Announcements

Special Issue: 250th Anniversary of The Wealth of Nations

The Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics (EJPE) invites submissions for a forthcoming special issue to be published in Summer 2026. This special issue will be guest edited by Eric Schliesser, Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam and Faculty Fellow at the Center for Ethics, Murphy Institute, Tulane University.

Confirmed Contributors

  • Sam Fleischacker (University of Illinois, Chicago)
  • Maria Carrasco (Universidad de los Andes)

 Description:

In order to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first edition of The Wealth of Nations (hereafter WN), this special issue invites contributions that treat WN from a philosophical or a political economy perspective, including (but not limited to) political theory and public administration. In some ways this is an invitation to reimagine the original reception of WN. When it first appeared the Scottish Historian, William Robertson, wrote Smith, “You have formed into a regular and consistent system one of the most intricate and important parts of political science, and if the English be capable of extending their ideas beyond the narrow and illiberal arrangements introduced by the mercantile supporters of Revolution principles, and countenanced by Locke and some of their favourite writers, I should think your Book will occasion a total change in several important articles both in police and finance.”

It is a cliché of scholarship that in many eras philosophers and students of political theory ignore WN and only read The Theory of Moral Sentiments. There is a kernel of truth in this claim. But we’re fortunate to be living in a period where the reading of and scholarship on WN flourishes. The 250th anniversary is, thus, a good time to take stock of existing scholarship and open up new paths not the least because mercantilism’s fortunes are reviving. The special issue welcomes contributions without regard to method or disciplinary orientation.

 Practicalities:

The Erasmus Journal of Philosophy and Economics publishes research at the intersection of philosophy and economics, including HET. Empirical or purely economic research falls outside of the scope of the journal. Please get in contact with us if you are unsure whether your contribution is suitable for the journal.

Deadline: Texts should be submitted by: March 1, 2026

Length: Texts should be in the range of 4,000–8,000 words. We may consider shorter pieces (2,000-4,000) submitted as critical comments.

How to submit: Please submit in our standard submission system, where you can also find guidelines for authors. Submissions go through a standard double-blind peer-review process.

Questions: If you have questions, feel free to contact the editors at e.s.schliesser@uva.nl and editors@ejpe.org.

 

The EJPE is a diamond open access journal. We charge no fees for authors and all of our texts are freely available.