In a recent EconTalk podcast, Russell Roberts interviews Michele Boldrin about his intellectual property views. Though Boldrin is not an Austrian, the interview is fascinating and compelling. Roberts and Boldrin both have refreshingly libertarian views. I was by Boldrin’s comments about the “Good” versus the “Bad” Schumpeter; and by their extended discussion of the nature of competition, and why practically implementable ideas are not public goods. I’m hoping someday more work is done along the lines Jeff Tucker suggested:
“As I’ve thought more about their book, it seems that it might suggest a revision in classical-liberal theory. We have traditionally thought that cooperation and competition were the two pillars of social order; a third could be added: emulation. In addition, there is surely work to do here that integrates Hayek’s theory of knowledge with the problem of IP.”
