What libertarianism has become and will become — State Capacity Libertarianism

by Tyler Cowen

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Original on marginalrevolution.com
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Summary

Cowen argues that the traditional libertarian movement has lost energy and that its smartest members have drifted toward a different stance. He names it State Capacity Libertarianism and lays out its core beliefs in a numbered list: markets deserve credit, but a strong, competent state is needed to support them. He then contrasts this position with liberaltarianism.

Key points

  • Cowen believes old-style libertarianism has stalled and cannot address problems such as climate change.
  • Markets and capitalism are powerful, but strong states are needed to build and protect them.
  • A strong state is different from a large or tyrannical one.
  • Many American failures, from infrastructure to education, reflect weak state capacity, not only overregulation.
  • This view is friendlier to infrastructure, science funding, nuclear power, and space programs.
  • Internet debate has shaped which ideas survive and how the doctrine evolved.

Why practice this

Cowen writes in a compressed blog style with numbered propositions, blunt asides, and quick qualifications. Retyping him teaches economical argument, careful hedging, and how to define a new term by stating what it is and what it is not.

Practice an excerpt

These excerpts are short quotations for practice and commentary. All rights stay with the author; read the whole essay at the original source.

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For one thing, it doesn’t seem that old-style libertarianism can solve or even very well address a number of major problems, most significantly climate change. For another, smart people are on the internet, and the internet seems to encourage synthetic and eclectic views, at least among the smart and curious.
Those problems require state capacity — albeit to boost markets — in a way that classical libertarianism is poorly suited to deal with. Furthermore, libertarianism is parasitic upon State Capacity Libertarianism to some degree.

About this essay

Cowen proposes State Capacity Libertarianism, a pro-market philosophy that also values an effective, capable government.

“What libertarianism has become and will become — State Capacity Libertarianism” was written by Tyler Cowen. Read the original at marginalrevolution.com. Copywork shows a summary and short excerpts for practice and commentary; all rights stay with the author.

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