Listener Q&A: Where Are All the Libertarian Countries?

Free Thoughts
E46 -

Aaron, Trevor, and David Boaz answer listener questions including the classic: “If libertarianism is so great, where are all the libertarian countries?”

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Hosts
Trevor Burrus
Research Fellow, Constitutional Studies
Aaron Ross Powell
Director and Editor
Guests
David Boaz

David Boaz was a distinguished senior fellow of the Cato Institute and played a key role in the development of the Cato Institute and the libertarian movement. He was the author of The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom and the editor of The Libertarian Reader.

Boaz was a provocative commentator and a leading authority on domestic issues such as education choice, drug legalization, the growth of government, and the rise of libertarianism. Boaz was the former editor of New Guard magazine and was executive director of the Council for a Competitive Economy prior to joining Cato in 1981. The earlier edition of The Libertarian Mind, titled Libertarianism: A Primer, was described by the Los Angeles Times as “a well-​researched manifesto of libertarian ideas.” His other books include The Politics of Freedom and the Cato Handbook for Policymakers.

His articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and Slate, and he wrote the entry on libertarianism for Encyclopedia Britannica. He was a frequent guest on national television and radio shows and has appeared on ABC’s Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, CNN’s Crossfire, NPR’s Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered, The McLaughlin Group, Stossel, The Independents, Fox News, BBC, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and other media.

Aaron Powell and Trevor Burrus tackle listener questions in this episode, including a few perennial classics: If libertarianism is so great, where are all the libertarian countries? Why can’t libertarians, conservatives, and liberals all come together to “make it work” in Washington? How can access to education be guaranteed if the American education system is privatized? And what happens to people who “fall through the cracks” in a libertarian society without a government-​provided social safety net?

Aaron and Trevor are also joined by David Boaz, the executive vice president of the Cato Institute.

Show Notes and Further Reading

David Boaz, Libertarianism: A Primer (book)

Salon, “The question libertarians just can’t answer” (article)

The Guardian, “YA dystopias teach children to submit to the free market, not fight authority” (article)

Harvey Silverglate, Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent (book)

Jon Osborne, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film and Video (book)

Ira Levin, This Perfect Day (book)

Terry Gilliam, Brazil (movie)

Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters (movie)

Joss Whedon, Serenity (movie)