“More than anyone in our time, Robert Higgs wrestles with ‘James Madison’s Dilemma,’ that is, if we have created a government powerful enough to protect our rights and liberties, what is to prevent it from taking away those very rights and liberties? One may not agree with all of his recent musings in Taking a Stand, but they are invariably thought-provoking and admirable.” —Richard E. Sylla, Henry Kaufman Professor of the History of Financial Institutions and Markets, New York University

"Robert Higgs has been pounding Leviathan since before most of today’s libertarians were born. He has awakened new generations of students to the perils of unleashed politicians and lawless bureaucrats. In Taking a Stand, his passion and principles continue to fire folks up to stand up for their rights and liberties.” —James Bovard, author, Freedom in Chains, Lost Rights, and Terrorism and Tyranny

"Robert Higgs begins Taking a Stand by thanking his students. But his list is much too short, for we are all his students. Often funny, and usually subversive of the conventional wisdom, this book spans a short period (2009-14) in Bob’s marvelously productive life. Chapters range from serious engagements with economic affairs to heartfelt eulogies—Bob’s ‘goodbye’ to Manuel Ayau cannot be read without tearing up—to parodies of the rock song ‘American Pie’ and the poem ‘The Raven.’ It is hard to convey the depth and value of this timely yet timeless book. But if Francis Bacon could be crossed with P.J. O’Rourke, that would come close.” —Michael C. Munger, professor of political science, economics and public policy; director, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program, Duke University

Renowned economist and historian Robert Higgs has pioneered a whole new understanding of the causes, means, and effects of government power and the need to deconstruct statism and re-establish institutions that protect and advance liberty, prosperity, and peace.In the course of his work, he has completed seminal writings on such issues as health care, the environment, law and economics, urban development, race discrimination, agriculture, immigration, war and peace, economic development, government spending and debt, welfare, money and banking, presidential power, civil liberties, the Great Depression, science, theology, unemployment, and far more.Now Taking a Stand offers the grand opportunity to make his vast insights available to general readers by combining his keen analysis with his engaging wit, humility and compassion in order to charm, educate and inspire people on the moral and practical imperative of individual liberty, entrepreneurship and innovation, peace, economic growth, personal responsibility, civic virtue,and the rule of law. Taking a Stand is organized into 99 short, accessible chapters to present a powerful and uplifting vision for the future.

Robert Higgs is senior fellow in political economy for the Independent Institute and the editor of the Institute’s quarterly journal, the Independent Review. He is also the author of several books, including Against Leviathan, Competition and Coercion, Delusions of Power, Neither Liberty Nor Safety, Resurgence of the Warfare State, and The Transformation of the American Economy 1865–1914, and the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Gary Schlarbaum Award for Lifetime Defense of Liberty and the Lysander Spooner Award for Advancing the Literature of Liberty. He lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. Judge Andrew P. Napolitano currently serves as the senior judicial analyst Fox News Channel (FNC) and provides legal analysis on both FNC and Fox Business Network (FBN). He is the author of five books: Constitutional Chaos: What Happens When the Government Breaks Its Own Laws; The Constitution in Exile, a New York Times bestseller; Dred Scott's Revenge; Lies the Government Told You, also a New York Times bestseller; and A Nation of Sheep. His writings have been published in several newspapers, including the Baltimore Sun, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York City.