Papers online at: SSRN || ResearchGate || Google Scholar

"Why Read Adam Smith in 2024?" A lecture delivered at the Adam Smith Institute, June 3, 2024.

BOOKS
  • Ballor, Jordan J. & Erik W. Matson. A History of Christian Political Economy. 2 vols. Nashville: B&H Academic. Under contract.
  • Matson, Erik W. 2024. New Paternalism Meets Older Wisdom: Reflections from Smith and Hume on Rationality, Welfare, and Behavioural Economics. London: The Institute for Economic Affairs. [Link to pdf] [ Link to purchase on Amazon]​
    • An endorsement: "Erik Matson has written a brilliant short book on behavioral economics and paternalism. He combines solid economic analysis with a deep knowledge of how the fundamental frameworks of David Hume and Adam Smith argue against paternalistic intervention. Today's advocates of the psychological foundations of economics would do well to read Matson's book." -- Mario Rizzo, Professor of Economics, New York University

​ARTICLES IN PEER-REVIEWED, ACADEMIC JOURNALS
  1. Matson, Erik W. "Adam Smith and the Patriotism of Partnership." Journal of Contextual Economics -- Schmollers Jahrbuch. Forthcoming. Link.
  2. Matson, Erik W. 2024. "Hume on the Protestant Ethic and the Rise of English Commercial Spirit." Journal of the History of Economic Thought. Published online, Link; forthcoming in print.
  3. Matson, Erik W. 2024. "The Recurrent Evils of Price Controls: John Witherspoon's 1778 Letter to George Washington." The Independent Review. 29(2): 303-314. Link.
  4. Matson, Erik W. 2024. "The New Paternalism Does Not Replace Older Wisdom." Economic Affairs. 44: 386-393 Link. 
  5. Matson, Erik W. 2023. “Commerce as Cooperation with the Deity: Self-Love, the Common Good, and the Coherence of Francis Hutcheson.” European Journal for the History of Economic Thought. 30(4): 507-524. Link.
  6. Matson, Erik W. 2023. "Economics and the Moral Theology of Mutual Benefits: Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, and Adam Smith." Journal of Markets & Morality, 26(1): 85-103. Link.
  7. Matson, Erik W. 2023. “The Edifying Discourses of Adam Smith: Focalism, Commerce, and Serving the Common Good.” Journal of the History of Economic Thought. 45(2): 298-320. Link.
  8. Matson, Erik W. 2023. “Ethical Economics or Economical Ethics? Considerations out of Carl Menger.” Review of Austrian Economics 36: 311-330. Link.
  9. Ballor, Jordan J., and Erik W. Matson. 2023. “Religion, the Scottish Enlightenment, and the Rise of Liberalism: Symposium Introduction.” Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology. 41(A), 3-9 Link.
  10. Matson, Erik W. 2022. “Our Dynamic Being Within: Smithian Challenges to the New Paternalism.” Journal of Economic Methodology. 29(4): 309-325. Link.
  11. Matson, Erik W. 2022. “What is Liberal about Adam Smith’s ‘Liberal Plan’?” Southern Economic Journal. 89(2): 593-610. Link.
  12. Matson, Erik W., and Daniel B. Klein. 2022. “Convention without Convening.” Constitutional Political Economy. 33(1): 1-24. Link.
  13. Matson, Erik W. 2021. “God, Commerce, and Adam Smith through the Editions of The Theory of Moral Sentiments.” Journal of Markets & Morality. 24(2): 269-288. Link.
  14. Matson, Erik W. and Malte Dold. 2021. “The Behavioral Welfare Economist in Society: Considerations from David Hume.” Review of Behavioral Economics 8 (3-4): 239-258. Link.
  15. Matson, Erik W. 2021. “David Hume, Economic Rationality, and Policy: Symposium Introduction,” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 183: 833-835. Link.
  16. Matson, Erik W. 2021. “Satisfaction in Action: Hume’s Endogenous Theory of Preferences and the Virtues of Commerce.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 183: 849-860. Link.
  17. Matson, Erik W. 2021. “A Dialectical Reading of Adam Smith on Wealth and Happiness.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 184: 826-836. Link.
  18. Matson, Erik W. 2019. “Reason and Political Economy in Hume.” Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics 12(1): 26-51. Link.
  19. Matson, Erik W. 2019. “Adam Smith’s Humean Attitude Towards Science; Illustrated by ‘The History of Astronomy’.” The Adam Smith Review 11: 265-280. Link.
  20. Matson, Erik W., Klein, Daniel B., and Colin Doran. 2019. “Hume and Smith on Utility, Agreeableness, Propriety, and Moral Approval,” History of European Ideas 54(5): 675-704. Link.
  21. Klein, Daniel B., Matson, Erik W., and Colin Doran. 2018. “The Man within the Breast, the Supreme Impartial Spectator, and Other Impartial Spectators in Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments.” History of European Ideas 44(8): 1153-1168. Link.
  22. Matson, Erik W. 2017. “The Dual Account of Reason and the Spirit of Philosophy in Hume’s Treatise.” Hume Studies 43(2), 29-56. Link.
  23. Matson, Erik W. and Colin Doran. 2017. “The Elevated Imagination: Contemplation and Action in David Hume and Adam Smith.” The Journal of Scottish Philosophy, 15(1): 27-45. Coauthored with Colin Doran. Link.
  24. Matson, Erik W. 2017. “The Sympathetic Formation of Reason and the Limits of Science,” Society, 54(3):246-252. Link.
 
CHAPTERS IN EDITED VOLUMES:
  1. Matson, Erik W. "Classical Liberalism: Some Historical Influences from Religion and Natural Law." Forthcoming in Routledge Handbook of Classical Liberalism. Link. 
  2. Matson, Erik W. 2024. “‘To Keep Industry Alive’: Hume on Freer International Trade as Moral Improvement.” In British International Thought in the Making, eds. B. Bourcier and M. Jakonen, pp. 95-118. Link.
  3. Matson, Erik W. 2022. “Butler and Smith’s Ethical and Theological Framing of Commerce.” In Adam Smith, Theology, and Morality, eds. J. Ballor and C. van der Kooi. London: Routledge, pp. 189-213. Link.
  4. Klein, Daniel B. and Erik W. Matson. 2020. “Mere-Liberty in David Hume.” In A Companion to David Hume, ed. Moris Polanco. Guatemala City: Universidad Francisco Marroquin, pp. 125-160. Coauthored with Daniel B. Klein. Link.
​
​ACADEMIC BOOK REVIEWS
  1.  2022. A review of Margaret Schabas and Carl Wennerlind, A Philosopher’s Economist: Hume and the Rise of Capitalism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2020). Hume Studies 47(1), 161-166. Link.
  2. 2020. A review of Our Great Purpose. Adam Smith on Living a Better Life by Ryan Patrick Hanley. The Independent Review, 25(1). Link.
  3. 2018. “Hayek on the Liberty of Knowledge.” [A review of of F.A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy, and Social Philosophy by Peter J. Boettke.] The University Bookman. Link.
  4. 2017. A review of The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought by Dennis C. Rasmussen. Published in The Review of Austrian Economics. Link.
  5. 2016. A review of Liberty and Equality in Political Economy: From Locke versus Rousseau to the Present by Nicholas Capaldi and Gordon Lloyd. Published in The Review of Austrian Economics. Link.
  
ONLINE ESSAYS
  1. August 5, 2024. "Patriotism and Universal Benevolence: Are They Consistent?" EconLib. Link.
  2. April 11, 2024. "Lessons on Price Controls from the Founders." Ford Leadership Forum. Link.
  3. March 27, 2024. "Hume's Protestant Ethic." Adam Smith Works. Link.
  4. March 27, 2024. "A New Paternalism is Rearing Up Its Ugly Head." CapX. Link. Republished at IEA.org under the title: "Implications for Behavioural Economics from the Scottish Enlightenment." Link.
  5. December 20, 2023. "Why Liberty Needs Religion." libertarianism.org. Link.
  6. November 7, 2023. "The Ambiguous Effect of the Tariff in American Economic History." National Review Online. Link
    1. ​​Based on a discussion at the American Economic Forum with David Goldman in November 2023. Link to video.
  7. October 11, 2023. "Conscience and Commerce: Thoughts from Wesley" Providence. Link.
  8. October 4, 2023. "Why We Read Adam Smith." FUSION. Link.
    1. Delivered (in part) as a lecture at the Adam Smith Institute in June 2024. Link to video.
  9. June 5, 2023. "Smithian Liberalism and Christianity." Discourse. Coauthored with Jordan Ballor. Link.
  10. March 15, 2023. "Why Adam Smith's 'Liberal Plan' Still Matters." Discourse. Link.
  11. January 16, 2023. "Adam Smith's Benevolence Puzzle," National Review. Coauthored with Dan Klein. Link. 
  12. November 23, 2022. “Adam Smith’s Space Odyssey,” Adam Smith Works. Link.
  13. September 27, 2022. "The Surprising Relationship between Economics and Theology," National Review. Link.
  14. June 22, 2022. “Adam Smith’s Synergistic Moral Authorizations,” Adam Smith Works. Link. Republished at AIER. Link.
  15. April 27, 2022. “Nature, Convention, & Natural Convention,” Adam Smith Works. Coauthored with Dan Klein. Link.
  16. March 23, 2022. “What’s Natural About Adam Smith’s Natural Liberty?”, Adam Smith Works. Coauthored with Dan Klein. Link.  Republished at Voegelin View. Link.
  17. March 2, 2022. “Francis Hutcheson: Property as a Way to Virtue,” Adam Smith Works. Link.
  18. November 18, 2021. “Doing Good Through Honest Commerce: Adam Smith and Joseph Butler,” Adam Smith Works. Link.
  19. October 11, 2021. “Adam Smith and the Problems with the New Paternalism,” Institute for Economic Affairs (blog). Link. Republished at AIER. Link.
  20. December 7, 2020. “Adam Smith on Capitalism and the Common Good,” featured article at EconLib. Link.
  21. December 4, 2020. “A Brief History of the Editions of the Theory of Moral Sentiments,” Adam Smith Works. Part 1, part 2.
  22. May 13, 2020. “Perspectives from Smith on Wealth and Happiness,” Adam Smith Works. Link.