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Summer 2023

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 38, Number 2

The Folly of Empire and the Science of Peace

Christopher J. Coyne, George Mason University

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TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise38(2),2023,1-15TheFollyofEmpireandtheScienceofPeaceChristopherJ.Coyne*GeorgeMasonUniversityUnitedStatesofAmericaAbstractThispaperprovidesacriticalanalysisofthepublicgoodsjustificationfornationaldefenseandempire.Socialscientistshavemadeaseriouserrorintakingthepublicgoodsapproachbecausetheyhavedrainedeconomicsfromtheexercise.LiberalswhohaveembracedtheSamuelsonianlogicasthepremiseforliberalempirehavelikewisemadeaseriouserrorbecausethisapproachoveremphasizesthegoodsgeneratedbyempirewhileneglectingthesignificantbads.Further,inpresentingthestateasthesourceofdomesticandinternationalorderthroughitsmilitarymight,liberalshavegivenupthegameintermsofofferingstrongargumentsagainstimperialismandmilitarism.Thiscontributestothepersistenceofthemyththatimperialismandmilitarismarenaturaloutgrowthsofliberalismandcapitalism.Ipresentfivechallengestothewidelyacceptedviewofgovernment-provideddefenseandempire.Ithendiscusshowwecanconstructivelyadvanceliberalismandpeace.JELCodes:D70,H41,H56Keywords:defense,empire,liberalism,peace,publicgoodsI.IntroductionTheintellectualfoundationforempireisoftengroundedinthelogicofSamuelsonianpublicgoods.Inthe1950s,PaulSamuelsonlaidthegroundworkforcontemporarypublicgoodstheory.Henotedthatgoodsthatwerenonexcludableandnonrivalrouswouldfailtobesuppliedinefficientquantitiesandqualitiesbyprivatepeoplelefttotheirowndevices.Inhiswords,therewasan“impossibilityofadecentralizedspontaneoussolution”(Samuelson1954,388).Samuelson(1955)alsoprovidednationaldefenseasanexampleofapublicgood:“Apublicconsumptiongood,likeanoutdoorcircusornationaldefense,whichisprovidedforeachpersontoenjoyornot,*AversionofthispaperwaspresentedastheR.BruceDenUylMemorialPlenaryLectureattheforty-seventhmeetingoftheAssociationforPrivateEnterpriseEducation,Cancún,Mexico,April18,2023.IbenefitedgreatlyfromdiscussionswithPeterBoettkewhilepreparingthispaper.AmyCrockettprovidedvaluableassistancewithfeedbackandediting.

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Metadata [hide]

Title	The Folly of Empire and the Science of Peace
Authors/Creators:	Christopher J. Coyne, George Mason University
Year:	2023
Volume:	38
Number:	2
Pages:	1 - 15
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	defense, empire, liberalism, peace, public goods

Citation:
Coyne, Christopher J. / 2023. "The Folly of Empire and the Science of Peace." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 38(2): 1-15.