The case for big government / Jeff Madrick ; with a new preface by the author.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Madrick, Jeff, 1947-

Series:

Public square (Princeton, N.J.)

The Public Square book series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Organizational effectiveness--United States.

Organizational effectiveness.

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

United States--Economic policy--2001-2009.

United States--Economic policy--2009-.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (222 p.)

Edition:

With a New preface by the author and a new foreword by Ruth O'Brien

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, 2010, c2009.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Political conservatives have long believed that the best government is a small government. But if this were true, noted economist Jeff Madrick argues, the nation would not be experiencing stagnant wages, rising health care costs, increasing unemployment, and concentrations of wealth for a narrow elite. In this perceptive and eye-opening book, Madrick proves that an engaged government--a big government of high taxes and wise regulations--is necessary for the social and economic answers that Americans desperately need in changing times. He shows that the big governments of past eras fostered greatness and prosperity, while weak, laissez-faire governments marked periods of corruption and exploitation. The Case for Big Government considers whether the government can adjust its current policies and set the country right. Madrick explains why politics and economics should go hand in hand; why America benefits when the government actively nourishes economic growth; and why America must reject free market orthodoxy and adopt ambitious government-centered programs. He looks critically at today's politicians--at Republicans seeking to revive nineteenth-century principles, and at Democrats who are abandoning the pioneering efforts of the Great Society. Madrick paints a devastating portrait of the nation's declining social opportunities and how the economy has failed its workers. He looks critically at today's politicians and demonstrates that the government must correct itself to address these serious issues. A practical call to arms, The Case for Big Government asks for innovation, experimentation, and a willingness to fail. The book sets aside ideology and proposes bold steps to ensure the nation's vitality.

Contents:

Front matter

Acknowledgments

Contents

Foreword / O'Brien, Ruth

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Part I. Government and Change in America

Part II. How Much We Have Changed

Part III. What to Do

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612936210

9781282936218

1282936212

9781400834808

1400834805

OCLC:

699474626