We are delighted to announce, with this issue, that the Henry George Institute and the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation have agreed to be co-publishers of this magazine. The relationship has been approved by each organization’s board of directors. It will enable the Georgist Journal to move forward on a much more sustainable financial footing. The RSF has required very little in exchange for its generosity. The GJ will cover the Foundation’s publications and projects, as it does for the Council of Georgist Organizations and the International Union. However, the Henry George Institute will retain editorial control, as well as continuing to produce and distribute the Journal. This agreement has been made on an annual basis; either the HGI or the RSF may withdraw after each fiscal year. We expect, however, and very much hope that the relationship that begins with GJ #127 will be long and fruitful. Readers should expect this new arrangement to bring only one consistent change: the Journal will be published more frequently.

Over the years there has been some tension between the Georgist Journal‘s role as an “in-house” organ for movement news and its inclination to reach out, offering content that would appeal to a broader readership. As we’ve sought to balance those two assignments, it has seemed more and more clear to me that they need not be mutually exclusive. The Georgist movement’s lack of tangible political success has led to a perception of it as somehow tainted by failure. Often references to Henry George, or to ideas as “Georgist,” are held up as explanations for this perception. Progress, we’re told, depends on new language and new connections, freed from our unfortunate inherited reputation as inflexible cranks.

I am eager to use any term, and try any strategy, that works — and I know that effective communication requires listening to different audiences and crafting relatable messages. Georgists might not agree on very much, but there is one thing: we all believe, as the HGI’s mission statement says, “that all persons have a right to the use of the earth and that all have a right to the fruits of their labor.” As obvious a truth as that seems, Georgists are the only ones who consistently and forthrightly proclaim it. We oughtn’t lose sight of that. I believe it is possible for a publication to proudly call itself “Georgist,” and to represent the spectrum of Georgist views, while still offering compelling reading, in a package we can confidently hand to newcomers. This is the 127th issue of the Georgist Journal, and my 41st as Editor — and we’re just getting started!              — Lindy Davies