Hayek and International Economic Order

Hayek wrote very little on international economic order. In his few writings on the subject, going back to the 1930s and 40s, he follows Robbins in advocating „international authorities“ to solve the problem of international political and economic disorder. The paper argues that Hayek indulges in „naive constructivism“. First, he ignores the classical liberal insight, from Hume and Smith to Ropke and Tumlir, that, fundamentally, a liberal international economic order is generated „from below“ as a by-product of proper constitutional observance within national orders; it does not result directly „from above“ through international political cartels. Second, „international authorities,“ berefit of requisite moral and political preconditions within nation-states, would likely degenerate into politicised, interventionist agencies rather than being apolitical enforcers of an International Rule of Law.