Freedoms, Political Economy, and Liberalism

This chapter discusses contemporary political economy’s view of the liberal order to unveil its difficulty with the defense of such an order. The chapter then suggests that the embodiment of individual perceptions, values, and beliefs in political economy’s frame of the liberal order is instrumental to set in motion policies and institutional changes that are respectful of liberal institutions and supportive of the material and immaterial benefits secured by a liberal political order. This is because the institutional freedoms dealt with in political economy’s frame can then be analytically complemented by the personal freedoms and, together, better understand the path that leads to the affirmation of a liberal order.