Synopses & Reviews
This study brings an original slant to the complex and much-debated question of the proper role of government in the economic sphere. Representing a broad range of disciplinary and ideological approaches, the authors identify and explore the most fundamental propositions concerning the economic role of government, as well as the generalizations, major themes, and conclusions that can be drawn from them. The essays focus on the deep levels of political and economic organization and on the values and underlying assumptions that are the bases of the institution of government.
Written by a distinguished group of specialists, the work approaches the issue multidimensionally--from the standpoint of social science, history, law, and philosophy. Not mere ideological exercises, the essays focus on the deep levels of political and economic organization and on the values and underlying assumptions that are the bases of the institution of government. Connections between the government's economic role and ideology, free enterprise, power politics, and group interests are considered together with the constitutional implications of governmental economic powers. Other issues addressed include the changing economic role of government, contradictions and ambiguities in the government's economic functions, rules governing economic activity, and the role of economists in government. Providing a diversity of viewpoints and a wealth of fresh insights, this book can be used in graduate and undergraduate courses in economics, political science, philosophy, and law, and will appeal to the informed general worker.
Review
. . . this collection offers a provocative variety of serious, thoughtful reflections on key issues of political economy, and this should make it a useful supplement to classes in several social science disciplines.Perspectives on Political Science
Synopsis
This study brings an original slant to the complex and much-debated question of the proper role of government in the economic sphere. Representing a broad range of disciplinary and ideological approaches, this distinguished group of authors identifies and explores the most fundamental propositions concerning the economic role of government, as well as the generalizations, major themes, and conclusions that can be drawn from them. The essays focus on the deep levels of political and economic organization and on the values and underlying assumptions that are the bases of the institution of government.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [251]-252).
About the Author
WARREN J. SAMUELS is Professor of Economics at Michigan State University.
Table of Contents
Preface
Government and Competitive Free Enterprise
Power, Politics, and Economics
Government and the Economy: What Is Fundamental?
The Role of Government in a Market Economy
Economic Systems, Government, and Group Interests
The Changing Economic Role of Government
The State: Power and Dichotomy
The Three Faces of John Locke: Fundamental Ambiguities in Government's Economic Functions
The Chicken and the Egg
True Fundamentals of the Economic Role of Government
Economists' Role in Government at Risk
The Public Costs of Private Blessings
The Boundaries of the Public Domain
Strategic Behavior and the Role of Government
Ideology and the Economic Role of Government
On the Appropriate Arenas for Government Intervention in the Third World
Political Economy and Public Policy: The Problem of Joint Appraisal
Assistance for Economic Development
Some Fundamentals of the Economic Role of Government
Economy and State: An Institutionalist Theory of Process and Learning
On the Fundamentals of the Economic Role of Government--The Rules Governing Economic Activity
Fundamentals Relating to the Economic Functions of Government
On the Economic Role of Government
The Economic Role of Government as a Constitutional Problem
Diverse Approaches to the Economic Role of Government: An Interpretive Essay
Selected Bibliography
Index