(2011-08-28) Kling Rule Libertarianism

Arnold Kling wants a Rule Libertarian-ism. Act libertarianism would mean that at any given moment you are free to do whatever you want, following no rules whatsoever. Rule libertarianism would mean that you are free to bind yourself by undertaking voluntary contractual commitments, to follow a set of rules... My libertarianism is a strong preference for exit over voice (Exit Voice And Loyalty). If my government disappoints me, I want to be able to switch to a different government as readily as I can change cell phone providers, or join a different gym. Another way to make my point is that in a modern society I want lots of Governance, but I want very little of that governance to come from Government. Governance is provided by a rich set of nongovernmental institutions (NGO), as emphasized by Alexis De Tocqueville two centuries ago and Elinor Ostrom more recently. The distinctive feature of government is the absence of a reasonable option for exit. cf Minimal Compact