Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public Goods Problem

This book offers a compelling new account of the public goods dilemma. Showing how the social contract, in its quest for fairness, actually helps to breed the parasitic "free riding" it is meant to suppress, De Jasay argues that the incentives created by the attempt to render public provisions assured and fair are a principal cause of the poor functioning of organized society. This study will be of great value to political and moral philosophers, political theorists, and economists.

Politics & Social Sciences

JASAY, ANTHONY DE

Social Sciences

Oxford University Press

This book provides a novel account of the dilemma over how "public goods"--including civil order, defense, social welfare--should be provided and who should provide them. The author shows how present systems, in an attempt at fairness, actually help breed the parasitic "free riding" they were meant to suppress. He argues that, in the absence of taxation, many public goods would be provided by spontaneous group cooperation. However, this would imply some degree of free riding that would eventually lead cooperating groups away from voluntary solutions and closer to compulsory ones, bringing the problem full circle. De Jasay argues that these conflicting incentives are the principle cause of the poor functioning of organized society.

Politics & Government

The State

Strikingly original. . . . De Jasay offers the most compelling account of what is wrong and dangerous about the state."
Alan Ryan
The State is an idiosyncratic and brilliant analysis of modern political arrangements that views the state as acting in its own interest contrary to the interests of individuals and even of an entire society. As Nobel laureate James Buchanan has observed, Jasay subjects the state to a "solid, foundational analysis, grounded in an understanding of economic theory, informed by political philosophy and a deep sense of history." The results include a "devastating critique of the absurdities of modern welfare economics." Jasay traces the logical and historical progression of the state from a modest-sized protector of life and property through its development into what he believes to be an "agile seducer of democratic majorities, to the welfare-dispensing drudge that it is today." Can, Jasay wonders, this seemingly inexorable expansion of the state be stopped? Or, "Is the rational next step [for the state] a totalitarian enhancement of its power?"
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

STATE, THE

Liberty Fund

Strikingly original. . . . De Jasay offers the most compelling account of what is wrong and dangerous about the state."
Alan Ryan
The State is an idiosyncratic and brilliant analysis of modern political arrangements that views the state as acting in its own interest contrary to the interests of individuals and even of an entire society. As Nobel laureate James Buchanan has observed, Jasay subjects the state to a "solid, foundational analysis, grounded in an understanding of economic theory, informed by political philosophy and a deep sense of history." The results include a "devastating critique of the absurdities of modern welfare economics." Jasay traces the logical and historical progression of the state from a modest-sized protector of life and property through its development into what he believes to be an "agile seducer of democratic majorities, to the welfare-dispensing drudge that it is today." Can, Jasay wonders, this seemingly inexorable expansion of the state be stopped? Or, "Is the rational next step [for the state] a totalitarian enhancement of its power?"
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

The State (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

Business & Money

Economics

A Conversation with Anthony de Jasay (DVD)

Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public-Goods Problem (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

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 cooperation. This would, however, imply some degree of free riding. Unwilling to tolerate such unfairness, cooperating 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 organized society. 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 The State.[source/credit line] I. M. D. Little in Ordered Anarchy, 2007

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 cooperation. This would, however, imply some degree of free riding. Unwilling to tolerate such unfairness, cooperating 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 organized society. 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 The State.[source/credit line] I. M. D. Little in Ordered Anarchy, 2007

Political Economy, Concisely: Essays on Policy That Does Not Work and Markets That Do (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

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, 2007Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

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, 2007Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

Political Philosophy, Clearly: Essays on Freedom and Fairness, Property and Equalities (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

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, 2007Hartmut Kliemt is Professor of Philosophy and Economics at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by JASAY, ANTHONY DE. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by JASAY, ANTHONY DE

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by JASAY, ANTHONY DE. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public Goods Problem

Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public Goods Problem

STATE, THE

The State (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

A Conversation with Anthony de Jasay (DVD)

Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public-Goods Problem (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public-Goods Problem (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

Political Economy, Concisely: Essays on Policy That Does Not Work and Markets That Do (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

Political Economy, Concisely: Essays on Policy That Does Not Work and Markets That Do (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)

Political Philosophy, Clearly: Essays on Freedom and Fairness, Property and Equalities (The Collected Papers of Anthony de Jasay)