The size of government is arguably the most controversial discussion in United States politics, and this issue won't fade from prominence any time soon. There must surely be a tipping point beyond which more government taxing and spending harms the economy, but where is that point? In this accessible book, best-selling authors Jeff Madrick, Jon Bakija, Lane Kenworthy, and Peter Lindert try to answer whether our government can grow any larger and examine how we can optimize growth and fair distribution.

For a century, the most divisive question in political thought has been about the size of the state. Should it expand and take an active role in all sorts of areas of life? Or is that just meddlesome and wasteful? Those questions might have made sense in the previous century. Now, with revolutions in technology and organisational structure, and a world transformed by Covid-19, a revolution is also coming in the essential business of government - whether we like it or not. Join organisations expert Jaideep Prabhu on a tour of what's possible in government. Discover amazing initiatives in unexpected places, from India's programme to give a digital identity to a billion citizens, to a Dutch programme that lets nurses operate almost entirely without management. Or perhaps China's ominous Social Credit system is a more accurate vision what the future has in store for us. Whether you are on the political left or right, it matters whether your government does what it does fairly and well. And the game is changing...

Your right to pursue happiness has been revoked by Big Government. Thousands of pages of regulations, millions of employees, and trillions of tax dollars . . . Big Government is bigger than ever, and as this bloated behemoth continues to fatten up and stretch out, it squeezes America's entrepreneurs, workers, and families - cutting our choices, limiting our opportunities, and squelching our right to pursue happiness. Every year, taxes increase, regulations pile higher, the cost of living goes up - and our quality of life suffers. So with everyone obsessing about the obesity problem in America, isn't it time we looked at the fat, flabby, overstretched, and overbloated behemoth that is American government? Size Matters shows through facts, figures, and head-spinning stories that as government increases in quantity, we all suffer a loss in life quality. Miller reveals the damning details of Big Government's impact on the lives of ordinary Americans. How it . . . reduces family income drives up the cost of housing, healthcare, and most every other consumer product or service hurts employment misdirects entrepreneurial efforts stifles vital marketplace creativity and innovation Bristling with drama and data, Size Matters reveals the real daily drawbacks of Big Government. It comes down to this . . . Big Government = Huge Problem. Size really does matter. "Miller explains how government overregulation and porkbarrelling are costing Americans money and freedom while politicians and special interests line their pockets. This book should be a political call to arms." -Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com; author of An Army of Davids "Great sport! Imagine Thomas Frank if he actually told the truth. Accessible, entertaining, informative, and relevant in the best sense of the word. Read this book and you'll never lose an argument to a liberal again." -Jack Cashill, author of Hoodwinked and Sucker Punch "Miller will make you excited about the potential of America-and spitting mad that Big Government keeps tripping us up." -Star Parker, author of Uncle Sam's Plantation "Who knew that reading about rapacious government growth could be so delectable?" -Nick Gillespie, editor-in-chief, Reason

Political conservatives have long believed that the best government is a small government. But if this were true, noted economist Jeff Madrick argues, the nation would not be experiencing stagnant wages, rising health care costs, increasing unemployment, and concentrations of wealth for a narrow elite. In this perceptive and eye-opening book, Madrick proves that an engaged government--a big government of high taxes and wise regulations--is necessary for the social and economic answers that Americans desperately need in changing times. He shows that the big governments of past eras fostered greatness and prosperity, while weak, laissez-faire governments marked periods of corruption and exploitation. The Case for Big Government considers whether the government can adjust its current policies and set the country right. Madrick explains why politics and economics should go hand in hand; why America benefits when the government actively nourishes economic growth; and why America must reject free market orthodoxy and adopt ambitious government-centered programs. He looks critically at today's politicians--at Republicans seeking to revive nineteenth-century principles, and at Democrats who are abandoning the pioneering efforts of the Great Society. Madrick paints a devastating portrait of the nation's declining social opportunities and how the economy has failed its workers. He looks critically at today's politicians and demonstrates that the government must correct itself to address these serious issues. A practical call to arms, The Case for Big Government asks for innovation, experimentation, and a willingness to fail. The book sets aside ideology and proposes bold steps to ensure the nation's vitality.

"A book which examines how government - which is to say, all of us, acting collectively - can make our country healthier, wealthier and happier, if we put government to useful work in those areas where it most productively complements our private markets"--Provided by publisher.

From The Gallup Organization-the most respected source on the subject-comes a fascinating look at the importance of measuring public opinion in modern society. For years, public-opinion polls have been a valuable tool for gauging the positions of American citizens on a wide variety of topics. Polling applies scientific principles to understanding and anticipating the insights, emotions, and attitudes of society. Now in POLLING MATTERS: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People, The Gallup Organization reveals: What polls really are and how they are conducted Why the information polls provide is so vitally important to modern society today How this valuable information can be used more effectively and more...

Can government help? -- Are government social programs bad for economic growth? -- Would a bigger government hurt the economy? -- Thinking sensibly about the size of government