEI, Critical Theory, Marxism, Social Democracy, Economic Nationalism, and similar), shareholder capitalism vs. ESG and stakeholder capitalism, foreign policy for a free society, and the foundations and first principles of freedom and free markets.

In pursuit of this vision, AIER aims to be the premier articulator of classical liberalism. We engage and showcase the best economists, historians, journalists, philosophers, and nonpartisan intellectuals on the day’s topics to further our mission. 

Eschewing partisan politics, our contributors seek to understand and elucidate, bringing light, not heat to the issues of the day. Our tone reflects professionalism and scholarship, and values hopefulness and uplifting content where possible. We reject vitriolic and inflammatory prose, instead prioritizing standards of evidence, logic, and reasoned discourse.

In terms of style, we avoid the jargon of particular academic disciplines in favor of communicating with an intelligent, well-educated general audience. We prefer Strunk and White’s Elements of Style as a guide and the Chicago Manual of Style for particular usage. We accept articles between 600 – 1,200 words on topics that fit comfortably within our three main areas of concern as listed above. We have a strong preference for brevity. If you are interested in writing for us, send your work in Google doc form (with global editing privileges assigned), along with a headshot and brief biography to submissions@aier.org.