Synopses & Reviews
An unflinching critical analysis of government is contained in this follow-up of Higgs's bestseller
Crisis and Leviathan, which distills complex economic and political issues for the layperson. Combining an economists analytical scrutiny with an historians respect for empirical evidence, the book attacks the data on which governments base their economic management and their responses to an ongoing stream of crises. Among the topics discussed are domestic economic busts, foreign wars, welfare programs, the arts of political leadership, the intrusive efforts of governments to protect people from themselves, and the mismanagement of the economy. Though focused on U.S. government actions, revealing comparisons with similar government actions abroad and in China, Japan, and Western Europe are also made.
Review
“I wish liberals and even radicals felt and wrote as strongly about the Iron Heel of government power as does Robert Higgs.” —Alexander Cockburn, columnist, The Nation; co-editor, CounterPunch
Review
"
Against Leviathan is one of the best books on economic policy in the last few years. Higgss case against government oppression is tight and persuasive. Virtually every page of this easy-to-read book tells something important about the economy or government." —David Henderson, Professor of Economics, Naval Postgraduate School; author,
The Joy of FreedomReview
"This is a book that should be read by anyone concerned with American freedoms in the 21st century." —Thomas Gale Moore, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Review
"Defenders of liberty need look no further for intellectual ammunition. This hard-hitting book exposes the multitude of ways the growth of the welfare-warfare state threatens our freedom and prosperity." —Ron Paul, U.S. Congressman
About the Author
Robert Higgs is the author of C
ompetition and Coercion, Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, The Transformation of the American Economy, 1865-1914, and more than 100 articles and reviews appearing in publications such as the
Chicago Tribune, the
Los Angeles Times, Reason, Society, and
The Wall Street Journal. He is a senior fellow in political economy at the Independent Institute and is the editor of the institute's quarterly journal,
The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy. He has also appeared on ABC, CNBC, C-SPAN, NPR, and Radio Free Europe.