Call for Papers: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations at 250

The Journal of Australian Taxation (JAT) invites submissions to a special edition of the Journal under the guest editorship of Professor Jonathan Barrett of Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka.

The title of the special edition will be Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations at 250.

Since its first publication in 1776, Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations remains one of the most influential treatises on public finance ever written.

In celebration (or criticism) of the 250th anniversary of publication, JAT will publish this special edition in late 2026 and invites submissions of 6,000-8,000. (Shorter or longer submissions may be negotiated with the guest editor.)

Subjects might include:

· The historical context of the Wealth of Nations

· The relevance of Smith today

· Wealth of Nations in the classroom

· Can Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments be reconciled?

· The extent to which the four canons have informed tax inquiries in Australasia and beyond

· Will the four canons survive into the future?

· Are the canons too nebulous to have value?

Provided some connection to taxation is included, we welcome the broadest range of approaches to the subject.

If you are interested in submitting an article, please send a draft abstract (100-200 words) to [email protected] before 30 April 2026.

If we accept your abstract, you must submit your full submission by 31 August 2026 for double blind peer review.

We anticipate online publication in December 2026. To learn more about JAT, see here.

Citation :

Barrett, Jonathan, McLaren, John, Minas, John & Walpola, Sonali,
(2026),
Call for Papers: Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations at 250,
Austaxpolicy: Tax and Transfer Policy Blog,
6 March 2026, Available from:

About the Author

Jonathan Barrett

Jonathan Barrett is a Professor in Law and Taxation at the Wellington School of Business and Government, Victoria University of Wellington. Jonathan, who previously worked as internal counsel to large financial services providers and as a tax consultant for a Big Four accounting firm, holds degrees from British and South African Universities. His PhD examined the application of fundamental human rights to a taxation system. Jonathan’s research focuses on how tax relates to the rights-bearing citizen in society.

John McLaren

John McLaren has formal qualifications in university teaching with a Graduate Certificate of University Teaching and Learning from Charles Darwin University. He has published in the area of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) with colleagues from other Universities with Tax Clinics as part of the National Tax Clinic Program.

John Minas

John Minas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Business Law and Taxation at Monash University, a Research Affiliate with the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School of Public Policy, at ANU, and an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Law Futures Centre at Griffith University.

Sonali Walpola

Dr Sonali Walpola is an Associate Professor at the ANU College of Business and Economics. Sonali’s research interests broadly encompass taxation law and policy and the nature of common law developments. Her recent projects have analysed integrity measures to address tax avoidance through trusts, the interpretation of the residence article in double tax agreements, and the Australian High Court’s attitude to change in the common law. Sonali is a co-editor of Austaxpolicy, the Journal of Australian Taxation and Law&History, which is the journal of the Australia New Zealand Law History Society. Sonali is a fellow of the ANU Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, a member of The Tax Institute Higher Education Academic Board, and the Academic Lead of the ANU Tax Clinic, which she co-founded in 2019.