"Foucault and Hayek: On Freedom and Oppression" Mark Pennington, Hayek Lecture Series

The Hayek Lecture Series is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy and Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE), an interdisciplinary certificate program at Duke University. Find previous Hayek Lectures at https://hope.econ.duke.edu/hayek-lect.... Mark Pennington has been Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy in the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London since January 2012 and was Head of Department between 2016 and 2020. Professor Pennington is currently director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Society. He is the author of several books including Foucault and Liberal Political Economy: Power, Knowledge and Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2025) and Robust Political Economy: classical liberalism and the future of public policy (Edward Elgar, 2011). In this Lecture, “Foucault and Hayek: On Freedom and Oppression,” Professor Pennington explores the compatibility between Foucault’s post modern account of freedom; and Hayekian political economy. Pennington proposes that these two schools of thought might blend thereby creating a new form of “liberal political economy, post modern liberalism.” This post modern liberalism uses the tools of Foucault’s critical social theory to unmask various forms of un-freedom, illiberalism, and oppressive forms of over-government in contemporary societies. We hope you enjoy it.