F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics

07/11/2025

Is there such a thing as a just war? 🕊️

Chris Coyne & Abigail Hall argue that even if just wars are possible in theory, institutional incentives and hidden costs make them nearly impossible in practice—warranting a presumption in favor of pacifism.

This paper develops the economic case for practical pacifism. Practical pacifism, in contrast to absolute pacifism, recognizes that while it is possible that state-led war may be justified in some cases, it is extremely difficult to determine if any single instance of war is in fact justified; this....

07/10/2025

Chandran Kukathas in the New York Times:

“The more vigorously you try to control immigration, the more you end up limiting the freedom of your citizens and violating equality and the rule of law.”

You cannot control outsiders without controlling insiders.

07/09/2025

Free to read until July 22nd!

Aligica & Miroiu’s "Institutional Diversity and the Economic Calculation Debate" investigates the interconnected problems of economic calculation, institutional diversity, and institutional feasibility.

Cambridge Core - Economics: General Interest - Institutional Diversity and The Economic Calculation Debate

07/09/2025

How does the shadow of war shape our borders?

On the latest episode of the , Nathan Goodman and Abigail Hall reveal how military tools & tactics used abroad are repurposed for domestic border enforcement.

On this episode, Nathan Goodman speaks with Abby Hall on the "boomerang effect," where U.S.

07/08/2025

Can imagination dismantle militarism?

Mikayla Novak tracks how peace entrepreneurs challenged state violence by reshaping public perceptions of diplomacy and trade.

In 1956 economist Kenneth Boulding wrote The Image: Knowledge and Life in Society. This work concerns the role of mental representations, referred to as images, in the organization of human knowledge. This paper applies Boulding’s image construct to non-economic entrepreneurship, specifically to t...

07/07/2025

Why do democratic leaders double down on failing wars?

Chris Coyne and John Temming explore how reputational incentives and the ability to shift costs encourage the over-production of war.

This paper explores the political economy of the sacrifice trap of war--the conflict-related version of the sunk cost fallacy, where policymakers invest additional resources in failing wars because of prior sacrifices already made. Once the initial decision to engage in war is made, democratic leade...

07/04/2025

Does rational choice theory truly capture human behavior?

In "Conversations on Rational Choice," Catherine Herfeld gathers leading voices across multiple disciplines to debate its power & limitations.

Available this September!

Cambridge Core - Economic Thought, Philosophy and Methodology - Conversations on Rational Choice

07/03/2025

What remains of liberty when the state defines who we are?

Mikayla Novak reminds libertarians: if liberty means anything, it means the ability to live and express oneself free from coercion.

People who do not identify with a gender status consistent with conventional fixed, binary gender stereotypes remain the target of a complex array of typically intertwining state policies and civil societal norms which greatly inhibit their liberties.

07/02/2025

Will populism cripple our ability to survive catastrophe? ☢️

Chris Coyne applauds Andrew Leigh for pushing readers to think about the issue of catastrophic risk, but critiques his narrow reliance on government solutions.

How can societies best deal with risks that are potentially catastrophic? Andrew Leigh, an Australian politician, seeks to answer this question by exploring what he believes are the biggest existential risks facing humanity—pandemics, climate change, nuclear weapons, and artificial intelligence. H...

07/01/2025

Does capitalism breed cronyism, or merely inherit it? 💰

André Quintas and Peter Boettke explore Holcombe's claim that cronyism is an inevitable byproduct of capitalism in contrast with Wagner's view that it predates and actively shapes capitalist development.

The growing entanglement between political and economic elites has fueled concerns about inequality, stagnation, and democratic erosion. Both critics of capitalism and classical liberal thinkers condemn the privileges and rent-seeking that arise in this context-but they diverge in their diagnosis. C...

06/30/2025

This Independence Day, celebrate the spirit of liberty with thought-provoking reads from the Independent Institute. 🗽

For a limited time, save 76% on books like:
📘Is Social Justice Just?
📘How to Run Wars
📘In Search of Monsters to Destroy
📘Living Economics.. and many more!