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American Government Finance in the Long Run: 1790 to 1990

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  • John Joseph Wallis

Abstract

Government in America has gone through three distinct fiscal systems in the last two hundred years. Each system utilized a dominant revenue source, and had a distinctly active level of government. The changing structure of government by level seems to be related to changing revenue structures. When new taxes become important, the relative importance of each level of government changes. On the other hand, growth in the overall size of government is not directly related to the structure of revenues or the distribution of activity by level of government. Government growth is the result of long term commitments to provide education, transportation, social welfare services, old age security, and military forces.

Suggested Citation

  • John Joseph Wallis, 2000. "American Government Finance in the Long Run: 1790 to 1990," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(1), pages 61-82, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:14:y:2000:i:1:p:61-82
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/jep.14.1.61
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    File URL: http://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/jep.14.1.61
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Laves, Walter H. C., 1935. "Foreign Bondholders and American State Debts. By Reginald C. McGrane. (New York: The Macmillan Company. 1935. Pp. vii, 410.)," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 29(4), pages 686-687, August.
    2. Wallis, John Joseph, 1991. "The Political Economy of New Deal Fiscal Federalism," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 29(3), pages 510-524, July.
    3. John Joseph Wallis & Wallace E. Oates & John Joseph Wallis & Wallace E. Oates, 2004. "The Impact of the New Deal on American Federalism," Chapters, in: Environmental Policy and Fiscal Federalism, chapter 19, pages 325-350, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. G.S. Maddala & Forrest D. Nelson, 1975. "Specification Errors in Limited Dependent Variable Models," NBER Working Papers 0096, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Robert P. Inman & Daniel L. Rubinfeld, 1997. "Rethinking Federalism," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(4), pages 43-64, Fall.
    6. Wallis, John Joseph, 1984. "The Birth of the Old Federalism: Financing the New Deal, 1932–1940," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(1), pages 139-159, March.
    7. Goodrich, Carter, 1950. "The Revulsion Against Internal Improvements," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(2), pages 145-169, November.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General
    • N42 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N41 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913

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