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Frédéric Bastiat war der wohl begabteste und stilsicherste Publizist des Liberalismus im 19. Jahrhundert. Der Ökonom, der die Freihandelsbewegung in Frankreich anführte, und Mitglied der Nationalversammlung von 1848 wurde, hinterließ ein ebenso scharfsinniges wie klar argumentierendes Werk zur Verteidigung der Freiheit. Detmar Doering führt in sein aufregendes Leben und Werk ein.

Bastiat describes the ideal of a free society with government limited to protecting life, liberty and property. Thatcherism approached Bastiat's ideal more closely than any other twentieth‐century government. Despite the rhetoric of the 'Third Way,' in some respects New Labour has gone beyond Thatcherism, for example in its education and health policies and in giving independence to the Bank of England. However, New Labour has increased taxes, extended regulation and shows authoritarian tendencies.

Takes exception with descriptions of Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) as a third-rate theorist to argue that he was both a fine economist & a good political scientist. Consideration is given to Bastiat's ideas about method, the economic order, law, distribution, value, & money. He believed in the existence of universal laws in political economy & the importance of method in economics. The compatibility of Bastiat's thinking with libertarianism is explored, along with his emphasis on harmony between economics, politics, & ethics even though he acknowledged that human interests can sometimes be based on evil. Other matters considered include Bastiat's meaning of harmony in relation to the law & the market; his aversion to excessive government spending; his description of value as "in service" (human actions carried out for others); & his theory that legitimacy is arrived at from the exchange of services, not labor. Bastiat's view of economics as the science of activity/reciprocal services & his predictions that have come to pass are discussed. J. Lindroth

Abstract
This article argues that, notwithstanding views to the contrary, Frédéric Bastiat (Bayonne, 1801; Rome, 1850) was indeed a man of science. Thus, in several of his essays he showed that political economy can attain a level of scientific rigor comparable in many respects to that of the natural sciences. Subscribing to the principle of methodological individualism, he offered some persuasive explanations for why people believe in a multitude of things. After examining science as Bastiat conceived it, we shall look at two important examples, mechanization and rational voting.