The Road to Serfdom
Channel: Libertarianism.org
Date: 2011-10-22

Featuring James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in Economics and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics, George Mason University; Edward H. Crane, President, Cato Institute; Leonard P. Liggio, Executive Vice President, Atlas Economic Research Foundation, and President, Mont Pelerin Society; and Daniel Yergin, Coauthor of Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy and Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates.

F. A. Hayek, one of the greatest liberals of the 20th century, wrote his classic book The Road to Serfdom to warn against the dangers of postwar socialism. He believed with David Hume that "it is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." To stem the growth of big government and the erosion of economic and personal freedom that accompanies that growth, Hayek argued passionately for a liberal international order grounded in limited government, free trade, and the rule of law. His message is as relevant today as it was in 1944. Many emerging market countries still have a long way to go before they reach the level of economic and personal freedom envisioned by Hayek, and many developed countries have expanded the welfare state without recognizing the danger it poses to the future of freedom.