David Boaz

Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute, David Boaz is a provocative commentator on a broad range of political and cultural issues; he has played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement.

He is the author of Libertarianism: A Primer, published in 1997 by the Free Press and described by the Los Angeles Times as "a well-researched manifesto of libertarian ideas," the editor of The Libertarian Reader, and co-editor of the Cato Handbook for Congress (2001). He is a leading authority on domestic issues like education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism and is a frequent guest on national television and radio shows.

David's March 1988 New York Times article on the futility of the drug war touched off a national debate over the decriminalization of drugs. Some of Boaz's op-eds have been published in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate. He also has appeared on ABC's "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," CNN's "Crossfire," NPR's "Talk of the Nation," Fox News Channel, BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other media. Boaz, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, 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.

Resources by David Boaz

Libertarianism: A Primer

The Libertarian Reader