Stefanie Haeffele – författare

F. A. Hayek, a prominent 20th-century political economist in the Austrian tradition,

won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1974 for his pioneering work on the theory of

money and economic fluctuations and on comparative institutional analysis. Hayek''s

research highlights the importance and dispersed nature of knowledge, advancing

an interdisciplinary approach to understanding human behavior. Like any great and

productive scholar, he left behind a body of work that includes tensions, flaws, and

inconsistencies that must be confronted by scholars looking to engage, critique, and

advance his distinctive project in political economy.

Hayek''s work is important but also open for contestation and improvement. Hayek''s

Tensions: Reexamining the Political Economy and Philosophy of F. A. Hayek presents

a critical assessment of Hayek''s research and ideas and identifies sources of tension

within his writing. The contributions to this edited volume include original chapters by

eminent scholars of complexity theory, of Austrian economics, and of Hayek himself.

The book''s key takeaway is that the research program Hayek developed continues as

an open-ended project, both as a social-scientific approach and as a classical liberal

vision of a free society, rather than as a static dogma or set of theories from a bygone

era. Taken as a whole, this volume identifies important questions and areas for future

research by the next generation of political economists.

Crises occur in all societies across world, and can be natural (such as hurricanes, flooding, and earthquakes), man-made (such as wars and economic downturns), or, often, a combination of both (such as famines, the flooding of New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina and subsequent levy failures, and the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011). Crises cause fatalities, injuries, and property damages as well as introduce uncertainty and challenges for individuals, societies, and polities. Yet, we see individuals and communities rebounding effectively from crises all the time. How do communities go about returning to normalcy and beginning again the mundane life of every day affairs?

Elinor C. Ostrom, a Nobel prize winning political economist, made important contributions to common pool resources, economic governance, and polycentricity. Viviana A. Zelizer, a prominent economic sociologist, has done groundbreaking work on how culture shapes our economic lives. Together, the work of Ostrom and Zelizer spans the disciplines of economics, sociology, political science, and public policy by exploring the social relations and community-based organization of everyday life. Both scholars examine the norms, social connections, and cultural impacts of exchange and governance. This volume explores their contributions and builds off of their research programs to explore the social movements, community recovery, and war, and women’s issues across a variety of disciplines, including economics, political science, sociology, history, and archaeology.

Inspired by Zelizer’s 2019 Ostrom Speaker Series lecture for the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, this volume explores the connections between the work of Elinor Ostrom and Viviana Zelizer. Beginning with a lead chapter by Zelizer where she reflects on the connections between her work and Ostrom’s oeuvre, the volume brings together scholars who tease out some of the important concepts and implications of Ostrom and Zelizer’s research. This volume furthers economic inquiry by ensuring that the critical examinations of these timely and important themes are made available to students and scholars.