Looking at public policy debates in conventional terms in terms of conflict between the left and the right has grown increasingly cumbersome in an era where conservatives call themselves revolutionaries and liberals strike positively Burkean poses when it comes to reforming Social Security or Medicare. Through an examination of the libertarian worldview, once on the margins of American politics but now in the mainstream, William E. Hudson shows how it has attracted powerful political supporters and is promoted by a network of institutions and policy advocates dedicated to its ideals. The Libertarian Illusion offers a well researched, balanced, and systematic critique of libertarian policy proposals on both the conservative (taxation and fiscal policy, health care, social security, and business regulation) and liberal (abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia) sides of the traditional political spectrum.
Always engaging and provocative, Hudson hones in on the fundamental value differences that drive political debate, arguing that a more communitarian outlook offers solutions more likely to solve America s policy problems.
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About the Author
William E. Hudson is professor of political science at Providence College. He is the author of The Libertarian Illusion, American Democracy in Peril, 5th Edition, and Experiencing Citizenship: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Political Science (with Richard Battistoni). Hudson has published numerous articles on public policy issues in journals such as Political Science Quarterly, Polity, Western Political Quarterly, Economic Development Quarterly, and Policy Studies Journal.
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Underwhelming,
By
This review is from: The Libertarian Illusion: Ideology, Public Policy and the Assault on the Common Good (Paperback)
The whole book seems much less a critique of libertarianism and much more an endorsement of communitarian-ism, which in the author's mind is the best alternative and far superior to the aggressive protection of individual rights. He discusses the case for a shift in American political thought away from a focus on individual rights and toward protection of "society's rights" and "society's best interest."
The review box is not the place for a point-by-point rebuttal of the book's theses, so I'll just list some of Hudson's suggestions for the implementation of a communitarian society as a favorable alternative to what Hudson correctly identifies as a shift in Constitutional interpretation towards more individual liberty at the expense of society. - Mandatory, universal, single-payer health care - Mandatory education in which all schools are modeled the exact same way - Governmental permission required for abortion - Banning of dangerous behaviors like smoking, overeating, riding without a helmet, and possession of pornography - Government regulation of markets and industry - Vast increases in government spending with vast increases in taxation to support it Yeah, I didn't understand the pornography one either, and Hudson never actually makes a case for its risk - he just assumes everyone knows it's bad. The book ends with a truly bizarre comparison of people enjoying Central Park to the realization of communitarian ideals. So that's what to expect. Simultaneously pedantic and friendly, clumsily written, cites opinions more than facts, and printed on cheap paper. Smug, supercilious, and overwhelmingly socialist. Two stars.
0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent,
By
This review is from: The Libertarian Illusion: Ideology, Public Policy and the Assault on the Common Good (Paperback)
I am not an economist by training, but I have been spending time reading various titles in the past 5-6 years to try to understand my own opinions better. So part of my review is based on a comparison of other titles I have read. I am also liberal minded person, progressive and now, communitarian. So there is my bias al you who will try to negate my review. If you are a libertarian, try to experience reading a book with an open mind. Because you will no doubt disagree with Hudson, even though he relies on actual history to make his case...unlike libertarian/free-marketist theory and models which turn out to be largely just assumptions and wishful thinking.
And regardless of your preferred economic models, Hudson is a really good writer. He makes this topic easy to get through, a real gift for an economic writer. Anyone can access this information and gain many insights from this book.
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Bitter cold engulfed the newly renovated East Front of the Capitol Building that Friday morning on January 20, 1961, in Washington, D.C. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
rolling blackouts, private wants, public philosophy, restoring fiscal sanity, libertarian illusion, libertarian policy ideas, policies regarding birth, libertarian paradigm, libertarian turn, libertarian proposals, private retirement accounts, libertarian outlook, libertarian vision, new social regulation, starve the beast, libertarian agenda, libertarian critique, social insurance model Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Social Security, New York, United States, The Libertarian Illusion, Supreme Court, University of Chicago Press, The Limits of Markets, The Battle, World War, Milton Friedman, Cato Institute, Community Needs, Blue Cross, Harvard University Press, Rights Talk, Oxford University Press, American Democracy, Contemporary Public Policy, Great Depression, Michael Sandel, Basic Books, Fourteenth Amendment, Democracy's Discontent, The Communitarian Persuasion, Peddling Prosperity Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Bitter cold engulfed the newly renovated East Front of the Capitol Building that Friday morning on January 20, 1961, in Washington, D.C. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
rolling blackouts, private wants, public philosophy, restoring fiscal sanity, libertarian illusion, libertarian policy ideas, policies regarding birth, libertarian paradigm, libertarian turn, libertarian proposals, private retirement accounts, libertarian outlook, libertarian vision, new social regulation, starve the beast, libertarian agenda, libertarian critique, social insurance model Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Social Security, New York, United States, The Libertarian Illusion, Supreme Court, University of Chicago Press, The Limits of Markets, The Battle, World War, Milton Friedman, Cato Institute, Community Needs, Blue Cross, Harvard University Press, Rights Talk, Oxford University Press, American Democracy, Contemporary Public Policy, Great Depression, Michael Sandel, Basic Books, Fourteenth Amendment, Democracy's Discontent, The Communitarian Persuasion, Peddling Prosperity Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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