Archive for Manuel F. Ayau
Manuel Ayau, who died in August at age 84, was Guatemala’s leading classical liberal scholar and intellectual entrepreneur, founder of Francisco Marroquín University, a former FEE trustee, and a Freeman contributor.
The Most Elusive Proposition
Most explanations of the division of labor are actually explanations of increased productivity due to specialization. The most common example is Adam Smith’s pin factory in The Wealth of Nations, where each worker becomes better at his job because that’s all he has to concentrate on. But the increase in wealth from the division of [...]
22Oct2010 | Manuel F. Ayau | 1 comment | ContinuedPresumptuous Protectionism
If someone gets caught selling somebody elses property,
he goes to jail.What may be legally bought and
sold in the market is limited to legitimate private
property acquired by ones own effort or through voluntary
exchange with others. Since legal transactions are
settled accounts, what is traded belongs to neither the
government nor the community. It is private property,
and as such the owner can dispose of it at his sole discretion,
limited only by other peoples
rights. Correct?
The Most Elusive Proposition
Most explanations of the division of labor are actually explanations of increased productivity due to specialization. The most common example is Adam Smith’s pin factory in The Wealth of Nations, where each worker becomes better at his job because that’s all he has to concentrate on. But the increase in wealth from the division of [...]
1Oct2004 | Manuel F. Ayau | 2 comments | ContinuedUnderdeveloping Indiana
The people of the 50 states of the United States (5 percent of the world’s population) produce 31 percent of the world’s gross product of goods and services. Think of the United States as a world in itself, composed of 50 countries with open borders and no restrictions on trade between them. In this world, [...]
1Sep2002 | Manuel F. Ayau | 3 comments | ContinuedEconomic Calculation Revisited
Now that outright socialism has failed, the quest for a third way has gained prominence. Political leaders insist that a free society is inherently unjust and the privileged prosper at the expense of the unfortunate many. Thus the state must correct the failures of the market. The critics of the modern version of Western “capitalist” [...]
1Sep1999 | Manuel F. Ayau | 0 comments | ContinuedPerestroika: Can It Work?
Perestroika: Can It Work? Dr. Ayau is President Emeritus of the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala, where Mr. Cole is a professor of economics. It is all very well to hail perestroika—the current moves toward liberalization of Soviet bloc economies, the establishment of “profits” as incentives for Soviet managers, and steps to organize Soviet production [...]
1Dec1988 | and Manuel F. Ayau | 0 comments | ContinuedThe Ideology of Underdevelopment
If a false ideology is the problem, explore the case for freedom at the highest intellectual level.
1Oct1978 | Manuel F. Ayau | 1 comment | ContinuedWANTED: Manager for New Society – Typical Problems to Be Solved
A businessman from Guatemala offers some sobering reflections on the problems of any New Society.
1Mar1968 | Manuel F. Ayau | 0 comments | Continued-
The Latest
Contraception: Insuring the Uninsurable
Update below. Controversy rages over the Obama administration’s mandate that all employers – including... Read More
The Snow Plowers’ Petition
The following might have happened in a small college town in upstate New York… In a cold and snowy... Read More
Super Bowl versus Education?
In the spirit of Super Bowl weekend I’d like to deconstruct a Facebook status update that a friend... Read More
Capitalism, Corporatism, and the Freed Market
When a front-running presidential contender tells the country that thanks to Barack Obama, “[w]e are... Read More
Creating Jobs versus Creating Value
Picking on New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is one of the largest participation sports on the Internet.... Read More
