First published 2011
The federal government has grown dramatically through bailouts, stimulus spending, healthcare expansion, and monetary policy changes. Thomas E. Woods argues this statist trend began years before the recent economic crisis and continues regardless of which party holds power. Woods assembles ten scholars to examine why government scope has exploded and what consequences follow. The contributors trace interventionism from the Jefferson-Hamilton debates through twentieth century federal expansion. They challenge standard explanations of the economic crisis and argue government responses worsened problems. The book critiques the European welfare state model, examines how intrusive government harms both economic prosperity and individual liberty, and addresses flawed arguments against free markets. Contributors explore how big business enables government overreach and argue the Judeo-Christian tradition supports free markets rather than welfare states. The analysis extends to cultural realms where government planning proves destructive. Building on F.A. Hayek's work from sixty-five years earlier, Woods provides warnings about statism's dangers and offers correctives to current trends.
Genres: history, political-science, economics, non-fiction, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-analysis, historical-perspective
234 pages · Hardcover · ISI Books