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The Limits of Liberty: Buchanan’s Case for Constitutional Rules with Edward Lopez

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Manage episode 483079081 series 2793539
Content provided by Juliette Sellgren. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Juliette Sellgren or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

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What happens when people stop trusting rules—and start rewriting them?

In this episode, we are joined by economist Edward Lopez about the life and legacy of James M. Buchanan, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of public choice economics. We begin by unpacking Buchanan’s biography and intellectual roots: what shaped his worldview, who influenced his thinking, and why his work remains foundational to understanding government, rules, and freedom.

From there, we dive into the rich ideas in The Limits of Liberty—a dense but powerful book in which Buchanan asks: How can free individuals live together without descending into chaos or coercion? Lopez shares with us Buchanan’s key questions, his analytical framework, and the underlying principles that guide his work—especially his emphasis on rules, consent, and the boundaries of state power.

We explore questions like:

  • Who was James Buchanan, and why does his work matter today?
  • What makes Buchanan a “consummate Smithian” and a classical liberal?
  • What are the central ideas in The Limits of Liberty—and why are they still so relevant?
  • How does public choice theory reshape how we understand politics, institutions, and individual freedom?

Edward Lopez is a professor of economics and the BB&T Distinguished Professor of Capitalism at Western Carolina University. He directs the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise and is the past president of the Public Choice Society. His work focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and political processes, especially in the tradition of public choice and constitutional political economy.

If you’ve ever wondered what holds free societies together—or what happens when the rules start to break—this episode is for you.

Support the show

Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  continue reading

226 episodes

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iconShare
 
Manage episode 483079081 series 2793539
Content provided by Juliette Sellgren. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Juliette Sellgren or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://staging.podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send us a text

What happens when people stop trusting rules—and start rewriting them?

In this episode, we are joined by economist Edward Lopez about the life and legacy of James M. Buchanan, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of public choice economics. We begin by unpacking Buchanan’s biography and intellectual roots: what shaped his worldview, who influenced his thinking, and why his work remains foundational to understanding government, rules, and freedom.

From there, we dive into the rich ideas in The Limits of Liberty—a dense but powerful book in which Buchanan asks: How can free individuals live together without descending into chaos or coercion? Lopez shares with us Buchanan’s key questions, his analytical framework, and the underlying principles that guide his work—especially his emphasis on rules, consent, and the boundaries of state power.

We explore questions like:

  • Who was James Buchanan, and why does his work matter today?
  • What makes Buchanan a “consummate Smithian” and a classical liberal?
  • What are the central ideas in The Limits of Liberty—and why are they still so relevant?
  • How does public choice theory reshape how we understand politics, institutions, and individual freedom?

Edward Lopez is a professor of economics and the BB&T Distinguished Professor of Capitalism at Western Carolina University. He directs the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise and is the past president of the Public Choice Society. His work focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and political processes, especially in the tradition of public choice and constitutional political economy.

If you’ve ever wondered what holds free societies together—or what happens when the rules start to break—this episode is for you.

Support the show

Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  continue reading

226 episodes

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