Anarchy Unbound: Why Self-Governance Works Better Than You Think (Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society)

Leeson puts together an amazing set of papers studying order in the most unlikely places. It will take decades for the main thesis of this books to really sink in, but when it does, it will radically change the foundational assumptions in the social sciences. Contra Hobbes and nearly every economist and political theorist since, Leeson shows that absent a coercive monopoly (a state), humans can, have, and still do cooperate peacefully and efficiently given the constraints they face. Leeson shows how complex institutions emerge to handle conflicts and bring about order, and how these institutions are often robust, nuanced, firm, flexible, and adaptive to the changing needs of the communities in which they emerge.When it comes to comparative political economy and the much needed application of rational choice theory to historical and sociological studies, Leeson is the best in the business. It will take a little time after you read it for the implications of these simple yet radical discoveries to sink in.

This is gong to be one of the most important books for moving people to an important understanding. That understanding is that people are peaceful, altruistic (with reciprocity seeking) and cooperative. Free people forming voluntary alliances offer a better measure of beneficial social control over truly destructive behaviors than government. Government tends to have motivation contrary to order and that are productive of destructive chaos - chaos with a departmental seal, a coerced-money budget, and an comforting organizational chart.