Is Austrian Economics value free? Is Mainstream Economics value-free? Why or why not?
Economics qua economics is value free, as a rule.
But seeing as the innate utilitarianism in our minds generally takes general prosperity as good, which means that Austrian economics tend to have implicit values.
All economics is value-free, by definition. If an Austrian or a mainstreamer discuss values, there’s nothing wrong with that (in fact it’s crucial), but they do so as moral/political philosophers, not economists.
That being said, Austrians tend to be natural rights libertarians who see that even if one were a utilitarian, one should pursue liberty. Mainstreamers tend to be utilitarians who sneak in their moral philosophy under a “scientific” and “value-free” fog.