For about a century, U.S. government expenditures reflected Adam Smith’s view that the state’s role should be limited to protecting citizens from aggression and supplying goods that the free market may not provide. Beginning in the late 1800s, however, government at all levels began to change its emphasis from carrying out these traditional roles to advancing the welfare state—a trend that may ultimately threaten government’s capacity to provide the services that Smith deemed essential to the maintenance of a safe and prosperous society.
Adam Smith’s Roles for Government and Contemporary U.S. Roles
Is the Welfare State Crowding Out Government’s Basic Functions?
By Jody W. Lipford, Jerry Slice
This
article
appeared in
the Spring 2007 issue of The Independent Review.
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(17 pages)
Economic History and DevelopmentEconomistsEconomyEntitlements and WelfareFederal Budget PolicyFiscal Policy/DebtGovernment and PoliticsLaw and LibertyPhilosophy and ReligionPolitical TheoryPublic ChoiceState and Local Fiscal PolicyTaxes and Budget
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