IEA Foundations of a Free Society web 29.10.13_0
This important book outlines the core principles that define a free society, providing an accessible introduction to the institutions and policies necessary to preserve and enhance individual freedom. The author sets out the wider benefits of free societies and explains how a combination of small government, the rule of law, strong private property rights, and free trade enables entrepreneurship to thrive, delivering large improvements in living standards and lifting people out of poverty. Furthermore, the book elucidates how a society based on ordered liberty allows free associations networks of cooperation to develop, which produce wider social as well as economic benefits. It also demonstrates how attempts to expand the role of government to promote equality or security at the expense of liberty have tended to end in failure and oppression. With its clear language, concise arguments, and persuasive real-world examples, this primer is essential reading for those attempting to bring freedom to countries where the foundations of a free society are absent, and for those defending liberty in places where traditional freedoms are under threat.
