Bastiat, Frédéric

Bastiat, Frédéric frādārēk´ bästyä´ [key], 1801–50, French economist. In his Harmonies of Political Economy (1850, tr. 1860) he developed the classical theories of economic individualism and laissez-faire. A popular and controversial writer, he vigorously supported free trade. There are several translations of his essays called Sophismes économiques (1847–48).