Hayek claimed a self-limiting dictatorship can out-liberalize an unbounded democracy

Evidence

Spanish original: “Una dictadura se puede autolimitar y una dictadura que deliberadamente se autlimita puede ser más liberal en sus políticas que una asamblea democrática que no tiene límites” (Interview with F. A. Hayek, El Mercurio, April 19, 1981). — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1638

Categorization

• DEFINE: This is the canonical English rendering of Hayek’s infamous 1981 El Mercurio remark—worth pinning down as the standard citation.
• XREF: Directly resonates with the liberal-authoritarian tension in Mont Pèlerin debates and Pinochet discussions; useful corrective against reading Hayek as a consistent democrat. — connects to: Hayek preferred a liberal dictator over a democracy that impinges on markets — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 363; Hayek repeatedly praised Pinochet, Salazar, and Suharto’s dictatorships as liberty-preserving — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 363; Hayek argued democracy and liberalism can diverge, with democracy potentially turning anti-liberal — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 2144 (+5 more)