Perspectives on Peace — The Life and Legacy of Robert Higgs

Welcome to the series, Perspectives on Peace, hosted by Chris Coyne. The first four episodes of this series will focus on The Legacy of Robert Higgs (Mercatus, 2024) and will feature a collection of short interviews with many of the chapter authors.

On this episode, Chris Coyne and Don Boudreaux discuss the life and legacy of Robert Higgs as featured in the newly published edited volume, The Legacy of Robert Higgs (Mercatus Center, 2024). Coyne and Boudreaux emphasize Higgs’ work as an economist and economic historian, especially his influence on understanding economic history and the relationship between markets and political systems.

Boudreaux shares personal anecdotes about his friendship with Higgs and highlights the key works that have shaped Higgs' legacy, including Crisis and Leviathan and Competition and Coercion. They discuss his understanding of the 19th and 20th century American economy, his role in the development of “The Independent Review,” his arguments for maintaining skepticism about government power, and more.

Donald J. Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow at the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a Professor of Economics at George Mason University.

Learn more about Chris Coyne’s work as Director of the Initiative for the Study of a Stable Peace (ISSP).