Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux
“A major disagreement between James Buchanan and Anthony de Jasay is whether it is possible to devise a constitution that effectively constrains the state, limits its power and danger. Many other classical liberals and libertarians have struggled with the same question (including Friedrich Hayek), but the opposition between Buchanan and de Jasay is paradigmatic as the two thinkers offer two very different answers anchored in the same economic methodology: neoclassical, subjectivist, non-utilitarian, informed by public choice theory, and opposed to ‘social choice.’ That Buchanan was much influenced by the American constitutional experience makes his theory especially relevant in this country, although its universal implications are obvious. As for de Jasay’s critique of Buchanan, it is deep and cannot be summarily dismissed.” (07/21/25)