Evolution of institutions and orders of actions in Hayek: two different theories of two distinct spontaneous phenomena

Stefano Moroni

Chapter 3 in Hayek’s Living Legacy in Economics, Philosophy and Policy, 2026, pp 35-55 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The contribution offers a critical appraisal of two distinct Hayekian theories, namely the “theory of the spontaneous order of actions” and the “theory of spontaneous evolution of social institutions”. The purpose is to show how Hayek and many commentators and disciples have mistakenly conflated these two distinct theories and have thereby generated confusion over various other related crucial issues. The aim is therefore to clearly distinguish the two theories in order to identify the real message of Hayek's teaching and clear the way for a more useful exploration of self-organising social phenomena.

Keywords: Evolution of Institutions; Evolutionary Order; Network Coordination; Spontaneous Order; Spontaneous Evolution; Social Institutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035394234
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