Corporate legitimacy

https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/704861/

From: S
Sent: Sun 1/1/2017 7:27 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Corporate legitimacy

Dear Professor Block,

I often see people make the argument that you posted from MM, that governments designate corporations and therefore they are not legitimate. It seems to me that this is confusing legitimate institutions with which the government meddles with illegitimate institutions which the government *creates*. Government regulations and taxation can create incentives to set up an institution like a corporation or a marriage, but people might organize into corporations or marriages for reasons outside of coercive governments. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, on the other hand, *only* exists because of government. Do any of the articles you posted address that? Would it be possible to post those as hotlinks on the blog, or is there a place where they are hotlinked?

Thank you, S

Dear S:

I agree with you entirely. Private corporations are compatible with libertarianism, government bureaus are not. Here are some readings for you on this:

Hessen, Robert. 1979. In Defense of the Corporation Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press,

Huebert, J. H. and Walter E. Block. 2008. “In Defense of Corporations, Tax Breaks, and Wal-Mart” November 24; http://www.jhhuebert.com/articles/corporations.html

Huebert, J. H. and Walter E. Block. 2008. “Response to Long on Corporations, Unions, and Wal-Mart.” December 12; http://jhhuebert.com/articles/response-to-long-on-corporations-unions-and-wal-mart/; http://www.jhhuebert.com/articles/corporations2.html; https://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/024387.html

Block, Walter E. and J.H. Huebert. 2008-2009. “Defending Corporations (reply to van Eeghen.)” Cumberland Law Review, Vol. 39(2), pp. 363-385; http://www.walterblock.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/block-huebert_defending-corporations-2009.pdf;

http://cumberland.samford.edu/lawreview/article/39/2

http://blog.mises.org/archives/010631.asp;

http://141.164.133.3/exchange/walterblock/Inbox/Re:%20reply%20to%20van%20Eeghen.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_block-huebert_defending-corporations-2009.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/block-huebert_defending-corporations-2009.pdf?attach=1

Klein, Peter G. 2008A. “Long on the corporation.” November 10;

http://archive.mises.org/008924/

Klein, Peter G. 2008B. “More on the Corporation.” November 8

https://mises.org/wire/more-corporation

Here are the links to Roderick’s pieces in the exchange: https://organizationsandmarkets.com/2008/12/01/government-and-the-corporation/

Klein (2007A, 2007B, 2008A, 2008B)

Klein, Peter G. 2007A. “The Wikified Firm.” February 6;

https://web.archive.org/web/20080726193733/http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2007/02/06/the-wikified-firm/

Klein, Peter G. 2007B. “Vaguely Defined Property Rights.” April 4;

https://web.archive.org/web/20090203084358/http://organizationsandmarkets.com:80/2007/04/04/vaguely-defined-property-rights/

Klein, Peter G. 2008A. “Long on the Corporation.” November 10

https://web.archive.org/web/20081229015143/http://blog.mises.org:80/archives/008924.asp