The Best Parts

OPEN MINDS, OPEN MARKETS

Between 2014 and 2017, I worked with private investors and public shareholders on both sides of the political aisle to solve the Greek debt crisis. That inspired my new book, Free Market: The History of an Idea. I want entrepreneurs to learn from my experience, and embrace the idea that free markets need good government, and that good government can be shaped by private enterprise.

Case in point: In the 1620s, two of England’s most important entrepreneurs and economic thinkers, Edward Misselden and Thomas Mun, persuaded the British government to help domestic shipping companies compete with the Dutch through subsidies and protection. The strategy worked: By the end of the 19th century, British merchants were global shipping leaders and their government exited with a profit.