ABSTRACT
Most economists do not explicitly consider rights at all, except perhaps property rights. Accordingly, they are unable to justify free exchange except by noting the efficiency gains to which it may or may not give rise. Yet to the
lay person, the right to exchange might seem to be one of the most important economic freedoms, well worth the attention of economists-perhaps even of modern economic theorists. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this general neglect, especially the discussion of economic freedoms by Rowley and Peacock (1975, pp. 87-90) and by Peacock (1987). Also relevant are parts of the chapter by Cowan and Rizzo (1995).
