Liberalism's Last Man

Reviews / Votes

"Yadav debuts with a vigorous reappraisal of 20th-century economist Friedrich Hayek in light of today?s increasing authoritarian encroachment on liberal, meritocratic, free-market societies. . . . Seamlessly intertwining political philosophy, intellectual history, and textual criticism, this is an expansive and robust defense of capitalist liberalism." * Publisher's Weekly * "Liberalism's Last Man performs an exceptional service in recasting The Road to Serfdom in a form that modern readers may ?nd easier to appreciate than the original work. For too long Hayek has been treated-by admirers and critics alike-as a slogan or a caricature rather than a serious thinker. It's time for a comeback." * The Wall Street Journal * "In Liberalism's Last Man, Vikash Yadav argues that Hayek has been mischaracterized as an extreme libertarian and market fundamentalist. Yadav points out [Hayek's] support for several progressive positions, including the state's provision of a minimum income, the promotion of social mobility, the taxation and regulation of pollution, and antitrust laws to restrain monopolies." * The New York Review of Books * "Hayek is a complex figure. A careful analysis of his work is necessarily complex. Yadav provides clarity and understanding around this oft-misunderstood intellectual who is too important to misconstrue or misrepresent." * Law & Liberty * "Liberalism's Last Man is, in many respects, one of the most remarkable contributions to Hayekian scholarship post-1989...Vikash Yadav's book is outstanding in its approach, originality, and relevance." * The Independent Review * "Liberalism's Last Man is a welcome reflection of the fragility of liberal capitalism and what is required to adapt the system to be robust in the face of its own internal tensions, the modern challenges of inequality, etc., and the attraction of state control of the market with the promise of well-orchestrated prosperity. The reader will come to appreciate Yadav's approach to teaching contending perspectives in political economy as much as the core argument that emerges in the exercise. The book is well researched, well written, and an important addition to the bookshelf of teacher/scholars of the history of political and economic thought, and to the field of development economics." * EH.Net * "Does Hayek's critique of socialism and defense of liberalism in his 1944 book The Road to Serfdom have any relevance for the very different challenges the international order faces today? Yadav's ambitious goal is to answer that question via a close reading of Hayek's classic text. The result is a penetrating, insightful, sometimes provocative and always stimulating performance." -- Bruce Caldwell | coauthor of "Hayek: A Life, 1899-1950" | Duke University "Well-written, well-researched, and engrossing, the great accomplishment of Liberalism's Last Man is its engagement with modern political theory through the lens of Hayek. It's a highly original work-and refreshing in that it takes Hayek's critics seriously while also refraining from shortchanging Hayek for his supposed intellectual sins." -- Peter Boettke | author of "F. A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy"