Austrian Economics an Introductory Overview
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Violence Cycle Theory Will Be Introduced in Analogy to the Praxeological Business Cycle Theory (According to Ludwig Von Mises)
The VOL. 19 | NO. 4 | 330–344 QUArtERLY WINTER 2016 JOURNAL of AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS THE PRAXEOLOGY OF COERCION: A NEW THEORY OF VIOLENCE CYCLES RAHIM TAGHIZADEGAN AND MARC-FELIX Otto ABSTRACT: As the first application of the praxeological discipline of “Cratics” (Taghizadegan and Otto, 2015), a theory of the supply and demand of bads is developed. On this foundation, a violence cycle theory will be introduced in analogy to the praxeological business cycle theory (according to Ludwig von Mises). Central to this approach are the subjective perceptions of threats and possible bluffs regarding the backing of those threats. Such a violence cycle theory can explain the stability of structures of violence and reveal new interpretations of the “long peace” hypothesis. KEYWORDS: Austrian school, praxeology, catallactics, coercion JEL CLASSIFICATION: B53 hose actions and things which render a marginal utility to men can be described as goods. In analogy, those actions and things Twhich cause to expect a “marginal disutility” can be described as bads. Catallactics, i.e., the economics of direct and indirect Rahim Taghizadegan ([email protected]) is director of the academic research institute Scholarium (scholarium.at) in Vienna, Austria, lecturer at several univer- sities and faculty member at the International Academy of Philosophy in Liech- tenstein. Marc-Felix Otto ([email protected]) is equity partner at the consulting firm The Advisory House in Zürich, Switzerland. Both authors would like to thank the research staff at the Scholarium for their help and input. 330 Rahim Taghizadegan and Marc-Felix Otto: The Praxeology of Coercion… 331 exchange, can describe the process of the interaction of men who mutually promise and transfer goods to each other. -
The Rationale of Central Banking
THE RATIONALE OF CENTRAL BANKING A Liberty Press Edition Vera C. Smith THE RATIONALE OF CENTRAL BANKING and the Free Banking Alternative PREFACE BY LELAND B. YEAGER r . ,'7/ Liberty Fund Indianapolis LibertyPress is a publishing imprint of Liberty Fund, Inc., a foundation established to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. The cuneiform inscription that serves as our logo and as the design motif for our endpapers is the earliest-known written appearance of the word °freedom" (amagiJ, or "liberty _It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B (. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash Reprinted by permission of A. Wilson-Smith. Prelate ©1990 by Leland B Yeager All rights reserved.All inquirms should be addressed to Liberty Fund, lnc, 8335 Allison Pointe Trail, Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46250-1687. This book was manufactured in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Vera C., 1912-1976 [Rationale of central banking] The rationale of central banking and the free banking alternative Vera C. Smith; preface by Leland B. Yeager p. cm. Reprint. Originally published" The rationale of central banking. Westminster, England: P.S King & Son Ltd., 1936 Includes bibliographical references 1. Banks and banking, Central 2. Banks and banking, Central-- Europe--History 3. Banks and banking, Central--United States-- History. HG1811.$5 1990 332.1' 1'094--dc20 90-30937 CIP ISBN 0-86597-086-6 ISBN 0-86597-087-4 (pbk) 1098765432 Contents Preface by Leland B. Yeager xiii Publisher's Note xxvii Foreword by Vera C. -
Economics for Real People
Economics for Real People An Introduction to the Austrian School 2nd Edition Economics for Real People An Introduction to the Austrian School 2nd Edition Gene Callahan Copyright 2002, 2004 by Gene Callahan All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles. Published by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, 518 West Magnolia Avenue, Auburn, Alabama 36832-4528. ISBN: 0-945466-41-2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dedicated to Professor Israel Kirzner, on the occasion of his retirement from economics. My deepest gratitude to my wife, Elen, for her support and forbearance during the many hours it took to complete this book. Special thanks to Lew Rockwell, president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, for conceiving of this project, and having enough faith in me to put it in my hands. Thanks to Jonathan Erickson of Dr. Dobb’s Journal for per- mission to use my Dr. Dobb’s online op-eds, “Just What Is Superior Technology?” as the basis for Chapter 16, and “Those Damned Bugs!” as the basis for part of Chapter 14. Thanks to Michael Novak of the American Enterprise Insti- tute for permission to use his phrase, “social justice, rightly understood,” as the title for Part 4 of the book. Thanks to Professor Mario Rizzo for kindly inviting me to attend the NYU Colloquium on Market Institutions and Eco- nomic Processes. Thanks to Robert Murphy of Hillsdale College for his fre- quent collaboration, including on two parts of this book, and for many fruitful discussions. -
Free Banking in America: Disaster Or Success?
Free Banking in America: Disaster or Success? Chris Surro December 17, 2015 Even among the strongest proponents of free markets, there is widespread agreement that there is a role for government in money. We can trust the invisible hand to organize pin factories, but not to issue currency. And in a world where central banks have come to dominate around the world, it becomes hard to imagine any system other than a government monopoly on money. But that wasn't always the case. History has seen many examples where banks freely competed, generating bank notes at their own discretion, usually backed by a commodity but not by a government. In the last thirty years, even as monetary systems have largely converged to centralization, there has been a resurgence in research surrounding alternative arrangements. Economic history has a large role to play in this resurgence. Studying past examples of banking systems, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, could help us understand and improve modern banking institutions. The American \free banking era," which lasted from roughly 1836-1862, is one ex- ample of a monetary system that has generated substantial research and debate. Before 1836, banks in the United States required a charter from the state they were located in, giving them permission to issue currency. However, starting with Michigan in 1836, many states began to enact laws allowing free entry of banks and by 1860, the number of free banking states had grown to eighteen. Traditional accounts paint a picture of the free banking era as a period of monetary chaos. Lack of regulation allowed \Wildcat banks" to issue more currency than could ever hope to be redeemed, making banking panics frequent. -
FALL 2015 Journal of Austrian Economics
The VOL. 18 | NO. 3 | 294–310 QUArtERLY FALL 2015 JOURNAL of AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS PRAXEOLOGY OF COERCION: CATALLACTICS VS. CRATICS RAHIM TAGHIZADEGAN AND MARC-FELIX Otto ABSTRACT: Ludwig von Mises’s most important legacy is the foundation and analysis of catallactics, i.e. the economics of interpersonal exchange, as a sub-discipline of praxeology, the science of human action. In this paper, based both on Mises’s methodical framework and on insights by Tadeusz Kotarbinski and Max Weber, a “praxeology of coercion,” or, more precisely, an analysis of interpersonal actions involving threats, is developed. Our investigation yields both a reviewed taxonomy of human action and a first analysis of the elements of this theory, which we term cratics. This shall establish the basis for adjacent studies, furthering Mises’s project regarding the science of human action. KEYWORDS: Austrian school, praxeology, catallactics, coercion JEL CLASSIFICATION: B53 Rahim Taghizadegan ([email protected]) is director of the academic research institute Scholarium (scholarium.at) in Vienna, Austria, lecturer at several univer- sities and faculty member at the International Academy of Philosophy in Liech- tenstein. Marc-Felix Otto ([email protected]) is equity partner at the consulting firm The Advisory House in Zurich, Switzerland. Both authors would like to thank the research staff at the Scholarium for their help and input, in particular Johannes Leitner and Andreas M. Kramer. 294 Rahim Taghizadegan and Marc-Felix Otto: Praxeology Of Coercion… 295 INTRODUCTION he Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises intended to re-establish economics on a deductive basis, with the subjective Tvaluations, expectations, and goals of acting humans at the center, following the tradition of the “Austrian School” (see Mises, 1940 and 1962). -
Roundabout Investing (2)
Roundabout Investing (2) Here is a continuation from thelast post (parts that I have marked in my copy of the book “The Dao of Capital” by Mark Spitznagel): Frederic Bastiat 41.“The only real antagonism as Bastiat saw it was among “two principles that can never be reconciled – Liberty and Constraint.” 42.“Bastiat draws the reader’s attention from only the seen what is yet unseen, but which can be foreseen.” 43.“As Bastiat warned, “The sweeter the fruit of habit is, the more bitter are the consequences.” www.capitalideasonline.com Page - 1 Roundabout Investing (2) Charles Darwin 44.“There were two forms of teleology: one theistic, with nature seen as directed by a master agent, and the other mechanistic, with a “cybernetic” functioning within individual organisms and species. While Charles Darwin, in his 1859On the Origin of Species, did not specifically seek to counter teleology (in fact, in his time he was roundly criticized as a teleologist, which today has a more theistic meaning), his theory of evolution through natural selection had the effect of diminishing its influence. In fact, to Darwin the ideal of natural selection did not falsify the teleology of Aristotle and Kant, but rather supported it. Teleology introduces other forces into the natural world, in addition to the familiar physical laws.” 45.“This has been renamed teleonomy, or intermediate ends of necessity masquerading as rational agent-selected ends – again conflating Ziel and Zweck.” 46.“Menger also augmented Smith’s declared central driver of “universal opulence,” the economic progress of civilization and the extension of prosperity throughout. -
Hayek and the Departure from Praxeology
LIBERTARIAN PAPERS VOL. 2, ART. NO. 24 (2010) HAYEK AND THE DEPARTURE FROM PRAXEOLOGY JAKUB WOZINSKI* TIMES OF UNCRITICALLY ACCEPTING the application of methods of natural science to human science are seemingly gone. In the present age, we usually deal with so-called “crypto-positivism,” which revised certain assumptions, but is still stuck in the ideal of science professed more geometrico. Hans-Hermann Hoppe is a philosopher whose theoretical effort proves that the errors of naturalism and empiricism can be overcome only by praxeology based on a priori argumentation. Historians of philosophy very often note the influence that Epicurus had on Karl Marx. The title of his doctoral thesis was The Difference Between the Democritean and Epicurean Philosophy of Nature. The father of communism was especially interested in the theory of clinamen, i.e. a minimal indeterminacy in the motion of atoms. For Epicurus, this theory was supposed to form a basis for helping him avoid absolute determinism, whereas for Marx it served as an explanation for the exceptional role played by the leaders of the proletariat. Clinamen was an important part of the overall structure of the world and society. But even more relevant were atoms: discrete, undifferentiated elements forming individuals known to us from sensory experience. One may ask here: why do we mention Epicurus in a text that is supposed to deal with Hayek? It is because Epicurus played an important role in shaping his theory as well—indirectly and directly. Hayek’s epistemology and ontology are based directly on philosophical assumptions developed by the founder of the Garden. -
Ludwig Von Mises—A Primer
Ludwig von Mises—a Primer Eamonn Butler CIS Occasional Paper 120 2010 First published in Great Britain in 2010 by The Institute of Economic Affairs 2 Lord North Street Westminster London SW1P 3LB in association with Profi le Books Ltd Copyright © The Institute of Economic Affairs 2010 Published in December 2010 by The Centre for Independent Studies Limited PO Box 92, St Leonards, NSW, 1590 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cis.org.au The views expressed in this publication are, as in all IEA publications, those of the author and not those of the institute (which has no corporate view), its managing trustees, Academic Advisory Council members or senior staff. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: Butler, Eamonn. Ludwig von Mises : a primer / Eamonn Butler ; foreword by Steven Baker. 9781864321296 (pbk.) CIS occasional papers ; 120. Von Mises, Ludwig, 1881-1973. Economists--Austria--Biography. Austrian school of economics. Centre for Independent Studies (Australia) 330.157092 ©2010 The Institute of Economic Affairs Cover design by Ryan Acosta Cover image by Briggs from Ludwig von Mises Institute website http://mises.org Printed by Ligare Book Printer Typeset in Adobe Garamond and Frugal Sans Ludwig von Mises – a Primer EAMONN BUTLER The Institute of Economic Affairs CONTENTS The author 9 Foreword by Steven Baker 10 Summary 13 1 Why Mises is important 17 Intellectual contributions 18 2 Life, career and writings 25 Career in Europe and America 25 Writings on economics, political science and method 28 The legacy of -
Schumpeter and Mises As ‘Austrian Economists’
JEvolEcon DOI 10.1007/s00191-013-0330-8 REGULAR ARTICLE Schumpeter and Mises as ‘Austrian Economists’ Viktor J. Vanberg © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013 Abstract Joseph A. Schumpeter and Ludwig von Mises were both Austrian-born economists, both were students of Bohm-Bawerk¨ and von Wieser, yet whether they both may be classified as ‘Austrian economists’ is a controversial issue. This paper takes a closer look at the mixture of commonalities and disagreements in their writings that have given rise to the ambivalent assessments of their ‘Austrian’ credentials. Keywords Austrian economics · Methodological individualism · Socialist calculation debate · Entrepreneurship JEL Classification B25· B31· B41 Whether and, if so, in what sense Joseph A. Schumpeter (1883–1950) and Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) may both be classified as ‘Austrian economists’ is a contro- versial issue. In terms of their biographical background they were, of course, Austrian nationals, and as students of Bohm-Bawerk¨ and von Wieser both qualify in a for- mal sense as third-generation members of the Austrian School. Yet, whether they so qualify in a substantive sense as well is much more questionable. Apparent differ- ences between their views on a number of issues have often been cited as evidence for a paradigmatic divide between, on the one side, Mises as the true messenger of the Mengerian heritage and the principal inspirer for the modern revival of Aus- trian economics and, on the other side, Schumpeter as a renegade who departed from constitutive tenets of the Austrian paradigm. While this view has long been domi- nant among historians of economic thought, Mises’ student Israel Kirzner and others V. -
Study Guide to the Theory of Money and Credit
Study Guide THE THEORY OF MONEY AND CREDIT Robert P. Murphy LvMI MISES INSTITUTE The Theory of Money and Credit was translated from the German by H.E. Batson and published by Jonathan Cape (London) in . Copyright © by the Ludwig von Mises Institute Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License .. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Ludwig von Mises Institute West Magnolia Avenue Auburn, Alabama Mises.org : 978-1-61016-235-7 CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... Preface ....................... ix I. THENATUREOFMONEY . The Function of Money ............. . On the Measurement of Value . . The Various Kinds of Money . . Money and the State . . Money as an Economic Good . . The Enemies of Money . II. THEVALUEOFMONEY . The Concept of the Value of Money . . The Determinants of the Objective Exchange Value, or Purchasing Power, of Money . v vi Study Guide to The Theory of Money and Credit . The Problem of the Existence of Local Differences in the Objective Exchange Value of Money . . The Exchange Ratio Between Money of Different Kinds ..................... The Problem of Measuring the Objective Exchange Value of Money and Variations in It . . The Social Consequences of Variations in the Objective Exchange Value of Money . . Monetary Policy . . The Monetary Policy of Étatism . III. MONEYANDBANKING . The Business of Banking . . The Evolution of Fiduciary Media . . Fiduciary Media and the Demand for Money . . The Redemption of Fiduciary Media . . Money, Credit, and Interest . . Problems of Credit Policy . IV. MONETARYRECONSTRUCTION . The Principle of Sound Money . . Contemporary Currency Systems . . The Return to Sound Money . Contents vii APPENDICES . On the Classification of Monetary Theories . . Translator’s Note on the Translation of Certain Technical Terms . Glossary . Index . -
Econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible
A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Bond, Niall Article Eliminating the "social" from "Sozialökonomik" economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter Provided in Cooperation with: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), Cologne Suggested Citation: Bond, Niall (2006) : Eliminating the "social" from "Sozialökonomik", economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter, ISSN 1871-3351, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG), Cologne, Vol. 7, Iss. 2, pp. 7-14 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/155862 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. www.econstor.eu Eliminating the “social” from “Sozialökonomik” 7 1 Eliminating the “social” from “Sozialökonomik” Niall Bond early as 1908, Schumpeter had been hostile to the notion Leverhulme Fellow, ISET, of the “social” in economics. -
Praxeology As Law & Economics
Journal of Libertarian Studies Volume 18, no. 2 (Spring 2004), pp. 73Ð89 2004 Ludwig von Mises Institute www.mises.org PRAXEOLOGY AS LAW & ECONOMICS Josef Sima* [The law] has acted in a way contrary to its own end; it has destroyed its own object: it has been employed in abolishing the justice which it was supposed to maintain, in effacing that limit between rights which it was its mis- sion to respect, it has put the collective force at the service of those who desire to exploit, without risk and without scruple, the person, liberty, or property of others; it has converted plunder into a right, in order to protect it, and legitimate defense into a crime, in order to punish it. How has this perversion of the law been accomplished? What have been the consequences of it? Ð FrŽdŽric Bastiat1 The law & economics movement has become one of the most dynamic schools within economics. Its origin is often dated back to the University of Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s, but insights about the interconnections of economics and the law can be found in the works of earlier economists. OLDER APPROACHES TO LAW & ECONOMICS Despite this contemporary idea that the law & economics move- ments started in the 1950s, older scholarly works touched upon the problem of economics and the law, and make cases for other scholars *Deputy Department Chair, Department of Economic Policy, Prague Univer- sity of Economics; and Director for Publications, Liberalni Institut, Prague, Czech Republic. [email protected]. 1FrŽdŽric Bastiat, The Law, in FrŽdŽric Bastiat, Selected Essays on Political Economy (Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Foundation for Economic Education, 2001), p.