Growing Public
Abstract
Growing Public examines the question of whether social policies that redistribute income impose constraints on economic growth. Taxes and transfers have been debated for centuries, but only now can we get a clear view of the whole evolution of social spending. What kept prospering nations from using taxes for social programs until the end of the nineteenth century? Why did taxes and spending then grow so much, and what are the prospects for social spending in this century? Why did North America become a leader in public education in some ways and not others? Lindert finds answers in the economic history and logic of political voice, population aging, and income growth. Contrary to traditional beliefs, the net national costs of government social programs are virtually zero. This book not only shows that no Darwinian mechanism has punished the welfare states, but uses history to explain why this surprising result makes sense. Contrary to the intuition of many economists and the ideology of many politicians, social spending has contributed to, rather than inhibited, economic growth.Download Info
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Bibliographic Info
This book is provided by Cambridge University Press in its series Cambridge Books with number 9780521821742 and published in 2004.
Order: http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521821742
Handle: RePEc:cup:cbooks:9780521821742
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Web page: http://www.cambridge.org
Related research
Keywords:Other versions of this item:
- Lindert,Peter H., 2009. "Growing Public," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521529174.
- Lindert,Peter H., 2004. "Growing Public," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521529167.
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Citations
Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.Cited by:
- Kim, Wonik, 2008. "Enfranchisement and the welfare state: Institutional design of unemployment compensation," The Journal of Socio-Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 1660-1678, August.
- Peter H. Lindert, 2009. "Revealing Failures in the History of School Finance," NBER Working Papers 15491, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Leandro Prados de la Escosura, 2010.
"Improving Human Development: A Long-Run View,"
Journal of Economic Surveys,
Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 841-894, December.
- de la Escosura, Leandro Prados, 2010. "Improving Human Development: A Long-run View," CEPR Discussion Papers 7982, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Prados de la Escosura, Leandro, . "Improving human development : a long-run view," Open Access publications from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid info:hdl:10016/8987, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
- Leandro Prados de la Escosura, 2010. "Improving human development: a long-run view," Working Papers in Economic History wp10-07, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Historia Económica e Instituciones.
- Prados de la Escosura, Leandro, 2010. "Improving human development: a long-run view," Open Access publications from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid info:hdl:10016/10187, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
- Gayle Allard & Peter H. Lindert, 2006.
"Euro-Productivity and Euro-Jobs since the 1960s: Which Institutions Really Mattered?,"
NBER Working Papers
12460, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Lindert, Peter & Allard, Gayle, 2006. "Euro-Productivity and Euro-Jobs since the 1960s: Which Institutions Really Mattered?," Working Papers 06-19, University of California at Davis, Department of Economics.
- Peter Lindert & Gayle Allard, 2006. "EURO-PRODUCTIVITY AND EURO-JOBS SINCE THE 1960s: WHICH INSTITUTIONS REALLY MATTERED?," Working Papers 619, University of California, Davis, Department of Economics.
- Murtin, Fabrice & Wacziarg, Romain, 2011.
"The Democratic Transition,"
CEPR Discussion Papers
8599, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Fabrice Murtin & Romain Wacziarg, 2011. "The Democratic Transition," NBER Working Papers 17432, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Serena Lamartina & Andrea Zaghini, 2011. "Increasing Public Expenditure: Wagner's Law in OECD Countries," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 12(2), pages 149-164, 05.
- Sun Go & Peter H. Lindert, 2007. "The Curious Dawn of American Public Schools," NBER Working Papers 13335, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Jo Thori Lind, 2005. "Why is there so little redistribution?," Nordic Journal of Political Economy, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, vol. 31, pages 111-125.
- Valentino Larcinese, 2011. "Enfranchisement and Representation: Italy 1909-1913," STICERD - Economic Organisation and Public Policy Discussion Papers Series 032, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
- Salam Abdus & Peter Rangazas, 2011.
"Adult Nutrition and Growth,"
Review of Economic Dynamics,
Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 14(4), pages 636-649, October.
- Salam Abdus & Peter Ranganzas, 2010. "Code files for "Adult Nutrition and Growth"," Computer Codes 09-116, Review of Economic Dynamics.
- Miquel Pellicer & Vimal Ranchhod & Mare Sarr & Eva Wegner, 2011. "Inequality Traps in South Africa: An overview and research agenda," SALDRU Working Papers 57, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
- Crayen, Dorothee & Baten, Joerg, 2010. "Global trends in numeracy 1820-1949 and its implications for long-term growth," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 82-99, January.
- Christian Morrisson & Fabrice Murtin, 2009. "The century of education," Working Papers halshs-00586751, HAL.
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