Skip to main content
David Boaz

David Boaz

Distinguished Senior Fellow

David Boaz is a distinguished senior fellow of the Cato Institute. Over more than four decades as vice president for public policy and executive vice president, he played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement. He is the author of The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom and the editor of The Libertarian Reader.

Boaz is a provocative commentator and a leading authority on domestic issues such as education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism. Boaz is the former editor of New Guard magazine and was executive director of the Council for a Competitive Economy prior to joining Cato in 1981. The earlier edition of The Libertarian Mind, titled Libertarianism: A Primer, was described by the Los Angeles Times as “a well‐​researched manifesto of libertarian ideas.” His other books include The Politics of Freedom and the Cato Handbook for Policymakers.

His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate, and he wrote the entry on libertarianism for Encyclopedia Britannica. He is a frequent guest on national television and radio shows and has appeared on ABC’s Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, CNN’s Crossfire, NPR’s Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered, The McLaughlin Group, Stossel, The Independents, Fox News, BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other media.

Read Full Bio
Collapse Full Bio
Media Contact
202-789-5200
Speaking Engagements
The Libertarian Mind cover

The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom

Libertarianism—the philosophy of personal and economic freedom—has deep roots in Western civilization and in American history. The modern world was built on libertarian principles: global trade, free markets, individual rights, legal equality, and the rule of law. Libertarian thinkers have shaped how we view everything from gun rights to gay rights, monetary policy to the all‐​volunteer military. But libertarians offer sharp criticisms of the status quo, including America’s endless overseas wars, runaway deficit spending, the growth of regulatory bureaucracy, the erosion of civil liberties, a broken criminal justice system, and the perils of presidential power. In The Libertarian Mind, David Boaz, longtime executive vice president of the Cato Institute, offers a comprehensive overview of libertarian ideas, their history and influence, and the enduring libertarian vision for a future of peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Purchase Book