Essays on Liberalism and the Economy

Across seventeen volumes to date, the Collected Works of F. A. Hayek series has anthologized the diverse and prolific writings of the Austrian economist synonymous with classical liberalism. Essays on Liberalism and the Economy traces the author’s long and evolving writings on the cluster of beliefs he championed most: liberalism, its core tenets, and how its tradition represents the best hope for Western civilization.

This deft selection includes some of Hayek’s most important and famous essays as well as unpublished and lesser-known works. It contains material from almost the entire span of Hayek’s career, the earliest from 1931 and the last from 1984. The works were written for a variety of purposes and audiences, and they include—along with conventional academic papers—encyclopedia entries, after-dinner addresses, a lecture for graduate students, a book review, newspaper articles, and letters to the editors of national newspapers. While many are available elsewhere, two have never appeared in print, and two others have not been published in English.

The varied formats collected here are enriched by Hayek’s changing voice at different stages of his life. Some of the pieces resonate as high-minded and noble; others are less formal. Some see Hayek focus on expounding his own views; others are primarily critiques of the ideas of other prominent thinkers like John Maynard Keynes and John Kenneth Galbraith. All serve to distill important aspects of Hayek’s worldview.