Foundations of a Free Society. This item is unavailable.Foundations of a Free Society

This important book outlines the core principles that define a free society. It provides an accessible introduction to the institutions and policies necessary to preserve and enhance individual freedom. The author also sets out the wider benefits of free societies. A combination of small government, the rule of law, strong private property rights and free trade enables entrepreneurship to thrive, delivering large improvements in living standards and lifting people out of poverty. Furthermore, a society based on ordered liberty allows free associations and networks of cooperation to develop that deliver wider social as well as economic benefits. Attempts to expand the role of government to promote equality or security at the expense of liberty have tended to end in failure and oppression. With its clear language, concise arguments and persuasive real-world examples, this primer is essential reading for those attempting to bring freedom to countries where the foundations of a free society are absent, and for those defending liberty in places where traditional freedoms are under threat.

Eamonn Butler is director of the Adam Smith Institute, a leading policy think tank. He has degrees in economics, philosophy and psychology, gaining a PhD from the University of St Andrews in 1978. During the 1970s he worked for the US House of Representatives, and taught philosophy at Hillsdale College, Michigan, before returning to the UK to help found the Adam Smith Institute. In 2012 he was awarded an Hon DLitt by the Edinburgh Business School. He is currently Secretary of the Mont Pelerin Society.