Stati sovrani e ordine mondiale / Hayek's Extended Order

Abstract disponibile solo in lingua inglese

This essay deals with two questions: 1) what is the relationship between Hayek's extended order and liberty? And 2) what is the future of the extended order in a world composed of many sovereign states, not all of which are concerned with liberty? These questions are to some extent linked and allow us to use Hayekian principles to understand and interpret the world around us. The conclusion is reached that today, following the collapse of the USSR, the worst danger for the Great Society (or extended order) comes from within; it lies in its very own genius for creating wealth, which, in turn, makes it possible to create great governments, great armies and great parasitic castes. On the other hand, information and competition on a global scale, such as we have today, between different societies and different sovereign states may suffice to keep freedom alive, to keep governments within reasonable bounds and to keep the military within safe bounds. If this were so, we would be living through one of the greatest periods in human history – the one in which the Great Society became self-sufficient.