No Freedom without Regulation
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The Hidden Lesson of the Subprime Crisis
Joseph William Singer
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Format: ClothPrice: $32.50
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A tour de force that corrects a misconception long embraced by both the left and the right about markets and regulation
Almost everyone who follows politics or economics agrees on one thing: more regulation means less freedom. Joseph William Singer, one of the world’s most respected experts on property law, explains why this understanding of regulation is simply wrong. While analysts as ideologically divided as Alan Greenspan and Joseph Stiglitz have framed regulatory questions as a matter of governments versus markets, Singer reminds us of what we’ve willfully forgotten: government is not inherently opposed to free markets or private property, but is, in fact, necessary to their very existence. Singer uses the recent subprime crisis to demonstrate:
Almost everyone who follows politics or economics agrees on one thing: more regulation means less freedom. Joseph William Singer, one of the world’s most respected experts on property law, explains why this understanding of regulation is simply wrong. While analysts as ideologically divided as Alan Greenspan and Joseph Stiglitz have framed regulatory questions as a matter of governments versus markets, Singer reminds us of what we’ve willfully forgotten: government is not inherently opposed to free markets or private property, but is, in fact, necessary to their very existence. Singer uses the recent subprime crisis to demonstrate:
- Regulation’s essential importance for freedom and democracy
- Why consumer protection laws are a basic pillar of economic freedom
- How private property rests on a regulatory infrastructure
- Why liberals and conservatives actually agree on these relationships far more than they disagree
Joseph William Singer is Bussey Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He lives in Cambridge, MA.
“A tour de force. . . . Brilliantly written and important”—Laura S. Underkuffler, Cornell University
“We need a new conversation about regulation, one that rightly roots the subject in the Framers’ vision of property and liberty. Singer has started that conversation.”—Daniel Carpenter, Washington Monthly
“Despite the complexity of the subject matter and the diversity of content, the book is written in an accessible manner. While the book has a singular focus on why regulation is essential, many interesting, refreshing points are made, supplemented by robust, well-grounded arguments.”—Ian W. Li, Economic Record
ISBN: 9780300211672
Publication Date: September 8, 2015
Publication Date: September 8, 2015
224 pages, 5-1/2 x 8-1/4
