James A. Dorn – författare

Essays in this volume refocus attention on Constitutional protection for economic liberties. Divided into three parts, the book deals with the following topics: Interpreting the Constitution: Theory and Practice; Property Rights, Activism and the Judicial Process; and Recent Economic Issues in the Courts.

The essays in this volume are timelyand provocative. They address the key issues of the changing world economy and consider the implications ofthe erosion ofthe rule oflaw that has occurred both domestically and internationally to an increasing degree over the past halfcentury. The debates over the role of the dollar in the international econ- omy, the future shape ofthe international monetary system and the exchange rate regime, the significance ofthe U. S. twin deficits, and the rise of nontariffbarriers to world trade deserve serious attention. Atthe bottom ofthese debates lie differing conceptions ofeconomic policy and the role of government in a free society. Adam Smith's vision ofa limited democracy operating to protect persons and prop- erty has been increasinglyreplaced by a vision ofapaternalistic state that is designed to protect special interests at the expense of the larger society. Many of the contributors to this volume point to the lack oflong-run rules designed to promote sound money, fiscal integ- rity, and open markets asthe fundamental flawofmodern democratic governments.Although the authors disagree on the specific rules to adopt, the consensus is that a constitutional perspective is needed to ensure astable worldorder. Moreover,since such aperspective must bedeveloped at home before it can spread among nations,the search for optimal international policy coordination is generally seen as misguided. Many ofthe essays in this volume were initially presented at the Cato Institute's Sixth Annual Monetary Conference held in Wash- ington, D. C. , February 25-26, 1988.