Ebook: Selfishness, greed and capitalism: debunking myths about the free market

This IEA publication deals head-on with a number of widely quoted myths about the market economy. In the case of the philosophical myths, such as the idea that economists believe that everybody is greedy, the author, Christopher Snowdon, carefully and entertainingly unpicks the misguided ideas that have taken hold. The author then moves on and effectively disposes of a number of economic myths using empirical evidence that is often ignored by commentators.;The author; Foreword; Preface; Summary; Figures and tables; Part 1; The Straw Men; 1Capitalism relies on greed and selfishness; Incentives and the invisible hand; _GoBack; The parable of the steel company; Is greed good?; Conclusion; 2Economists believe people are perfectly rational; Some models are useful; Rational choice and behavioural economics; Have we found angels to govern us?; Rational consumers and irrational voters; Conclusion; 3Economists think GDP is all that matters; A blind obsession?; Figure 1Public spending in 2013/14 prices (UK); No design for life; Conclusion.