{"title":"Books by Eamonn Butler","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780255367073","title":"Classical Liberalism - A Primer","description":"Classical liberalism is one of the most important political and social philosophies. Indeed, this set of ideas was crucial in bringing the modern world into existence. It fostered a political climate in which economies were free to develop and government limited in scope, essential conditions for the unprecedented increases in living standards seen over the last two centuries. Yet despite its huge contribution, today classical liberalism is poorly understood and often misrepresented, its insights neglected in an era of pervasive state intervention. Eamonn Butler's primer is therefore extremely welcome. It is an extremely clear and well set out introduction to this way of thinking. As such, it is highly suitable for students of the social sciences and makes a valuable contribution to greater understanding of a perspective that is enjoying a long overdue revival.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231022297461,"sku":"9780255367073","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780255367073_31429e05-f4a3-4d08-af3b-fac84122bf43.jpg?v=1786033405"},{"product_id":"9780255367769","title":"School of Thought","description":"School of Thought – 101 Great Liberal Thinkers profiles the lives and ideas of some of the leading thinkers on individual liberty – from ancient times to the present day. Award-winning author Eamonn Butler outlines key elements of liberal thought and takes a chronological look at those who shaped it across the centuries. He identifies their common goals – but also highlights their differing views on, for example, the extent of government involvement in our daily lives. For anyone interested in politics, government, social institutions, capitalism, rights, liberty and morality, School of Thought – 101 Great Liberal Thinkers provides a clear and concise introduction to a set of radical ideas – and the thinkers behind them.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231022330229,"sku":"9780255367769","price":15.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780255367769_25f705ed-5cd5-4ba8-ba64-4ac8968b4630.jpg?v=1786012187"},{"product_id":"9780255368360","title":"An Introduction to Taxation","description":"\u003cp\u003eTaxes. Why do we pay them? What benefits do they bring? What damage do they cause? And how could they work better? Here, author Eamonn Butler provides a jargon-free guide to taxation, its history, its aims and purposes, and its impact on individuals and economies. He invokes the work of pioneering economist Adam Smith, who defined the basic principles of good tax policy – fairness, certainty, convenience and efficiency. And he observes that taxation regularly falls short of these aims – they’re skewed for political ends and often weigh heavily on the least well-off. They’re overly-complex, costly to comply with and, in some cases, create more harm than good. In concise and coherent fashion, he critiques the knee-jerk thinking behind the introduction of new and higher taxes. He puts forward different ways of funding public services, whilst exploring the principles that would make for a much better – and much simpler – tax system.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56231368589685,"sku":"9780255368360","price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780255368360_6ccbb3f7-0cee-4425-804e-117c9dc9ff2b.jpg?v=1786012189"},{"product_id":"9780255366502","title":"Public Choice","description":"'Market failure' is a term widely used by politicians, journalists and university and A-level economics students and teachers. However, those who use the term often lack any sense of proportion about the ability of government to correct market failures. This arises partly from the lack of general knowledge --  and lack of coverage in economics syllabuses --  of Public Choice economics. Public Choice economics applies realistic insights about human behaviour to the process of government, and it is extremely helpful for all those who have an interest in --  or work in -- public policy to understand this discipline. If we assume that at least some of those involved in the political process -- whether elected representatives, bureaucrats, regulators, public sector workers or electors --  will act in their own self-interest rather than in the general public interest, it should give us much less confidence that government can 'correct' market failure. This complex area of economics has been summarised in a very clear primer by Eamonn Butler.   The author helps the reader to understand the limits of the government's ability to correct market failure and also explains the implications of public choice economics for the design of systems of government --  a topic that is highly relevant in contemporary political debate. This text is an important contribution for all who seek to understand better the role that government should play in economic life.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56232164819317,"sku":"9780255366502","price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780255366502_7c1bfc48-396d-4492-b825-5a3d60cad663.jpg?v=1786012184"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-eamonn-butler.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}