The Sound of Silence: A Review Essay of Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 56,
no. 4, December 2018
(pp. 1492-1537)
Abstract
This essay reviews Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America, which triggered a huge controversy that virally spread on the internet and in various journals. We will evaluate MacLean's almost biographical account of James Buchanan, which portrays the 1986 Nobel Prize laureate as the mastermind behind today's attacks, by the foot soldiers of the radical right, on American democracy. This essay develops three main points. One, MacLean's general narrative puts too much emphasis on Buchanan and largely neglects the many other important characters who contributed to the intellectual criticism of government intervention. Two, MacLean's account is marred by many misunderstandings about public choice theory, for instance about the role that simple majority rule plays in constitutional economics. Third, in the midst of abundant archival material, her historical narrative is, at best sketchy, and is replete with significantly flawed arguments, misplaced citations, and dubious conjectures. Overall, MacLean tends to overinterpret certain aspects in Buchanan's life and thought, while she overlooks others that are equally important in understanding his work and influence. In particular, we stress that Buchanan was, first and foremost, a scholar, not a political activist, who gave significant attention to ethical considerations in his analysis of markets.Citation
Fleury, Jean-Baptiste, and Alain Marciano. 2018. "The Sound of Silence: A Review Essay of Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America." Journal of Economic Literature, 56 (4): 1492-1537. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20181502Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- A11 Role of Economics; Role of Economists; Market for Economists
- B21 History of Economic Thought: Microeconomics
- B31 History of Economic Thought: Individuals
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- K00 Law and Economics: General
- N42 Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: U.S.; Canada: 1913-