Corey Robin — The Calculus of Their Consent

Remembering Gary Becker (et al)

Kathy also mentions this article that Becker wrote in 1997 about the Chicago Boys who worked in or with the Pinochet regime. Becker’s conclusion about that episode?

In retrospect, their willingness to work for a cruel dictator and start a different economic approach was one of the best things that happened to Chile.

No real surprise there. Many free-marketeers, including Hayek, either defended the Pinochet regime or defended those who worked with it.

Oh, what the heck, the Allies forgave all the capitalists and scientists that worked with Hitler on the Nazi war machine.

Crooked Timber
The Calculus of Their Consent
Corey Robin