Tanstaafl (There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch) - A Libertarian Perspective on Environmental Policy Paperback – September 15, 2011

by Edwin G Dolan (Author)

4.7 17 ratings

When the slim volume entitled TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) was published in 1971, it was one of the first surveys of environmental policy to be written from a libertarian perspective. After selling many thousands of copies, it eventually went out of print, but over time, it has achieved the status of a classic. In its most basic application, the TANSTAAFL principle is a simple statement of reality: everything of value has a cost. The TANSTAAFL principle can also be interpreted as a mandate for a policy of full-cost pricing. In a world where resources are scarce, everything has a cost. Scarce resources are used most efficiently when the price paid by the final user reflects all costs, including waste disposal, harm from pollution, and depletion of non-renewable resources. Author Edwin G. Dolan is a leading environmental economist and academic. This 40th anniversary edition includes the full original text along with a new introduction and extensive commentaries on each chapter by the author. The commentaries explore aspects of environmental issues that have changed over time, for example, the arrival on centre stage of climate change, something that merited only a few words in the 1971 edition. They also discuss things that have not changed: for example, the tendency of government to play the role of villain at least as often as that of hero when it comes to protecting environmental values. As the author repeatedly emphasizes, it is as important today as in the past to apply the TANSTAAFL principle: the polluter must pay. Market mechanisms, price incentives, and protection of property offer a surer path to a cleaner and more sustainable future than either bureaucratic controls or idealistic attempts at moral suasion. "A model of clear thinking and fun writing. Enjoy!" Professor Bryan Caplan, George Mason University

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Searching Finance Ltd
Publication date

September 15, 2011
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.55 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

190772026X
ISBN-13

978-1907720260
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Searching Finance Ltd (September 15, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 190772026X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1907720260
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.55 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,575,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #599 in Green Business (Books)
- #1,254 in Sustainable Business Development
- #4,863 in Environmental Economics (Books)

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4.7 17 ratings

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Bruce S

It's not complicated...what are we waiting for?

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2013

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It seems like Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree on the principles of economics and the environment presented in this short but excellent book. For a specific vision on what the U.S. can do in this area, I highly recommend the book "Reinventing Fire" by Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

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Janie

I highly recommend this book

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015

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I read the first edition of this book when I was a young instructor in a cow college in west Texas and found Dolan's libertarian approach to addressing environmental problems a refreshing change from the heavy-handed, top-down governmental regulatory programs of that period. In the years that have followed, I saw some of Dolan's suggestions (under different names) put into place with greater and lesser degrees of success. This update, presented as appendices to previous chapters, updates the reader of what has changed and what remains the same since 1971. Overall, the author succeeds in this approach. This reader was positively impressed with both Dolan's accessibility and his objectivity. It is only in his final discussion, the relatively new issue of global warming, that I found problems. First, his overall analysis is more tentative than earlier discussions, even though he indicates a high level of confidence in the theory's prognoses. Second, he stops short of proposing many of the libertarian solutions he argued so successfully for in earlier sections. Overall, however, if the reader is interested in an accessible discussion of a freedom-oriented proposal to maintain the health of our world's ecology, I highly recommend this book.

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Walter Block

Dolan, TAANSTAFFL, are GREAT

Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2012

When this book was first published, the author of it and I were young men, together. Now, that can no longer be said. But, we are still together.

I greatly admired TANSTAAFL then, and even more so now.

This book, in a word, has passed the test of time, and then some. TANSTAAFL ought to be made compulsory reading for all adherents of left wing environmentalism; it is only fair that they be forced in such a way, as they have been for so long attempting to compel the rest of us to do things, and refrain from doing others; and with no rationality or coherence behind their demands. As for all others, we, too, ought to read this book, in order to better understand what economics can teach us about environmental issues. Consider for a moment those windmills now being foisted upon us by the government, at the behest of the watermelons (green on the outside, but red on the inside). The trouble is, even from their point of view, that these clean energy sources kill birds. So, what is to be done?

The lesson of all economics, as brilliantly pointed out by TANSTAAFL, is that we need comparative prices that indicate real costs. But this can only emanate in a regime of private property rights.

Read Dolan. Again and again.

Walter E. Block

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Glen

Free Lunch? Not.

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2012

Being an ardent fan of Robert Heinlein, the title of this book intrigued me immediately. I was not disappointed. This discussion of real-world costs of doing business and who ultimately bears those costs, is a great translation of Heinlein's description of life on the closed-system of the moon.

This notion of earth as a closed system is the basis of much of the book's discussion. The explanation of economics was accessible and didn't leave me with my eyes glazed over. There are many great ideas of how to redistribute the cost of doing business so that those who are paying also receive the benefits to which they are entitled. And for those to whom the word "entitlement" is considered profanity, the biggest receivers of those entitlements are the businesses who do not pay for the true costs of extraction and depletion of non-renewable resources.

This is a must-read for everyone. It is important to understand the underbelly of "business as usual" if anything is going to change. My only disappointment with this book is the lack of how to effect those changes. And sooner than later as the second maxim after "No Free Lunch" is "Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later" where "Later" is ALWAYS more expensive.

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2016

This was a college textbook in a MacroEconomics class taught by Professor Al Mandelson {Handsome Al] at Michigan State University. Loved the class. The Prof was amazing and I still quote the book to my daughter who is a college Jr.

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Sly Gryphon

Good discussion approaching pollution for what it is -- infringement upon the rights of others.

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2014

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Many of the solutions to environmental problems take money from polluters and give it to the government; while Dolan recognises these schemes are those most likely to get broad acceptance, he also makes the point that the true Libertarian approach is that pollution is an infringement issue, and can be handled through tort law -- yes, the polluters must pay, but they should pay to those affected by the pollution (not the government).

Many conservatives oppose action on climate change as it goes against the status quo, and unfortunately some of that attitude can be seen in areas of Libertarian thought; this book is good because it does not debate science (leave that to the scientists), but focusses on the various policy alternatives and approaches that fit the Libertarian philosophy.

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Gernot Wagner

Set the right price, get out of the way

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012

It's the single best prescription to save the planet in light of overwhelming market forces pushing us over the edge: realign those forces to work for -- not against -- us. Don't ban flights, or coal for that matter. Make sure that travelers don't get push off the pollution cost onto everyone else, or that coal doesn't cause more in unaccounted damages than it adds value to GDP. Dolan nails these ideas like few others. If you call yourself libertarian and you breathe on a regular basis, this is your go-to guide.

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Tanstaafl (There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch) - A Libertarian Perspective on Environmental Policy Paperback – September 15, 2011

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