Austrian Economics and Public Policy

Restoring Freedom and Prosperity

By: Richard Ebeling

Narrated by: Larry Wayne

Austrian economics is the most powerful explanation of why governments, no matter how well-intentioned, lack the knowledge, wisdom, and ability to direct the lives of multitudes of people better than those people can do for themselves.

In this book, economist Richard Ebeling introduces you to the central ideas in Austrian economics, as well as their importance for us today.

Over the last 100 years, governments have attempted to replace people's own free actions for mutual betterment with systems of government regulation, planning, redistribution, and control. These have gone under the names of socialism, communism, fascism, National Socialism (Nazism) interventionism, welfare statism, "progressivism", the "third-way", social democracy, Keynesianism, and many others. Their common premise is that those in political authority and power can micro- and macro-manage the social and economic affairs of human society in ways better and more socially just than the free market.

Austrian economics shows why and how it is that all these attempts at government social engineering have failed and often with disastrous consequences.

So what is Austrian economics? And what makes it so important to understanding the economic policy issues we face today? Listen to this book and find out.

©2016 The Future of Freedom Foundation (P)2017 Listen and Think Audio

More relevant today than ever.

As the United States government approaches a fiscal cliff that it cannot back down from, this book is more relevant than ever. Fans of modern monetary theory and the magical money printer will hate this book.

EXCELLENT!

Great introduction and/or redux of Austrian Economics. Always learn something new when I read other Austrians.

A discussion of political stupidity.

Loved it. Systematic debunking of social ism and Obama think. Should be required reading for government.

Great intro into Austrian Economics

Will recommend this book to anyone who wants to dip their toe into austrian economics since it gives a good description of the ideas espoused by austrian economists regarding public policy, which is where it really shines.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Socialism is the devil

Full of hyperbole and logical fallacies. If you are looking for a well thought out defense of capitalism over socialism, continue looking.

Interesting at first, later turns to paranoid rambling

Have been looking for a good book on Austrian economics for some time, as I think that the views of the school are useful in explaining certain aspects of economic uncertainty. Unfortunately this is not it.

The book itself starts quite interesting, discussing the Austrian view and their famous members, but at some point turns paranoid and hostile. For example, there is a part of the book in which (with a very authoritarian voice) is told about the evils of socialism, about how they brainwash people and how they have a master plan to control the world. With those arguments you instantly lose me: if you can’t make a compelling case for your theory without resorting to name calling, conspiracy theories and insults, then perhaps your case doesn’t have much merit to it in the first place. I’ll take a book that compares theories, lays out facts and let’s me make up my own mind, thank you very much.

Just an FYI, I’m definitely a proponent of free market theory. This book however does more to push me in the opposite direction, than it does to support that view.