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.
The topical arrangement within the sequence of the seven parts of the text provides a meaningful context for the reader and allows information to be accessed in a comprehensible manner. "Political Economy, Concisely" gives a jargon-free economic account of important matters in our daily lives. Its emphasis on the political rather than the ordinary business of life fills the need for revitalizing classical political economy, concisely.
Anthony de Jasay is an independent theorist living in France. Jasay "believes that philosophy should be mainly, if not exclusively, about clarifying conclusions that arise from the careless use of, or deliberate misuse of, language. There are echoes here of . . . Wittgenstein's later philosophy." His books, translated into a half dozen languages, include "Justice and Its Surroundings" and "Social Contract, Free Ride."

source/credit line] I. M. D. Little in Ordered Anarchy, 2007

Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Anthony de Jasay, one of the most independent thinkers and influential libertarian political philosophers of our time, challenges the reigning paradigms justifying modern democratic government. The articles collected in "Political Philosophy, Clearly "delve deeply into the realm of political thought and philosophical criticism. A reader who is interested in a philosophical, yet clear, jargon-free account of such fundamental topics as the relationship between liberty and justice, the viability of limiting government, the role of property, and the possibilities of the private provision of public goods as well as the private enforcement of public rules will find reading this book rewarding. Most of the articles have been published before in a wide arrray of publications and are presented here for the first time in one volume.
The discussions in this work exhibit the antistatist line of thought that Jasay consistently pursues in all his writings. For Jasay, the provision of collective goods, including the most central one of social order itself, is much less dependent on the application of fundamental coercive power by centralized authorities than generally assumed. This idea echoes arguments he develops in detail in "Social Contract, Free Ride."
Anthony de Jasay is an independent theorist living in France. Jasay "believes that philosophy should be mainly, if not exclusively, about clarifying conclusions that arise from the careless use of, or deliberate misuse of, language. There are echoes here of . . . Wittgenstein's later philosophy." His books, translated into a half dozen languages, include "Justice and Its Surroundings "and "Social Contract, Free Ride."

source/credit line] I. M. D. Little in Ordered Anarchy, 2007

Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

This book provides a novel account of the public goods dilemma. The author shows how the social contract, in its quest for fairness, actually helps to breed the parasitic 'free riding' it is meant to suppress. He also shows how, in the absence of taxation, many public goods would be provided by spontaneous group co-operation. This would, however, imply some degree of free riding. Unwilling to tolerate such unfairness, co-operating groups would eventually drift from voluntary to compulsory solutions, heedless of the fact that this must bring back free riding with a vengeance. The author argues that the perverse incentives created by the attempt to render public provision assured and fair are a principal cause of the poor functioning of organised society.

This book provides a novel account of the public goods dilemma. The author shows how the social contract, in its quest for fairness, actually helps to breed the parasitic 'free riding' it is meant to suppress. He also shows how, in the absence of taxation, many public goods would be provided by spontaneous group co-operation. This would, however, imply some degree of free riding. Unwilling to tolerate such unfairness, co-operating groups would eventually drift from voluntary to compulsory solutions, heedless of the fact that this must bring back free riding with a vengeance. The author argues that the perverse incentives created by the attempt to render public provision assured and fair are a principal cause of the poor functioning of organised society.

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.
The topical arrangement within the sequence of the seven parts of the text provides a meaningful context for the reader and allows information to be accessed in a comprehensible manner. "Political Economy, Concisely" gives a jargon-free economic account of important matters in our daily lives. Its emphasis on the political rather than the ordinary business of life fills the need for revitalizing classical political economy, concisely.
Anthony de Jasay is an independent theorist living in France. Jasay "believes that philosophy should be mainly, if not exclusively, about clarifying conclusions that arise from the careless use of, or deliberate misuse of, language. There are echoes here of . . . Wittgenstein's later philosophy." His books, translated into a half dozen languages, include "Justice and Its Surroundings" and "Social Contract, Free Ride."

source/credit line] I. M. D. Little in Ordered Anarchy, 2007

Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Author of The State, Anthony de Jasay, has been described as one of the few genuinely original minds in modern political philosophy. He breaks new ground with Justice and Its Surroundings - a new collection of trenchant essays that seek to redefine the concept of justice and to highlight the frontier between it and the surrounding issues that encroach upon it and are mistakenly associated with it. Justice and Its Surroundings discusses rival notions which treat justice 'as something else' -- as fairness, equality, or moral intuition. Jasay states, "Theories of justice inspired by the idea that its function is to rectify the way of the world by redistributing the good and bad things that happen to make up people's lots tend to be intellectually weak and vulnerable to the weapon of logic." Jasay's chosen mission is to promote clear reasoning rather than plead for a good cause. This straightforward and terse book analyzes the roles of collective choice, redistribution, and socialism and the claims that would enlist justice in their service. The issue of whether state authority is necessary, convenient, or neither, and the primacy of convention and contract are among the pivotal questions Jasay poses. Essays are divided into 5 categories: The Needless State, Redistribution, Justice, Socialism and Freedom. Features an introduction and index.