Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850) was a French Deputy in Parliament and economist, unfortunately very little known in his own country today, who contributed to the debates over protectionism, property, socialism, and the State in various essays and pamphlets which reveal a true genius in style as well as in depth of reflection. His reading (especially in French) is a genuine pleasure.
Economic Sophisms , two series of essays including “A petition” in which Bastiat introduces economic reasoning and gives a marvellous demonstration of the sophisms underlying protectionist policies, available from the LibertyFund library of Economics & Liberty.
The Law, a major reflection upon the nature of law and legislation, a must-read, available from the LibertyFund library of Economics & Liberty..
What is seen and what is not seen, a series of small articles introducing again economic reasoning, but above all, that try to make us “good economists”, that is people who are able to foresee the unintended consequences of some legislations, who are able to see “that which is not seen”. The story of the broken window brilliantly introduces the idea. Available from the LibertyFund library of Economics & Liberty.
The State, a penetrating essay on the nature of the State and redistributive democracy, written one century before Public Choice theorists, available from the LibertyFund library of Economics & Liberty.