Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On this episode, Peter Boettke chats with Mark Pennington on Mark's latest book, Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom (global.oup.com/academic/product/foucault-and-liberal-political-economy-9780197690529?cc=us&lang=en&) (Oxford University Press, 2025). Pennington argues that Foucault's ideas on self-creation, disciplinary power, and biopolitics align with key liberal concerns about social control and individual agency. He critiques how both liberals and Foucauldian critics have misunderstood or ignored these connections, and drawing on thinkers like Hayek, Buchanan, and Ostrom, he calls for a liberalism that emphasizes pluralism, resists technocratic overreach, and engages more deeply with the insights of the humanities.
Dr. Mark Pennington (kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-mark-pennington) is Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Pennington is currently director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society (csgs.kcl.ac.uk/) .
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Virtual Sentiments (mercatus.org/hayekprogram/virtual-sentiments) , a podcast series from the Hayek Program, is streaming. Subscribe today and listen to season three, releasing now!
Follow the Hayek Program (twitter.com/hayekprogram) on Twitter: @HayekProgram
Learn more about Academic & Student Programs (asp.mercatus.org/)
Follow the Mercatus Center (twitter.com/mercatus) on Twitter: @mercatus
CC Music: Twisterium
On this episode, Peter Boettke chats with Mark Pennington on Mark's latest book, Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge, and Freedom (global.oup.com/academic/product/foucault-and-liberal-political-economy-9780197690529?cc=us&lang=en&) (Oxford University Press, 2025). Pennington argues that Foucault's ideas on self-creation, disciplinary power, and biopolitics align with key liberal concerns about social control and individual agency. He critiques how both liberals and Foucauldian critics have misunderstood or ignored these connections, and drawing on thinkers like Hayek, Buchanan, and Ostrom, he calls for a liberalism that emphasizes pluralism, resists technocratic overreach, and engages more deeply with the insights of the humanities.
Dr. Mark Pennington (kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-mark-pennington) is Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Pennington is currently director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society (csgs.kcl.ac.uk/) .
If you like the show, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell others about the show! We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Virtual Sentiments (mercatus.org/hayekprogram/virtual-sentiments) , a podcast series from the Hayek Program, is streaming. Subscribe today and listen to season three, releasing now!
Follow the Hayek Program (twitter.com/hayekprogram) on Twitter: @HayekProgram
Learn more about Academic & Student Programs (asp.mercatus.org/)
Follow the Mercatus Center (twitter.com/mercatus) on Twitter: @mercatus
CC Music: Twisterium
