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Economics and the Good Society speech on the occasion of accepting an honorary doctorate from the University of Athens

Around the world, Athens is recognized as the birthplace of democracy, of the idea that individuals have the right and freedom to govern themselves. In the nearly three thousand years since the founding of Athenian democracy, we have made some progress in understanding its complexities and what is required for a successful democracy to function.
Facade old buildings, image by Freepik
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Many worry that the US may be on the verge of losing its democracy—with a presidential candidate claiming that he would be a dictator (if only for a day) and that if he wins this election, “you don’t have to vote again.” Americans, who have been taught that the American Revolution represented the rebirth of democracy, have come to question this heritage after both Republican presidents of this century took oAice with a distinct minority of the popular vote, under a Constitution written by rich, white men, many of whom were slave-owners, a Constitution that, while enshrining minority rights with majoritarianism, failed to preserve the voice and rights of the majority.

This evening, I want to focus my attention on the concept of freedom itself. It might seem strange for an economist to have 1Presented on the occasion of the award of an honorary doctorate, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, October 15, 2024. 1 chosen such a subject, but economists have long been engaged in debates about freedom and its relationship to the economic system. Most importantly in the 19th century, John Stuart Mill wrote On Liberty, and in the middle of the 20th century, Milton Friedman published his books Free to Choose (written with his wife Rose) and Capitalism and Freedom, and Friedrich Hayek wrote The Road to Serfdom. Published in 1944, Hayek was worried that too large a state would result in the loss of freedom and liberty as Keynesian ideas about how to prevent and respond to another Great Depression, and the Scandinavian welfare state, were both gaining traction.

 

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