Richard E. Wagner has spent more than five decades in academia, holding professorship and leadership positions at the University of California Irvine, Tulane University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Auburn University, Florida State University, and George Mason University. He has contributed to the fields of public finance, macroeconomics, and political economy in more than 200 journal articles and 30 books. Economics in Wagner's hands is about exchange and the institutions within which exchange takes place. As a result, much of his scholarship explores how politics, law, and society shape economic relationships.

Generous and wise in his relationships with colleagues and students, Wagner is an exemplar of a lifelong learner. Through his example, Wagner continues to teach us all how to prioritize the sheer joy of learning and how to maintain a sense of urgency in our teaching, and how to avoid getting caught up in negative-sum interactions.

In honor of Wagner's 80th birthday and retirement from George Mason University in 2021, a group of his colleagues and students gathered to reflect upon and honor his productive career and to advance research inspired by his work. This Festschrift, edited by Peter J. Boettke and Christopher J. Coyne, includes original essays and reflections that pay tribute to a prolific scholar whose research and teaching have profoundly shaped mainline political economy.

The Legacy of Richard E. Wagner should be of interest to anyone inspired by Wagner's research as well as students, scholars, and policymakers interested in the real-world implications of sound economic theory.