Vienna Chicago Friends Or Foes

Is the bridge between the Austrian and Chicago schools coming together or moving apart? In Vienna and Chicago, Friends or Foes? economist and author Mark Skousen debates the Austrian and Chicago schools of free-market economics, which differ in monetary policy, business cycle, government policy, and methodology. Both have played a successful role in advancing classic free-market economics and countering the critics of capitalism during crucial times and the battle of ideas. But, which of the two is correct in its theories?

How do entrepreneurs make decisions in the real world? Why are entrepreneurs absent from mainstream economics? What functions do entrepreneurs play in the market? What type of institutional environment is needed for entrepreneurship to play a role? Neoclassical economics is a market theory without entrepreneurship. This misconception distorts our understanding of how the real market works, leading to a theory of market failure that forms the common foundation of various government interventions. The market is not only an allocative process but, more importantly, a discovery and creative process. To understand the real market, Weiying Zhang argues that economics must shift from a price-centric to an entrepreneur-centric paradigm. Blending theory and narrative, Zhang intersects history with the present supporting his theory with relevant case studies. He argues that once entrepreneurship in the market is correctly understood, the foundation for government intervention is undermined and the economy can sustainably flourish.

This book investigates the policies of the Thatcher, Major and Blair governments and their approaches towards concentration of economic and political power. The 1979–2007 British governments have variously been described as liberal or, to use a political insult and a favourite academic label, neoliberal. One of the stated objectives of the Thatcher, Major and Blair governments—albeit with differing focal points—was to disperse power and to empower the individual. This was also a consistent theme of the first generation of neoliberals, who saw monopolies, vested interests and concentration more generally as the ‘great enemy of democracy’. Under Thatcher and Major, Conservatives sought to liberalize the economy and spread ownership through policies like Right to Buy and privatisation. New Labour dispersed political power with its devolution agenda, granted operational independence to the Bank of England and put in place a seemingly robust antitrust framework. All governments during the 1979–2007 period pursued choice in public services. Yet our modern discourse characterises Britain as beset by endemic power concentration, in markets and politics. What went wrong? How did so-called neoliberal governments, which invoked liberty and empowerment, fail to disperse power and allow concentration to continue, recur or arise? The book will be of interest to students and scholars of contemporary British history, political economy and politics, as well as specific areas of study such as Thatcherism and New Labour.

The first biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest economic thinkers, Milton Friedman. Born the son of immigrant parents, Milton Friedman went on to become a major figure during the resurgence of American conservatism. As an advisor to the Reagan administration and a widely read columnist, he played a vital role in shaping government policy and public opinion while he made headlines for his controversial views. Drawing on author Lanny Ebenstein's unprecedented access to personal archives and to Friedman himself, this is the first book to trace his life and development as an economic theorist. With a combination of intimate personal detail and fascinating exploration of economic theory, Milton Friedman: A Biography provides a revealing look at the man regarded by many as a hero of libertarianism and laissez-faire economics.

Money has always represented power. For Aristotle, this power was inseparable from the exercise of justice within a community. This is why issuance of money was the prerogative of the lawful authority (government). Such a view of monetary power was widespread, and includes societies as distant as China. Over the past several centuries, however, private interests increasingly tapped into the exercise of the money power. Through gradual shifts, commercial banks have gained a legally protected right to create money through issuance of debts. The aim of this book is to unravel various layers hiding the real workings of modern money and banking systems and injustices ingrained in them. By asking what money really is, who controls it and for what purpose (why), the book provides insight into understanding of modern money and banking systems, as well as the causes of growing financialization of economies throughout the world, money manias and economic instability. The book also increases the awareness of injustices hidden in the workings of modern money and banking systems and the need for moral underpinnings of such systems. Finally, it suggests a money system which could immensely improve human, economic, and ecological conditions.

The premiership of Margaret Thatcher has been portrayed as uniquely ideological in its pursuit of a more market-based economy. A body of literature has been built on how a sharp turn to the right by the Conservative Party during the 1980s - inspired by the likes of Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek - acted as one of the key stepping stones to the turbo-charged capitalism and globalization of our modern world. But how ‘neoliberal’ was Thatcherism? The link between ideas and the Thatcher government has frequently been over-generalized and under-specified. Existing accounts tend to characterize neoliberalism as a homogeneous, and often ill-defined, group of thinkers that exerted a broad influence over the Thatcher government. In particular, this study explores how Margaret Thatcher approached special interest groups, a core neoliberal concern. The results demonstrate a willingness to utilize the state, often in contradictory ways, to pursue apparently more market orientated policies. This book - through a combination of archival research, interviews and examination of neoliberal thought itself - defines the dominant strains of neoliberalism more clearly and explores their relationship with Thatcherism.

The Elgar Companion to Hayekian Economics provides an in-depth treatment of Friedrich August von Hayekês economic thought from his technical economics of the 1920s and 1930s to his broader views on the spontaneous order of a free society. Taken togethe

This book examines the rise and diffusion of free-market thinking, from the early 20th Century through to the age of Obama. It tracks the ascendency of neoliberalism, its key players and decisive moments of reconstruction, including the Chicago School of economics, New York City's bankruptcy, Hurricane Katrina, and the Wall Street crisis of 2008.