Busyness, social change, and the limits of econ

One of the most important books I’ve read recently is Kevin J. Elliott’s Democracy for Busy People. Elliott’s conception of “busyness” and his emphasis on democratic inclusion are obvious-once-you-see-them ideas for a world where politics feel increasingly broken.

I wrote a review of the book for Econlog, with special encouragement for market liberals to take its ideas and thoughts on institutional analysis seriously:

This is the first of three pieces for market liberals thinking about democracy at the Econlib websites, with the next two coming in the new year.

(Adam Gurri wrote a review of Democracy for Busy People at Liberal Currents that covers different ground than I do, so you might want to take a look!)

I participated this fall in a virtual reading group discussing the “what ifs?” of the American Reconstruction period and Abraham Lincoln. That prompted some thoughts on the limits of economic explanations for questions of power and domination. With thoughts inspired by Adam Smith and F.A. Hayek.

I have some more thoughts about the limits of economics, this time when it comes to encouraging social change—prompted by a Great Antidote Podcast episode on feminist economics with Giandomenic Becchio.

Becchio is concerned—and I am, too!—that too many people believe that social change just happens without purposeful political action. Feminist economics provides a useful example for thinking about why change doesn’t just happen and some lessons for people who want to change the world.

(If you liked this topic, you’ll probably also like Jacob T. Levy’s recent appearance on The Great Antidote talking about spontaneous orders and social justice.)

What I’m reading and listening to lately:

Sandy Ikeda’s A City Cannot Be A Work of Art—available free to download, but I snagged a physical copy on sale a couple of weeks ago.

Since everyone is posting the first page, I read Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny and decided it’s a mixed bag.

Dara Lind’s recent essay in the NYT on what mass deportation is likely to look like (and how to think about fighting it) is valuable, especially if you’re someone feeling overwhelmed and scared.

Paul Wells’ recent interview with Canadian, Mexican, and American representatives at the Canadian Manufacturer’s and Exporters conference was interesting for anyone interested in trade or who is looking at snow out the window and likes avocado toast.

Thanks, folks. Happy December!

(Reminder, since there is still not a socials button for it, that you can find me on Bluesky!)