"As an economist and a public intellectual, Gary Becker was a giant. He won a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work in human capital, the John Bates Clark Medal as the best American economist under 40, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to public life and welfare. He...

This groundbreaking title brings together a critical selection of key papers by the Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics that have helped shape the development and present state of economics. The editors have organised this comprehensive series by theme and focuses on those Laureates working in...

Why has government grown in so many countries during the twentieth century? We present a simple model of political competition and show how different sources of the growth of government have different effects on the amount and structure of taxes, spending, and regulatory programs undertaken by...

1. Introduction -- 2. The Importance of Hayek and Friedman to the Neo-liberal Concept of Freedom -- 3. The Neo-liberal Concept of Freedom -- 4. Spheres of Government -- 5. The Rise of Neo-liberalism and Tyranny of Corporations -- 6. The Rise of Mass Consumption -- 7.The Rise of Neoliberalism and...

Economists assume that people make choices based on their preferences and their budget constraints. The preferences and values of others play no role in the standard economic model. This feature has been sharply criticized by other social scientists, who believe that the choices people make are...