[lbo-talk] neocon economists

Michael Perelman michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Sun Apr 20 07:51:13 PDT 2003


I don't see how this group would be neocons instead of just plain cons. Mirowski's new book shows how some cold war social democrats came within the ambit of RAND and the Pentagon.

The neocons seem to revel in state power, not the shrivelled state that Friedman and the conservatives want.

Maybe I am missing something.

On Sun, Apr 20, 2003 at 12:01:22AM -0700, Ian Murray wrote:
>
>
> Many neocons have a soft spot for Schumpeter, Friedman, James Buchanan,
> Thomas Sowell, George Gilder [not really and economist] and Mancur Olson.
> All of these economists, following James Madison and his experience of
> watching the Virginia legislature, abhorred what came to be known as rent
> seeking behavior [Schumpeter may have been the most tolerant/understanding
> of the lot]; but it seems the Republican Party has gone dialectical on a
> free market nono and turned it into a full time strategy for channeling
> taxpayer dollars to their districts and the corps. that send them the
> checks. It's downright mercantilist in a way, which is why I think there's
> something to be said for Frederic Lane's and Charles Tilly's approach to
> protection rents/rackets. Alexander Hamilton would probably feel
> enthralled and repulsed...............
>

-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929

Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu



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