Liberalism and the Economic Order

This volume offers valuable insights into the nature of liberalism and the problems facing liberal reformers today in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Ellen Frankel Paul (Author), Fred D. Miller, Jr (Author), Jeffrey Paul (Author)

9780521457248, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 July 1993

340 pages
22.7 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm, 0.45 kg

With the collapse of communist totalitarianism, the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union face political instability and an uncertain economic future. The people of the region are struggling to emulate the success of the West by moving toward Western-style democracy and markets. The essays in this volume address the liberal transition currently underway. Some of them explore the models offered by political theorists to guide the course of reforms. Some discuss obstacles to change posed by existing attitudes, institutions and cultural traditions. Some examine the nature of liberalism itself, and consider whether democratic politics and free-market economics can coexist without undermining one another. Some offer alternatives to specific Western institutions, arguing that in certain cases it would be unwise for the East to follow the West. Addressing the issues from a variety of perspectives, the contributors to this volume offer valuable insights into the nature of liberalism and the problems facing liberal reformers today.

Introduction
Acknowledgments
List of contributors
1. The social market economy Norman Barry
2. From post-communism to civil society: the reemergence of history and decline of the western model John Gray
3. Asymmetrical reciprocity in the market exchange: implications for economies in transition James M. Buchanan
4. Institutions, nationalism and the transition process in Eastern Europe Svetozar Pejovich
5. The economic and political liberalisation of Socialism: the fundamental problem of property rights William H. Riker and David L. Weimer
6. Democracy, markets and the legal order: notes on the nature of politics in a radically liberal society Don Lavoie
7. Liberalism: political and economic Russell Hardin
8. Socialism and the extension of democracy Richard J. Arneson
9. Liberalism, welfare economics and freedom Daniel M. Hausman
10. Some rules of constitutional design Peter C. Ordeshook
11. The morality of inclusion Allen Buchanan
12. A new contractarian view of tax and regulatory policy in the emerging market economies Robert H. Frank
13. Associations and democracy Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ]