Cronyism would be rampant even if government were limited solely to providing core protective functions. With its rent seeking, rent extraction, and revolving door, the U.S. military sector could be the poster child for peak cronyism.

Christopher J. Coyne is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and Co-Editor of The Independent Review. He is the author of the new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace.
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Abigail R. Hall is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, and an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Tampa.
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