Independent Review articles from September 2005

Independent Review archives from September 2005

The mythology of holdout as a justification for eminent domain and public provision of roads.
September 22, 2005... One of the alleged justifications for government provision of roads is that the power of eminent domain is necessary in order to overcome holdout problems and obtain right-of-way properties (Goldstein 1987). (1) After all, this argument...

Why is sector reform so unpopular in Latin America?
September 22, 2005... Anyone contemplating sector reform in Latin America may wonder: Why is it so unpopular? Privatization--a reasonable proxy for sector reform more broadly--is widely disliked. Opinion polls by Latinobarometro (2002) find that approximately 70...

On the privatization of "stolen goods" in Central and Eastern Europe.
September 22, 2005... After many decades of economic deprivation and political oppression, socialist regimes in the countries of central and eastern Europe (hereafter C&EE) withered away by the end of 1980s. The end of socialism created an opportunity for people in...

Oakeshott and Mises on understanding human action.(Michael Oakeshott, Ludwig von Mises )
September 22, 2005... Michael Oakeshott and Ludwig von Mises were arguably two of the twentieth century's most profound theorists of human action. Unarguably, both of them regarded the nature of the social sciences in a way that differed significantly from the...

Cultural diversity and liberal society: a case for reprivatizing culture.
September 22, 2005... Cultural diversity is an enduring fact of social life. Cultural differences exist within nations, and nations share a planet that is home to many different cultures. Even in the most homogenous of countries, where people recognize common...

The conservative-liberal alliance against freedom.(REFLECTIONS)
September 22, 2005... The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. --John Stuart Mill, On Liberty Political...

The Size of Nations.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Size of Nations By Alberto Alesina and Enrico Spolaore Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2003. Pp. 272. $35.00 cloth. In The Size of Nations, Alberto Alesina and Enrico Spolaore investigate two interesting and related issues: how big a...

Democracy, Governance, and Economic Performance: Theory and Evidence.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Democracy, Governance, and Economic Performance By Yi Feng Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2003. Pp. xvii, 383. $40.00 cloth, $27.00 paperback. In Democracy, Governance, and Economic Performance, Yi Feng provides a panorama of some great...

The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the Frontier.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the Frontier By Terry L. Anderson and Peter J. Hill Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2004. Pp. xii, 263. $24.95 cloth. As the title suggests, Terry Anderson and P. J. Hill's new...

The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation That Power Cycles of Growth.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation That Power Cycles of Growth By Robert D. Atkinson Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar, 2004. Pp. vii, 357. $85.00 cloth. The Past and Future of America's Economy is a discourse...

Michael Oakeshott: An Introduction.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Michael Oakeshott: An Introduction By Paul Franco New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004. Pp. 224. $30.00 cloth Michael Oakeshott was one of the most elusive and intriguing intellectuals of the twentieth century. He received a...

Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault.(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault By Stephen R. C. Hicks Tempe, Ariz.: Scholargy, 2004. Pp. v, 230. $29.95 cloth, $18.95 paperback. In Explaining Postmodernism, Stephen R. C. Hicks seeks to explain...

"Not merely perfidious but ungrateful": the U.S. takeover of West Florida.(Etceteras ...)
September 22, 2005... Probably not one American in a hundred knows anything about the short-lived Republic of West Florida (1810). At first glance, it might seem to have sprung from a worthy fight for self-government and independence from Spain. West...