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Spontaneous Order and The Social Individual: Hayek, Democracy, and Public Choice

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Austrian Economic Perspectives on Individualism and Society

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Abstract

Assumptions about self-interest underlie much of economic analysis; what would happen if human nature or culture changed, perhaps became more enlightened as discussed by Nell (this volume), and voters began to vote more for the common good than their own personal interests, and representatives began to care more about doing what is right than about personal payoffs? This would result in the end of “public choice” economics and the Austrian analysis that relies on it.

I want to thank Andy Denis for some very helpful comments on an earlier draft. Remaining errors and omissions are of course my own.

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Nell, G.L. (2014). Spontaneous Order and The Social Individual: Hayek, Democracy, and Public Choice. In: Nell, G.L. (eds) Austrian Economic Perspectives on Individualism and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137368843_4

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