James D. Gwartney holds the Gus A. Stavros Eminent Scholar Chair at Florida State University , where he directs the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education. He served as Chief Economist of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress during 1999-2000. He is the coauthor of Economics: Private and Public Choice, (Thompson/South-Western Press). This text, now in its 10th edition, has been used by more than 1 million students during the last two decades. He is also the coauthor of Economic Freedom of the World, an annual report on the institutions and policies of more than 120 countries that is published by a worldwide network of institutes. His publications have appeared in both professional journals and popular media such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. His Ph.D. in economics is from the University of Washington . A member of the Mont Pelerin Society, he was invited by the incoming Putin Administration in March 2000 to make presentations and have discussions with leading Russian economists concerning the future of the Russian economy. In 2004 he was the recipient of the Adam Smith Award of the Association of Private Enterprise Education for his contribution to the advancement of free market ideals.

Richard L. Stroup is Professor of Economics and Interim Department Head at Montana State University , as well as Senior Associate at the Political Economy Research Center . With a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Washington , Professor Stroup has served as director of the Office ofPolicy Analysis in the U.S. Department of the Interior and has been published widely in professional journals. He is a contributing editor of numerous books on the economics of resources and the environment and authored Eco-Nomics: What Everyone Should Know About Economics and the Environment. Professor Stroup has lectured throughout the United States and abroad to professional and general audiences.

Russell S. Sobel is an associate professor of economics and director of the Entrepreneurship Center at West Virginia University. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University in 1994. Professor Sobel regularly teaches courses in both principles of economics and public economics. His enthusiastic teaching style has earned him many university teaching awards. Professor Sobel regularly gives lectures at economic education outreach programs on basic economic principles. Professor Sobel's research focuses on the economic effects of state and local tax policy and also political behavior more generally.

David A. Macpherson is the director of the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy and the Abba Lerner Professor of Economics at Florida State University , where he has received two university-wide awards for teaching excellence. Professor Macpherson is the author of many articles in leading labor economics and industrial relations journals, including the Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Human Resources, and Industrial and Labor Relations Review. His current research interests include pensions, discrimination, labor unions, and the minimum wage. He received his undergraduate degree and Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University .