William Beveridge's 'Mock Trial of the Economists:' Experts and Liberalism

46 Pages Posted: 11 Jan 2014

See all articles by David M. Levy

David M. Levy

George Mason University - Center for Study of Public Choice

Sandra J. Peart

University of Richmond - Jepson School of Leadership Studies

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 10, 2014

Abstract

The 1933 “Mock Trial of the Economists” is occasionally noticed and then interpreted as popular discontent with economists’s “crime” of “conspiracy to spread mental fog” at evidenced by the dueling letters from the Oxbridge economists (Keynes, Pigou, et al.) and the LSE economists (Hayek, Robbins et al.) From William Beveridge’s archives we provide the written record of the composition. The context that frames the composition, we find in this archival record, is the Soviet trials of experts. We interpret the composition reflecting Beveridge’s concern with a totalitarian suppressing of competing viewpoints. This concern provides a context in which it might be helpful to read his later work on the British broadcasting monopoly.

Keywords: Beveridge, the gang that calls itself J. M. Keynes, Mock Trial, mental fog, experts

JEL Classification: B2, B3, P5, Z1

Suggested Citation

Levy, David M. and Peart, Sandra J., William Beveridge's 'Mock Trial of the Economists:' Experts and Liberalism (January 10, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2377314 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2377314

David M. Levy (Contact Author)

George Mason University - Center for Study of Public Choice ( email )

MSN 1d3 Carow Hall
4400 University
Fairfax, VA 22030
United States

Sandra J. Peart

University of Richmond - Jepson School of Leadership Studies ( email )

Jepson Hall
Richmond, VA 23173
United States

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