Who Was Friedrich Hayek? What Was His Economic Theory?

Friedrich Hayek used to be as soon as a well known economist, widely known for his numerous contributions to the field of economics and political philosophy. Hayek’s method maximum often stems from the Austrian college of economics and emphasizes the limited nature of information. He is particularly well known for his coverage of free-market capitalism and is remembered as some of the essential greatest critics of the socialist consensus.

Key Takeaways

  • Social theorist and political philosopher Friedrich Hayek and his colleague Gunnar Myrdal every gained the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1974.
  • His concept on how changing prices relay information this is serving to folks unravel their monetary plans used to be as soon as a surprising milestone success in economics.
  • Hayek’s option to economics basically were given right here from the Austrian college of economics.
  • He used to be as soon as an ardent defender of free-market capitalism.
  • Hayek is regarded as by the use of most mavens as some of the essential greatest critics of the socialist consensus.

Investopedia / Alex Dos Diaz


Early Life and Education

Friedrich Hayek used to be as soon as born in Vienna, Austria, on May 8, 1899. He attended the Faculty of Austria where he got doctorates in every legislation and political science in 1921 and 1923, respectively. He moreover completed postgraduate art work at New York Faculty in 1924.

Hayek based totally the Austrian Institute for Business Cycle Research and served as its director from 1927 to 1931. In 1931, he left to join the London Faculty of Economics (LSE) for the reason that Tooke Professor of Monetary Science and Statistics until 1950. After LSE, he took a spot at the Faculty of Chicago for the reason that Professor of Social and Moral Science up until 1962. From 1962 to 1968 he used to be as soon as a professor at the Faculty of Freiburg.

A Global Battle I veteran, Hayek later mentioned his revel in inside the fight and his wish to lend a hand avoid the mistakes that ignited the fight drew him into economics. Hayek lived in Austria, Great Britain, america, and Germany and became a British matter in 1938.

Notable Accomplishments

Friedrich Hayek and Gunnar Myrdal every gained the Nobel Prize in Monetary Sciences in 1974 “for their pioneering art work inside of the main of money and monetary fluctuations and their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social, and institutional phenomena.

Published Works

One in every of Hayek’s key achievements used to be as soon as his e book The Side road to Serfdom, which he wrote out of concern for the total view in British academia that fascism used to be as soon as a capitalist reaction to socialism. It used to be as soon as written between 1940 and 1943. The determine used to be as soon as inspired by the use of the French classical liberal thinker Alexis de Tocqueville’s writings on the “side road to servitude.” 

The Austrian college of economics used to be as soon as first advanced inside the past due 19th century and focuses on the idea of using just right judgment to seek out monetary regulations.

The e book used to be as soon as relatively commonplace and used to be as soon as published in america by the use of the Faculty of Chicago in 1944, which propelled it to even higher reputation than in Britain. At the instigation of editor Max Eastman, the American magazine Reader’s Digest moreover published an abridged type in April 1945, enabling The Side road to Serfdom to reach a a ways wider audience than teachers.

The e book is broadly commonplace among those advocating individualism and classical liberalism.

Other published works by the use of Hayek include Individualism and Monetary Order, John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor, The Herbal Thought of Capital, and The Sensory Order.

Honors and Awards

In 1984, Hayek used to be as soon as appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by the use of Queen Elizabeth II, on the advice of Best Minister Margaret Thatcher, for his “services and products and merchandise to the find out about of economics.” He used to be as soon as the main recipient of the Hanns Martin Schleyer Prize in 1984. He moreover received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991 from President George H. W. Bush.

What Did Friedrich Hayek Win the Nobel Prize for?

Friedrich Hayek gained the Nobel Prize in Monetary Sciences for his art work on the concept of money and monetary fluctuations. He gained it in 1974 with Gunnar Myrdal.

What Did Friedrich Hayek Believe?

Friedrich Hayek had many beliefs in relation to economics. He used to be as soon as part of the Austrian Faculty of Economics and believed in free-market capitalism. He moreover believed that free markets allowed for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, which may well be essential for societies to bloom and electorate to prosper.

Used to be as soon as Friedrich Hayek a Capitalist?

Friedrich Hayek used to be as soon as a defender of free-market capitalism and spoke out in opposition to plenty of the monetary norms of the 20th century, similar to Keynesian economics and socialism.

The Bottom Line

Hayek is regarded as a primary social theorist and political philosopher of the 20th century. His concept on how changing prices relay information this is serving to folks unravel their plans is broadly regarded as crucial milestone success in economics. This concept is what led him to the Nobel Prize.

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