In a powerful and unapologetic new treatise, Cambridge University economist and fellow Victoria Bateman delivers a full-throated defence of the very foundations of Western prosperity: capitalism and free markets.
Her new book, Economica, dismantles modern economic anxieties with a simple, yet revolutionary premise—true liberty cannot exist without economic freedom.
A Maverick's Defence
Bateman, no stranger to controversy having used nude protests to make her points, argues that the market economy is not the oppressive force it's often portrayed as. Instead, she posits it as the greatest engine for human progress and personal liberation ever created.
She tackles head-on the growing disillusionment with capitalism, particularly amongst the young, arguing that blaming markets for today's ills is a profound and dangerous error.
The Bedrock of Liberty
The book compellingly links economic freedom to other fundamental rights. Bateman asserts that the ability to trade and pursue prosperity is intrinsically tied to broader social liberties, including women's rights and sexual freedom.
She warns that the current backlash against capitalism, often fuelled by good intentions, risks undermining the very system that has lifted billions from poverty and secured our modern freedoms.
Challenging the Status Quo
Ever the iconoclast, Bateman takes aim at sacred cows across the political spectrum. She challenges the left's instinct to regulate and the right's tendency to overlook capitalism's role in advancing social progress.
Her analysis is a call to arms to protect and understand the economic system that, for all its flaws, remains our best hope for a free and prosperous future.
Economica is not just an economic text; it is a passionate manifesto for reason, freedom, and the courage to defend the institutions that have built the modern world.
