Government and the American economy : a new history
The American economy has provided a level of well-being that has consistently ranked at or near the top of the international ladder. A key source of this success has been widespread participation in political and economic processes. In The Government and the American Economy, leading economic historians chronicle the significance of America's open-access society and the roles played by government in its unrivaled success story. America's democratic experiment, the authors show, allowed individuals and interest groups to shape the structure and policies of government, which, in turn, have fostered economic success and innovation by emphasizing private property rights, the rule of law, and protections of individual freedom. In response to new demands for infrastructure, America's federal structure hastened development by promoting the primacy of states, cities, and national governments. More recently, the economic reach of American government expanded dramatically as the populace accepted stronger limits on its economic freedoms in exchange for the increased security provided by regulation, an expanded welfare state, and a stronger national defense
History
xix, 613 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
9780226251271, 9780226251288, 0226251276, 0226251284
71284589
GOVERNMENT & THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
A New HistoryBy Price Fishback Robert Higgs Gary D. Libecap John Joseph Wallis Stanley L. Engerman Jeffrey Rogers Hummel Sumner J. La Croix Robert A. Margo Robert A. McGuire Richard Sylla Lee J. Alston Joseph P. Ferrie Mark Guglielmo E. C. Pasour Jr. Randal R. Rucker Werner Troesken
The University of Chicago Press
Copyright © 2007 The University of ChicagoAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-226-25128-8
Contents
Dedication PRICE FISHBACK................................................................................................vList of Tables and Figures................................................................................................xiiiAbout the Authors.........................................................................................................xvForeword DOUGLASS C. NORTH...............................................................................................xvii1. Government and the Economy PRICE FISHBACK.............................................................................12. Government in Colonial America STANLEY L. ENGERMAN....................................................................373. The Founding Era, 1774-1791 ROBERT A. MCGUIRE.........................................................................564. Property Rights and Federal Land Policy GARY D. LIBECAP...............................................................895. Reversing Financial Reversals: Government and the Financial System since 1789 RICHARD SYLLA...........................1156. The National Era JOHN JOSEPH WALLIS...................................................................................1487. The Civil War and Reconstruction JEFFREY ROGERS HUMMEL................................................................1888. Government and the American Dilemma ROBERT A. MARGO...................................................................2329. The Gilded Age MARK GUGLIELMO AND WERNER TROESKEN.....................................................................25510. The Progressive Era PRICE FISHBACK...................................................................................28811. Government and the People: Labor, Education, and Health SUMNER J. LA CROIX...........................................32312. The Federal Bureaucracy: From Patronage to Civil Service GARY D. LIBECAP.............................................36413. The New Deal PRICE FISHBACK..........................................................................................38414. The World Wars ROBERT HIGGS..........................................................................................43115. The Growth of U.S. Farm Programs RANDAL R. RUCKER AND E. C. PASOUR JR................................................45616. Shaping Welfare Policy: The Role of the South LEE J. ALSTON AND JOSEPH P. FERRIE.....................................49017. Seeking Security in the Postwar Era PRICE FISHBACK...................................................................507Appendix A. Key Indicators of Economic and Government Activity JOHN JOSEPH WALLIS AND PRICE FISHBACK.....................557Appendix B. The Articles of Confederation.................................................................................571Appendix C. The Constitution of the United States.........................................................................581Appendix D. The Bill of Rights............................................................................................593Index.....................................................................................................................595
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