In this Book
- The Political Theory of Conservative Economists
- 1990
- Book
- Published by: University Press of Kansas
-
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

summary
It’s difficult to overstate the impact of conservative economics on American life. The conservative thought of economists like Milton Friedman, James Buchanan, and Friedrick Hayek has provided the conceptual framework that undergirds nearly every aspect of current U.S. socialeconomic policy. Although a great deal has been written about the economic theories of these Nobel Prizewinning economists, this study is the first to examine the political theory that underlies conservative economics and its implications for public policy.
Long associated with the “Chicago” and “public choice” schools of thought, Friedman, Buchanan, Hayek, and others have consistently repudiated Keynesian principles. They have steadfastly opposed social welfare policies and regulation of private enterprise, championing instead the free market as a mechanism for ordering society.
In this book Conrad Waligorski analyzes the political content of the conservative economists’ arguments. In so doing, he illuminates the political, economic, and philosophical ideas behind and justification for the laissezfaire policy—the reduced regulation, intervention, and welfare favored by conservative governments in the United States, Canada, and Britain.
Long associated with the “Chicago” and “public choice” schools of thought, Friedman, Buchanan, Hayek, and others have consistently repudiated Keynesian principles. They have steadfastly opposed social welfare policies and regulation of private enterprise, championing instead the free market as a mechanism for ordering society.
In this book Conrad Waligorski analyzes the political content of the conservative economists’ arguments. In so doing, he illuminates the political, economic, and philosophical ideas behind and justification for the laissezfaire policy—the reduced regulation, intervention, and welfare favored by conservative governments in the United States, Canada, and Britain.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. i-iv
- Table of Contents
- pp. v-vi
- Part I. Introductory Arguments
- 1. Introduction
- pp. 3-17
- Part II. Market-Based Politics: Revising Political Arguments to Fit Economic Theory
- 3. Freedom
- pp. 49-75
- 4. Equality
- pp. 76-100
- 5. Democracy
- pp. 101-125
- 8. Conclusions
- pp. 185-210
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 247-256
- Back Cover
- p. 261
Additional Information
ISBN
9780700631292
Related ISBN(s)
9780700604593
MARC Record
OCLC
1256249492
Pages
270
Launched on MUSE
2021-06-14
Language
English
Open Access
Yes