Wizja wolnego rynku na gruncie brytyjskiego konserwatyzmu

Abstract

Conservatives differ from libertarians in assuming that the free market alone is not enough to create economic coordination and social stability. They point to the historical and cultural conditions, which govern the development of societies. The Libertarians stand on a strong position, claiming that capitalism is the only system that is both effective and ethically correct and should not be limited. In the first part of my article, I present the vision of a free market in contemporary British conservatism based on the works of Roger Scruton. I explain the basic economic assumptions characteristic for the conservative worldview: a reference to the Austrian economic school - von Mises and Hayek, understanding the free market economy system and defining the concept of zero-sum game. In the second part of the article, I discuss the difference between conservatives and libertarians, in particular as regards to the role of the state and the function of private property. I present the concept of information provided in the price mechanism. In summary, I explain how the conservatives, and above all Roger Scruton, see the dependence of the free market idea on the idea of social justice and I refer this concept to the idea of a modern welfare state.