Legitimate Austrian econ literature?

Rookie_Quant · Post by **Rookie_Quant** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:43 pm

I did a search and found a few threads that mention a good deal of "conspiracy"-tinted Austrain economics, and I just wrapped up a few Rothbard books. I was wondering if anyone had good recommendations on digging a little deeper, or maybe more current-day thoughts as opposed to the history of evil banking-type stuff.

Ive got a long list of books but was hoping to narrow a bit via other member's trial and error.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:08 pm

Anything by Ludwig von Mises. See also Menger, Mises*, and Hume.

EDIT: *FA Hayek...included Mises twice.

AndyM · Post by **AndyM** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:25 am

Carlos, don't tell me you'd really read that stuff for phun and prophit.

RQ, good question...I've wondered myself why there seems to be such a paucity of modern material on the Austrian school...

Read some Minsky (but I'm sure you knew that already).

My AAA reccomendation is James Grant's 'The Trouble with Prosperity'. The theory is very much in the background, but his weltaunschang (sp.?) is quite Austrian, and he's a great writer. Very relevant to today's mkts. See this interview for more.

Bachelier · Post by **Bachelier** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 1:40 pm

good info here:

http://www.mises.org/

U of Auburn and The George Mason University, as well as UNLV, are the hot-beds of the current Austrian school material.

Rothbard manages to be both central and fringe at the same time: he has some very extremist libertarian views that he tries to fit with the Austrians, which frankly von Mises or Hayek would not recognize.

Then there are the Randians.......

Rookie_Quant · Post by **Rookie_Quant** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:44 pm

Thank you Gents. This should keep me busy for a bit. I've got a good 30 hours of plane flights booked in November.

Ive always enjoyed Grant's IRO articles, so the book should be great. THe more I read, the more I realize my own thoughts fall into this general framework, but my bridge into Austrian econ was purely out of the interest in the conspiracy theorist aspects that I enjoy dabling in; however, given the decent probability (but not 100%, I argue) that the extreme views on this subject have gone too far, I have growing conviction in the more tame and fundamentally/logically sound arguments. I've studied Marx quite a bit (on his own instead of with Engles, etc.) and the parts of his analysis that I agree with, to me, lead logically to free markets, not government as a surrogate for corporate centralized ownership of the resources of production...you know, the whole idea that communism and facism are two sides o' the same coin. Maybe I'm a closet libretarian too...but now I'm rambling.

Maybe my thesis (which is about 2 years off) could be on unifying Marx with the Austrians...but it's early and I reserve the right to edit that statement out of this post if it proves ridiculous.

Bachelier, thanks for the site and AndyM for the link...good stuff

Bachelier · Post by **Bachelier** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:05 pm

how could i forget Bastiat? and I'm within sight of his rue.

Bachelier · Post by **Bachelier** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:07 pm

edit [double post]

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:35 pm

Carlos, don't tell me you'd really read that stuff for phun and prophit.

Different view of econ, maybe, definitely not for phun.

One more: Schumpeter

Rookie_Quant · Post by **Rookie_Quant** » Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:42 pm

My Marxist professor a few years back spoke alot of the Neo-Shumpeterians, but I never dug there...there is much to do here for me. If only we could expand credit long enough for me to make a couple hundred million bucks I could retire, buy gold and land with my fiat currency, and a very comfy chair in which to read.