Design for Liberty: Private Property, Public Administration, and the Rule of Law
This new book by the NYU law school professor and senior Hoover fellow is yet another in a long stream of magnificent defenses of the free market, in which the problem of how best to reduce and streamline public administration is brilliantly addressed. (Walter BlockBarron's2012-02-04)Design for Libertyis a masterly analysis of the problem of our modern administrative state and a highly practical manual for putting the law back on the right track...Epstein's discussion of eminent domain is so excellent, accessible, and relevant, that it should be required reading for every local and state political official... Epstein points to the 'fourth wave' of the administrative state--the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill and the Affordable Care Act (ACA)--to illustrate the bureaucracy's ongoing expansion. His analysis of the likely consequences of these laws is alone worth the price of the book. (Joseph PostellClaremont Review of Books2013-01-01)Design for Libertymight be the most important book of 2011, possibly of this decade. It clarifies the motivation of both the tea party and Occupy Wall Street movements.Epsteinhas written one of those books that appear rarely and demands to be read. (Mark LardasGalveston Daily News2012-01-01)Epsteindescribes an overregulated state and argues that administrators have too much discretion--a situation that ultimately harms individuals. This short but dense book describes how the rule of law can create a more ideal system with limited, neutral public administration combined with robust private-property rights. Legal scholars and political philosophers will appreciate Epstein's well-argued case for smaller government. (Rachel BridgewaterLibrary Journal2012-01-15)