Gene Epstein (born 1944) is an American economist. He is best known for his work advancing

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

principles and promoting

free-market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

policies. He worked as the economics editor of '' Barron's Magazine'' from 1993 to 2018 where he wrote the influential "Economic Beat" column, focusing on macroeconomic trends and critiques of government intervention in markets. He calls himself a follower of the

Austrian school The Austrian school is a Heterodox economics, heterodox Schools of economic thought, school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result primarily from the motivat ...

of economics and is an associated scholar at the

Ludwig von Mises Institute The Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, that is a center for Austrian economics, right-wing libertarian thought and the paleolibertarian and anarcho ...

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama, Aubu ...

. Epstein is also the founder and director of '' The Soho Forum'', a debate series dedicated to discussing and defending libertarian ideas on economic and social issues. He frequently lectures on topics such as monetary policy, the role of government, and the ethics of capitalism. In addition to his journalism and speaking engagements, Epstein has authored books on economic policy and has contributed to a variety of academic and popular publications.

Career

Epstein earned a BA from

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

and an MA in economics from the

New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers ...

. He taught economics at St. John's University and the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

. He wrote a book called ''Making Money in Commodities'' in 1976 and later worked as a senior economist for the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

."About – The Soho Forum".
thesohoforum.org In 1993 he became economics editor and columnist of "Economic Beat" for '' Barron's Magazine''. His book, ''Econospinning,'' was published in 2006. The book was met with some controversy in the

blogosphere The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community (or as a collection of connected communities) or as a social networking service in which everyday authors can pu ...

after

Tyler Cowen Tyler Cowen (; born January 21, 1962) is an American economist, columnist, blogger, and podcaster. He is a professor at George Mason University, where he holds the Holbert L. Harris chair in the economics department. Cowen writes the "Economic ...

mentioned it in his blog Marginal Revolution. He now runs a monthly debate series called The Soho Forum, which "features topics of special interest to libertarians and aims to enhance social and professional ties within the NYC libertarian community." In its most widely viewed debate, Gene himself debated Richard D. Wolff on the issues of socialism and capitalism. As of February 2025, the recording of the debate has been viewed over 7 million times."Capitalism vs. Socialism: A Soho Forum Debate"
youtube.com

Personal life

Gene Epstein currently resides in downtown Manhattan with his wife, the artist Hisako Kobayashi.

References

External links

* *
Interview
on NPR about the

unemployment rate Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work d ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Eugene 1944 births Living people 21st-century American economists American libertarians Austrian School economists Libertarian economists Mises Institute people Brandeis University alumni