Study Guide to Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market

In June of 2004, I became convinced of the need for a study
guide to accompany what is arguably the single most important
book for the student of Austrian economics and libertarian policy
analysis. Murray Rothbard’s Man, Economy, and State is simply
the most comprehensive exposition of Austrian economics
that exists. Although Mises’s Human Action is itself a self-contained,
beautiful work of sheer brilliance, it is nonetheless the
case that, in his subsequent work, Rothbard teaches economics
more clearly. Power and Market builds on the analysis of Man,
Economy, and State to provide an exhaustive classification and
critique of government intervention in all of its various forms.
Originally intended as a single volume, Man, Economy, and State
and Power and Market were published separately due to (alleged)
space constraints and, no doubt, the radical positions contained
in the latter. The Mises Institute’s lovely Scholar’s Edition has
reunited these two works as Rothbard meant them to be. However,
I shall omit further discussion of the publication background
(inasmuch as a historical sketch is provided in Joseph
Stromberg’s Introduction to the scholar’s edition) and explain
the format of this study guide.
The chapters of this guide match the twelve of Man, Economy,
and State and the seven of Power and Market; appendices
vii
INTRODUCTION