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Abstract
This retrospective, covering half a century, is a personal history of modern libertarianism. It provides some historical perspective on the growth of libertarianism and its impact on society, especially for those who were born into an existing libertarian movement, including political and academic paths. As outsiders, Austrians and libertarians can expect more than their share of difficult times and roadblocks, although that situation has improved over time. It also shows the limitations of the political path to liberty and the importance of the Austrian view that society changes via emphasis on sound economic science, its practicality, and its subsequent impact on ideology. Finally, it conveys the importance of solving practical problems and puzzles via the thin, radical version of libertarianism.

Richard Cantillon is considered by many to be the first economic theorist. His contributions span such diverse topics as methodology, value and price theory, population, money, international trade, business cycles, the circular-flow model of the economy, and the price-specie-flow mechanism. His only known book, Essai sur la Nature du Commerce en Général (hereafter, the Essai), may represent one of the single largest steps forward in the social sciences. Many attempts have been made to classify Richard Cantillon into a well-defined school of thought and he has been claimed as a forerunner by many schools of economic thought, but for purposes of categorization, he is most often placed with the mercantilists. Cantillon lived and wrote before the Physiocrats. He was involved in John Law's Mississippi Bubble, one of the grandest attempts to actualize the mercantilist dream of increasing the supply of money, and he was involved in the merchant trade and merchant banking business, so it would be natural to consider him a mercantilist writer. Those who have classified him as a mercantilist, however, base their categorization mainly on excerpts from the Essai where Cantillon seems to display sympathy with mercantilist policy objectives in such areas as international trade, monetary policy, and economic development.

After citing the views of some prominent economists in favor of legalizing drugs, whether their position reflects the broader community of economists is explored. Survey data gathered in 1995 from 117 economists are presented & examined in the context of the demographics of the profession & public opinion polls on drug policy. Demographic characteristics of reformers vs prohibitionists are presented, & it is found that economists tend to resemble reformers in that regard. It is seen as unclear whether being an economist has much impact on the choice between prohibition & legalization. A list of postwar US economists' direct quotations about drug policy is then presented, & while a consensus on what exactly should be done is not clear, there is a broad, if imperfect, consensus on three general issues: (1) Most economists find current drug policy to be somewhat ineffective, very ineffective, or harmful. (2) Most economists agree that current policy should be changed. (3) Most economists agree that policy should be changed in the general direction of liberalization. Disagreement is found to center on direction & degree of liberalization. Tables, References. D. Edelman

The academic market test is dissected here into its component decision-making processes to establish a basis for comparing the commercial market test that we know, with the one we seek to pass in academia. Important differences between the two markets exist, but the market test for academic publishing does pass muster & may surpass that of the commercial market. This provides an analytical foundation for resolving issues of professional debate concerning who passes the academic market test. 1 Table, 1 Diagram, 47 References. Adapted from the source document.

The high potency of narcotics is used as a justification for making them illegal. An economic analysis of drug potency shows that public policies such as excise taxes and prohibitions provide the incentives to make and consume more potent drugs and that such policies provide an economic "gateway" for the introduction of new, highly potent drugs. Historical evidence from national alcohol prohibition and the war on drugs supports these findings.