Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government [Paperback]

Discussing how government has continually grown in size and scope during the past century, this account demonstrates that the main reason lies in government’s responses to national “crises” (real or imagined), including economic upheavals and, especially, war. The result, this book argues, is the ever-increasing government power, which endures long after each crisis has passed, impinging on both civil and economic liberties and fostering extensive corporate welfare. Offering ideological explanations for the ascension of the role of government out of a capitalist, free-market economy, it will appeal to those with interests in political economy, American history, and libertarian politics.

An important, powerful, and profoundly disturbing book.”  —James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in Economic Science,Journal of Economic History

"Insightful, compelling, and clear, Higgs breaks new ground in explicating the most important socio-political trend of our time—the growth of American government."  —Freeman

Robert Higgsis senior fellow in political economy for the Independent Institute and the editor of the Institute’s quarterly journal, theIndependent Review. He is also the author of several books, includingAgainst Leviathan,Competition and Coercion,Neither Liberty Nor Safety,Resurgence of the Warfare State, andThe Transformation of the American Economy 1865l£Í