MYSTERY What's the Inside Story Behind a Non-Austrian Editing "One of the Most Important Compilations of Economics"

Walter Block has asked me to publish this email exchange on what he considers a very important question:


> Dear Ed:
>
> Thanks for writing this follow up of yours:
>
> Dolan, Edwin G. 2015. “Austrian Environmental Economics Redux: A Reply to
> Art Carden and Walter Block.” Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, Vol.
> 18, No 1, pp. 45–55, Spring;
> https://mises.org/sites/default/files/QJAE_18_no.%201_Spring%202015%20Dolan%20Austrian%20Environmental%20Economics%20Reply%20to%20Carden%20and%20Block.pdf
>
> and thus continuing our debate. I'm now writing a response to it, and very
> much look forward to seeing your reaction to it.
>
> Query: are you at liberty to tell me how it was that it came about that
> you edited this magnificent Austrian book:
>
> Dolan, Edwin G., ed. 1976. The Foundations of Modern Austrian Economics,
> Kansas City: Sheed & Ward,
> http://www.econlib.org/library/NPDBooks/Dolan/dlnFMAContents.html
>
> If so, I'd be very interested in knowing how this occurred.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Walter
>
> Walter E. Block, Ph.D.
> Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
> Joseph A. Butt, S.J. College of Business
> Loyola University New Orleans

---

From: Ed Dolan
Sent: Wed 5/27/2015 5:44 AM
To: Walter Block
Subject: Re: query

Hi, glad to hear you are enjoying the dialog. I look forward to more. I
have been meaning to write a spin-off from the latest QJAE piece for my
blog, so I'll send that along, it may help clarify some points.

As for how I got involved as Academic Director of the Vermont conference, I
had several conversations with participants at the time of the Auburn
conference, but no one can quite remember. I had had some contact with IHS
before that time, or it may have been that Murray mentioned my name to them
(I had been contributing to the Libertarian Forum, as I think you had,
too). Anyway, editing the proceedings was part of the package together with
the on-the-ground organizing part. (Did you see the video of the session in
Auburn where people told many amusing anecdotes about the accommodation
crunch that developed when the number of participants outgrew the original
planned number by about 2-to-1?)

Cheers,

Ed
---

Dear Ed:

Thanks for your response. Is it ok if I share this conversation with other people?

Best regards,


Walter

---

From: Ed Dolan  

Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 5:23 AM

To: Walter Block

Subject: Re: query

Feel free to share

---

Dear Bob:

This is a very important question. I don’t think Ed fully answered it. I doubt he knows the full behind the scenes story. But, here is a person chosen to edit one of the most important compilations of Austrian economics,

Dolan, Edwin G., ed., The Foundations of Modern Austrian Economics, Kansas City: Sheed & Ward, 1976 http://www.econlib.org/library/NPDBooks/Dolan/dlnFMAContents.html

and he is not even an Austrian economist. Here’s some evidence for the latter claim:

Block, Walter E. 2014. “Comment on Dolan on Austrian Economics and Environmentalism.” The  Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 224–248, Summer;  http://mises.org/journals/qjae/pdf/qjae17_2_6.pdf

Dolan, Edwin G. 2014. “The Austrian Paradigm in Environmental Economics: Theory and Practice” Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics.” vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 197-217;

https://mises.org/sites/default/files/qjae17_2_4.pdf

Inquiring minds want to know the answer to this question. If anyone knows the inside story, please share it with me and I’ll share this info on this blog.

Best regards,

Walter