tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342528022617501525.post8378422955013829880..comments2024-03-28T15:05:33.781+13:00Comments on Economics New Zealand: Two good economics booksDonal Curtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03687495556590450225noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342528022617501525.post-61877276131047956472014-07-25T14:40:41.485+12:002014-07-25T14:40:41.485+12:00I agree about the lack of a liberal package in NZ ...I agree about the lack of a liberal package in NZ politics. That is one of the (many) sad things about politics in this country and one of the reasons I don't vote. There is no one to vote for. As to McMillan, from memory it was the last part of the book that I took exception to. But Seamus Hogan, he of Offsetting Behaviour fame, once took me I was wrong in my interpretation, so may be I'm being too mean to McMillan.Paul Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731003529546075700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342528022617501525.post-55307410914183891912014-07-25T13:51:26.988+12:002014-07-25T13:51:26.988+12:00Thanks. 1) Fair point, I wasn't aiming to besm...Thanks. 1) Fair point, I wasn't aiming to besmirch libertarianism: I like to think I'm pretty liberal myself. What I was trying to say (maybe not too clearly) was that I don't see the complete package of liberal economics and liberal politics actually on offer in NZ. Liberal on one tends to come with illiberal on the other. On positive or negative liberty, dunno: they mention (pp71-6) the merits of markets allowing specialisation, rewarding consumer-friendly innovation and entrepreneurship (the Schumpeter thing), and allowing decentralised decision-making (the invisible hand/ Walras thing), so it sounds like 'liberty to' rather than 'liberty from' if that's the distinction 2) You could be right, though I don't have the same recollection of McMillan, what I mostly remember is the ubiquity of markets, the different kinds and why each had gone the route it had, some modern auction stuff, and the preconditions for them to work well. And that's it - can't say much more since (as I mentioned) someone nicked my copy...Donal Curtinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03687495556590450225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7342528022617501525.post-69647370609373546232014-07-25T13:33:06.986+12:002014-07-25T13:33:06.986+12:00Two points. 1) "libertarian flog-the-criminal...Two points. 1) "libertarian flog-the-criminal freaks" If you think this is libertarianism you don't understand libertarianism. Remember libertarians are socially, politically and economically liberal . See the 3rd edition of David D. Friedman's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Machinery-Freedom-Guide-Radical-Capitalism-ebook/dp/B00LNDWWMW/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1406251091&sr=1-2" rel="nofollow">The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism</a> just out in Kindle Edition. Also when Dalziel and Saunders speak of "substantive freedom" do they mean it in terms of positive or negative liberty? 2) as to the McMillan book, having read it twice I can't help thinking that McMillan had never meet a government intervention he didn't like.Paul Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731003529546075700noreply@blogger.com