'This lovely set of essays provides a small intellectual feast. The readings are a delight for the thoughtful economist and should be an excellent supplement for any number of undergraduate or graduate economic courses or law school offerings.' Lloyd Cohen, George Mason University 'Harold Demsetz's contributions to economics are well known for their simple originality and have laid important foundations in many areas of economics. With this book, Harold Demsetz continues to spoil his audience with a wide-ranging array of novel and thought-provoking essays.' Francesco Parisi, University of Minnesota and University of Bologna 'The book From Economic Man to Economic System is an excellent piece of research, which focuses on various economic discussions of individual behavior and the behaviour of economic institutions. Tackling the important issues of self-interest and capitalism and its institutions, it is worthwhile reading for everyone who is interested in economic decisions and economic institutions.' Friedrich Schneider, Johannes Kepler University of Linz 'From Economic Man to Economic System brings Harold Demsetz's deep learning and analytical insights to bear on ongoing intellectual debates addressing the efficiency (and efficacy) of unfettered market capitalism, the regulation of environmental quality and the modern business corporation, and the causes of the wealth of nations. The 11 essays collected here are uniformly well crafted and thought-provoking. Maintaining accessibility without sacrificing rigor, Professor Demsetz traces the institutions of capitalism - the market and the firm - to their source, masterfully probing the nature of Homo Economicus in that agent's starkest manifestation, thereby laying a foundation for astute commentaries on the selfish gene versus economically rational altruism, on the problems of establishing and defining ownership rights, on private property rights versus communal rights, on misinterpretations of the Coasian concept of 'transaction costs,' and on the consequences of confusing transaction costs with the costs of using the price system. The product of a lifetime of reflection by one of the economics profession's most penetrating thinkers, From Economic Man to Economic System will be of interest to economists, legal scholars and many others.' William F. Shughart II, F. A. P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of Mississippi