CNN: “Their livelihood was being threatened, and they were tired of waiting for government help, so business owners and residents on Hawaii’s Kauai island pulled together and completed a $4 million repair job to a state park — for free.”
The whole subject of private roads is an intriguing one. I’ve been convinced of the case for years but it is Walter Block’s surprising and remarkable new treatise on the topic that has made me obsessed with the topic. Now, everywhere I look, I see the failure of road socialism and the practical and moral urgency of the full privatization of roads. The appearance of the book would be exciting in any times, since is the first and only extended book-length treatment of the topic, and it is a thorough treatment. But in our times, it is especially striking since technology makes this subject more compelling than ever, and the failure of the state to build and maintain viable infrastructure is more obvious than ever.
Block’s book comes along just in time. I hope to write more on this topic in the future. This blog post is not an official release but simply a note to give you a heads up about what is coming. Nonetheless, the book will be stocked starting on Tuesday, so if you order it now, you will have to wait a few days. Still, it will be in your hands late next week.
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When I think about publicly funded roads and the privatization issue, I can’t help but wonder how much more efficient and “green” our society would be without the government’s intervention.
The number of cars and the pollution associated with them is often laid at the doorstep of the free market by environmentalists, but without the massive subsidies provided by government, there would probably be fewer roads, more efficient means of travelling — trains, buses, airplanes etc. — and probably an improved standard of living.
If you visit Walt Disney World in Florida, they have an exhibit about Walt Disney’s vision for EPCOT and a society of the future; in many ways, I think he might have had an idea of what even his present world might have been were it not for the intrusion of government.
When I’m done reading the books I currently have and am not completely swamped with my textbooks for school, I will definately have to give this one a read!
Mr. Tucker, will there be a hardcover edition available?
There could be but it would be much more expensive. Our experience lately suggests that people appreciate the price and portability of softcover, so we are moving first with that.
Is this another compilation of articles masquerading as a book? Some choice quotes from the book page lead me to believe as much.
I’m a huge fan of the Mises Institute and all it does, but the refusal to come right out and call some works what they are — compilations, not new material — is disheartening and unnecessary.
If only some of this is old and much of it is new, or it’s half and half, or mostly new — come out and say as much plainly. Why leave the potential buyer guessing?
oh give me a break. The book is in the literature section and you are free to download it and look it over. Is that also “disheartening?” Is that leaving people guessing?
It is a compilation but even from where I sit, I’ve seen only a tiny number of these–parts appeared in journals so obscure that they were seen only by the editors–and they are arranged and edited to make an integrated treatise. It took two years of work to make this happen, and it comes with a complete bibliography. The editorial work on this is first class. So don’t tell me that this was a matter of just sticking stuff together. This is a full book written over the course of some 15 years.
Have a look and you will see what I mean.
Why so defensive?
I’m not saying you shouldn’t be publishing the book. I didn’t call this embarrassing or enraging. I didn’t threaten to withdraw my support from the Institute.
I merely suggested that you employ a bit more truth in advertising when it comes to compilations.
I ask again: Why NOT come right out and say what the book is?
It’s my own judgement that this is an integrated book first and only secondarily does it matter that chapters appeared in journals before. The same is true of Human Action and Hoppe’s Economics and Ethics and Rothbard’s Ethics of Liberty and many other books too.
On the other hand, a book like Making Economic Sense really is just a compilation of shorter pieces, which is fine and is a defining characteristic in that case.
That chapters in a book like this have previously appeared in obscure journals hardly invalidates its status as a book. So the important thing in describing a book is to say what it is first. That’s what the description does. Oh and one more point: every word of this book was re-edited and redone with an eye to the whole, so it is not even the case that anything in here has appeared before precisely as it appears here.
Sorry to be defensive but that’s what happens when you suggest that we are somehow withholding information from people — a claim I find baffling given that we are giving this book away for free online viewing.
I am so excited about this book! Dr. Block is an inspiration to me and has helped me quite a lot over the last few years. He encouraged me to submit my work to the ASC’s and to peer-reviewed journals, and lo and behold, my first paper is coming out soon!
I’ll be purchasing this book as soon as it comes out!
Jeff,
Fair points, one and all.
Keep up the excellent work!
After checking out the online version, it’s clear to me that Mr. Tucker is correct. Researching all of Dr. Block’s articles and synthesizing them to fully understand his proposal and evidence would be a time consuming task. Which is why I have not done so.
But now that this book has come out, I will certainly buy a copy and have a (I hope) full understanding of Prof. Block’s arguments. I’m incredibly greatful for such a service.
On a subjective/personal note, I prefer the dry, analytical writing of Mises or Richard Posner than the more entertaining and readable style of Prof. Block.
After checking out the online version, it’s clear to me that Mr. Tucker is correct. Researching all of Dr. Block’s articles and synthesizing them to fully understand his proposal and evidence would be a time consuming task. Which is why I have not done so.
But now that this book has come out, I will certainly buy a copy and have a (I hope) full understanding of Prof. Block’s arguments. I’m incredibly grateful for such a service.
On a subjective/personal note, I prefer the dry, analytical writing of Mises or Richard Posner than the more entertaining and readable style of Prof. Block.
Just wondering how this version differs from the one that was released by Edward Mellen Press back in 2006?
It is completely different. That edition, which I’ve seen only once, was quickly withdrawn from the catalog and its limitations (understatement) are precisely what inspired this edition.
It’s reported that Chicago residents are fixing potholes themselves because the city is so behind…no mention of public goods or the “free rider” problem!
“Residents of a West Side Chicago street who were fed up with the potholes grabbed pavement mix and tools to fill the holes themselves.
“Members of the South Austin Coalition used $100 in pavement mix and a 250-pound push roller in addition to rakes and shovels to fill 15 holes on West Van Buren St.”
LOL, those Chicago vigilantes! No doubt the forces of law and order will have to be rallied to purge this peril from our day…
How long before the police show up and start ticketing people who are fixing the roads? No permits, not following code, non-union workers, etc.
I’m sure they can come up with a dozen “laws” that are being broken….
Absolutely, Enjoy. Did you notice how jl left out the key point of the article:
“But city officials say the residents’ action was not a good idea.
“Brian Steele of the Chicago Department of Transportation says the driveway mixture used by the neighborhood group does not match the quality of the high performance cold patch used by the city.”
And, when they aren’t busy *not* filling potholes, “Officials say city crews fill 3,000 to 5,000 a day.”
Please, jl, leave this important work to the professionals.
Excellent, I have been waiting for this book for ages. Block’s articles on roads are great stuff, and it will be brilliant to have a full volume on them.
I’ve also enjoyed Block’s articles on roads for awhile now. I often link to them while pointing out the the government’s terrible record in road service and transportation. Keep up the good work!
Create A Model Classical Liberalism City
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Private Streets And Infrastructure!
I classify the whole issue of ‘public goods’ and eminent domain under a term called ‘Forced Development.’ This macro approach is just as arbitrary as price regulation.
Whose vision for development is being ‘forced’ on people? What would happen if there was no arbitrary development forced on people?
In a classical liberalism society people who want to have ‘infrastructure’ will migrate to places that have contractual relationships in place that foster that type of ‘development.’ If that is indeed a good thing then it will be a very prosperous place and other places will then emulate it and civilization will advance in that way.
At the same time, those people who want less ‘development’ can choose to live in places that have contractual relationships that preserve those type of conditions. Over time they will still evolve along with and parallel to the ever-advancing civilization because the people living in these places will have children and their idealism will have an influence over the long run. Prosperity is very attractive to most people.
If you weren’t coming off as an ass, there would be no reason to be defensive. The book is available for free here.
URL: http://mises.org/books/roads_web.pdf
“It is completely different. That edition, which I’ve seen only once, was quickly withdrawn from the catalog and its limitations (understatement) are precisely what inspired this edition.”
Thanks, I never bought the original due to the ridiculous price. I have a downloaded version somewhere (made up of MS Word files) but never got round to reading it. I shall certainly be purchasing this version.
Now, if only the business people on Kaua’i would buy the state park.
I saw the article on CNN yesterday and immediately thought about the blog post on here a bit back about privatizing the roads. It really is an interesting topic and one that is bound to come up more in debates as the bureaucracy continues to fail and as governments continue to pile up more debt.
Bruce Koerber says:
“At the same time, those people who want less ‘development’ can choose to live in places that have contractual relationships that preserve those type of conditions. Over time they will still evolve along with and parallel to the ever-advancing civilization because the people living in these places will have children and their idealism…”
Do you mean to suggest, by your comparison here, that the other people who have chosen “Forced Development” will not have children and will lose their idealism?
No need to answer that, it was meant to be a frivolous question, since this is a libertarian site. Prof Block’s book is now on my reading list.
Will this be potentially in book-stores? Like, can I order it at Amazon, or my local BArnes and Nobles?
This is good and all, but it needs to get into the mainstream.
Tracy
excellent timing.
anybody who’s ever driven past a road-works team instantly understands what passes for productivity in the public sector. one man digs, three men chat. there’s a good measure of truth behind all clichés.
Dear KY Leong,
In my comment there was nobody who chose ‘forced development’ only those who matched their lifestyle with the various contractual agreements extant in various places. These are voluntary not coercive arrangements.
And since we are talking about a non-coercive society the idealism of youth will be very active and very productive!
I really resent how government has made the geography inaccessible and dangerous for one of the most efficient modes of transportation, the bicycle. However, I don’t see how it would be profitable to a private owner to accomodate users of bicycles when producing infrastructure. Does anyone have any ideas how bicycle accessible roads could come about?
To Bruce Koerber:
When I was reading your (earlier) post the question came to me as to whether the rapid decline in national birthrates over the last 3 or 4 decades in the “miracle” economies of East Asia has anything to do with the “development” plans forced upon the peoples of Japan, China, S Korea, Singapore etc, where state-capitalism, under the guise of Confucian ethics, has directed the lives of their citizenry over almost two generations. Secession (to choose to live or not in a place with/without state coerced “development”) was never much of an option because of the abject poverty everywhere after WWII. Classical liberalism had a price even if these people knew of the merits of its ideals then.
Point is: with so much govn BS around us and everywhere for so long, I was just hoping for some comic relief with that, now I think about it – (not-so) frivolous question of mine.
Otherwise, I am with you 100%.
As a young civil engineer, I was wondering if anyone knew of any US-based companies that currently are, or are trying to play a hand in private road planning, design, or operation.
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