Government’s End – Jonathan Rauch
A stunning distillation of public choice — or why government expansion and special interests go hand in hand.
Fatal Conceit – F.A. Von Hayek
A must read for anyone who believes society can be planned, shaped or engineered by elites for "the good."
The Mystery of Capital – Hernando de Soto
How property rights protect the poor and can pull them out of poverty.
The Best Laid Plans
A giant antidote to smart growth, town planning and other municipal fetishes.
Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid – M.K. Pralahad
Why we should stop thinking of the poor as victims, and instead as resilient, creative entrepreneurs.
The Future and Its Enemies – Virginia Postrel
Unpacks the disturbing trend towards preference for stasis over dynamism.
White Man’s Burden – William Easterly
Why foreign aid is doomed to perpetual failure.
Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance – Douglass North
It’s all about getting the rulesets right.
Moral’s by Agreement – David Gauthier
A contractarian theory deriving the liberal (original sense) state and the free individual.
The Improving State of the World – Indur Goklany
How trade, progress and globalization is good for the world (including the environment).
Anarchy, State & Utopia and A Theory of Justice (together!) – Robert Nozick, John Rawls respectively
Titanic political theory from two great minds – compare and contrast.
Leave your own recommendations in the comments…
-Max Borders
Max,
What are you getting me for Festivus?
A feat of strength!