Review 2: The Political Economy of the Minimal State, Edited by Charles K. Rowley (1996)
Reviewed by:
M. Veseth,
University of Puget Sound,
Choice, November, 1996
"This volume collects four smaller books (also published separately) that defend classical liberal philosophy and argue for a minimal state. Anthony de Jasay writes Before Resorting to Politics; Norman Barry Classical Liberalism in the Age of Post Communism; Edwin G. West Adam Smith into the Twenty-First Century; and Richard E. Wagner Economic Policy in a Liberal Democracy. The volume also includes a coordinating essay by editor Rowley titled What is Living and What is Dead in Classical Liberalism. The authors, well-known classical liberal thinkers, argue for a return to a purer form of classical liberal thought. It is as though, with the collapse of communism, the opponent has changed from Marxists to ambivalent liberal thinkers, who are too ready to engage in politics and tolerate an activist state. Given their likely audience, the authors may be preaching to the choir, but they do it well. Five separate sets of references and four indexes make it difficult to consider how the author's ideas interact. Not for the general reader, this volume is recommended for libraries that seek depth in classical liberal thought."
|
