The Road to Serfdom
Friedrich Hayek
Hayek argues that handing economic decisions to a central planner means imposing a minority's will and cannot stay democratic, and that fascism and socialism share that root rather than opposing each other. He allows a government role in fraud, harmful externalities, working hours and a basic safety net of food, shelter and health security. First published in March 1944 by Routledge in Britain; the link is the Definitive Edition, which prints the text with supporting documents.
Why you should read this
Friedrich Hayek's wartime argument holds that centralized economic planning tends toward political totalitarianism regardless of the planners' intentions, and a condensed version distributed by Reader's Digest carried it to a mass audience beyond academic economics. Best for readers tracing the intellectual roots of postwar free-market conservatism back to their source.
- Field
- Economics
- Form
- Non-fiction
- Published
- 1944
- Themes
- Political EconomyEconomics
