About this title: Working after the war, Hayek's writing was very much against the tide of mainstream Keynesian economic thought. But in the 1970s and 1980s - the eras of Thatcherism and Reaganomics - he was championed as a prophet of neo-liberalism by those who were seeking to revolutionize the post-war social consensus. "The Constitution of Liberty" is crucial ...
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Binding: Softcover
Publisher: ROUTLEDGE
Date Published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780710085184ISBN:0710085184
Description: Published by Routledge in 1976. Paperback. Number of pages: 580. Condition: Very Good. May show some slight signs of wear. Shipped from UK. Delivery is usually 2-3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Taylor & Francis(Routledge)
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780415404242ISBN:041540424X
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 5.433 by 8.504 inches. Twenty years ahead of its time, hayek's thinking has become the stuff of economic orthodoxy in the twenty-first century and he remains a crucial voice in the debates about globalisation that are raging ever more passionately today. working after the war, hayek's writing was very much against the tide of mainstream keynesian economic thought. but in the 1970s and 1980s-the eras of thatcherism and reaganomics-he was championed as a prophet of neo ... read more
Edition: NEW ED
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780415404242ISBN:041540424X
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 512 pages. (512 pages) intended for those seeking to understand ideas that have become the orthodoxy in the age of the globalized economy. edition new ed (Paperback) read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail International Priority mail. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). Twenty years ahead of its time, Hayek's thinking has become the stuff of economic orthodoxy in the twenty-first century and he remains a crucial voice in the debates about globalisation that are raging ever more passionately today. read more
Description: New. Please note that deliveries to addresses in the UK and Europe will be in 4-14 business days. Other countries should refer to Alibris standard times. Constitution Of Liberty ISBN10: 041540424X. read more
Description: New. DISPATCHED FROM UNITED KINGDOM. NO EXPEDITED SHIPPING! Please note orders are confirmed immediately and may take 2-3 business days to ship. This processing time is in addition to the shipping time. Please allow 10-14 days for delivery. Brand new item. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: G20091123045623D. read more
Binding: Tight Binding, Clean white pages, Perfect Spine. Cover had
Publisher: University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780226320847ISBN:0226320847
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly shipped from our UK warehouse using Royal Mail International Priority mail. Heavier or more expensive books are shipped with a TRACKING NUMBER. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). Twenty years ahead of its time, Hayek's thinking has become the stuff of economic orthodoxy in the twenty-first century and he remains a crucial voice in the debates about globalisation that are raging ever more passionately today. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
ISBN-13:9780226320847ISBN:0226320847
Description: Good. 0226320847 Good condition. May have some markings & or shelfwear. All pages intact. Used items may not include extras such as infotrac, CD or other web access codes. read more
Binding: Trade Paper
Publisher: Henry Regnery Company, Chicago, IL
Date Published: 1972
Description: Very Good with no dust jacket. Famed economist's proposal for growth of liberty in the world. In dandy shape, solid and tight. Very rare edition.; 60021; 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. read more
Description: New. PLEASE NOTE: All books are promptly imported from the UK using DHL or Royal Mail international mail WITH TRACKING NUMBER. Delivery is typically 5-10 working days. Please do not select expedited shipping. Professional and reliable bookseller (est.1987). Twenty years ahead of its time, Hayek's thinking has become the stuff of economic orthodoxy in the twenty-first century and he remains a crucial voice in the debates about globalisation that are raging ever more passionately today. read more
"THE CONSTITUTION OF LIBERTY By Friedrich A. Hayek
This is Hayek's magnum opus, a long (but not too long) book that combines his previous studies in economics and political theory to explore the nature of freedom and liberty to answer the eternal question, "What system will deliver the most freedom to the most people?" If you are at all familiar with Hayek's thought, his answer shouldn't surprise you; he was a true believer in liberal democracy and free markets; a descendant simultaneously of John Locke and Adam Smith. What is surprising about this book is his analysis of the contemporary (1960) political scene, where Hayek saw very little freedom, even in countries that seemed to offer its citizens limitless personal license.
Hayek's great insight, originally made in the Thirties when he was fighting on the anti-Keynsian side of the economic denates of the day, was that human knowledge was so vast and complex that is was simply impossible for one person or group of people to centralize that knowledge and make use of it in a useful efficient manner. Rather, knowledge is better spread and utilized when it is dispersed throughout a population, so that it is instantly available to those who can best utilize it for the benefit of themselves and the rest of society. In Hayek's day, and ours apparently, the emphasis was on the technocrat who could "form a committee" and direct society.
Hayek originally made applied this insight in economics, but in this book, he moves it to the realm of politics. Hayek begins by asking what is the best system for spreading knowledge. His answer is that a political system offering liberty and freedom to all is more likely to be one in which knowledge is spread most efficiently and quickly because ideas are allowed to spread and evolve organially without any interference from government. Thus, the dynamism of the American economy is possible because of the freedom guaranteed by its Constitution, while socialist and communist countries become economically moribund because knowledge is held to be the proper province of the government, and none other.
The middle part of "Constitution" is Hayek's analysis of the development of liberty in the west. he credits the British and the US with providing the most political and economic liberty to their citizens. Under Hayek's analysis, the British were the first people whom you could call "free," although their institutions were not as strong as they could be. He sees America's great innovation to be its creation of consitutitional liberty. What is truly interesting in this section is his analysis of European approaches to liberty, especially in France and Germany. While both countries spoke often about liberty and equality, both had gone through periods of dicatorship, and by Hayek's time were countries marked by strong central governments.
In Hayek's analysis, the reason for this was the strong tradition of bureaucratic government in each country. As Hayek puts it, the French Revolution may have marked the end of absolute monarchy, but the bureaucracies set up by the kings of old continued as if nothing had changed. Hayek spends quite a bit of time discussing the development of the German welfare state and the simultaneous encroachment on liberty. He spends an inordinate amount of time analyizing the development of administrative law, but this is to make the point that the bureaucracy used its procedures to create a sort of separate legal system that eventually weighed heavily upon the freedom of the citizenry.
The third part of "Constitution" is Hayek's analysis of contemporary issues such as rent control, minimum wage laws, state education, and the like. Hayek is, of course, in favor of as little government interference in any of these areas. That we have not pursued the Hayekian path is obvious. But, just as obvious should be the realization that there are many people - including many who are wealthy and well educated - who would rather look to the government for protection, rather than look to themselves. And the government is always there to give that protection so long as it can dictate the parameters of how its wards shall live.
This is a thought-provoking and worthwhile book. As Hayek puts it, the liberal-left ideal of activist central government was and remains the dominant political philosophy in his day and in ours. Its promises are seductive to say the least: equality, "social justice," protection from life's troubles. Now, we have a left-wing president promising to save us from "climate change" and offering to deliver "free" health care. Wow! is there anything liberalism can't do? It is difficult to make the argument for limited decentralized government because it seems to offer so little: "we won't do much for you!" won't rally the troops, after all. But that's not really the point. The Hayekian model is a government that sees its job as protecting liberty and guaranteeing the safety of the citizenry. It has been a long time (maybe since the Coolidge Administration) since a US president saw that as his mission in life.
If you only want to read one of Hayek's books, you should read "The Road To Serfdom." But once you have finished that remarkable work, you'll want to read more. This should be next on your list."
"A much deeper treatment of the political philosophy of liberty, compared to his earlier Road to Serfdom. This is a serious work, worthy of study. Not at all a fast or easy read. One of the best books I've ever read."
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