Political Economy, Concisely

by De Jasay, Anthony

• ISBN13: 9780865977778
• ISBN10: 0865977771
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-31
• Publisher: Liberty Fund

Summary

Anthony de Jasay is arguably one of the most independent thinkers and influential libertarian political philosophers of our time. Jasay challenges the reigning paradigms justifying modern democratic government, critiquing what he regards as the well-intentioned but illinformed arguments favoring the modern expansion of state power. The seventy-one articles collected in Political Economy, Concisely are exactly what the title promises: a collection of concise essays that examine the political economy of a free society. Written for the general reader and specialist alike, these essays articulate a convincing classical liberal view of the world, with a no-nonsense approach to modern economic theory. Many of the articles are collected here for the first time in book form. Jasay's aim here is to clarify basic concepts in the realm of political and economic philosophy, such as property, equality and distributive justice, public goods, unemployment, opportunity costs, and welfare. His trenchant comments on European economics and political systems provide specifics that support his more general observations of the modern world. Arranged topically, these essays reflect the wit and intellectual elegance of their author, challenging conventional wisdom in a subtle yet incisive manner. Russian and French tragicomedies are used as striking illustrations of the fact that the human mind seems to be characteristically unwilling to endorse economic common sense against the myth of the beneficial effects of government control. Such lively topics as "How to Get a Free Lunch: Just Apply for It," "Your Dog Owns Your House," "Russia Hobbling Along on Clay Feet," "Who Minds the Gap?" and "Free Riding on the Euro" both entertain and instruct.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Rights, Property & Markets

The Common Sense of Non-Economics

French & Russian Tragicomedies

The Capitalism They Hate

Creating Unemployment

The Future of Europe

Economics, True & False

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.