Public Goods, Public Enterprise, Public Choice: Theoretical Foundations of the Contemporary Attack on Government

The public economy, bureaucracy and processes of democratic government have a bad name in many western societies, a reputation reinforced by recent theories of public goods, public enterprise and public choice. This book reviews and challenges these theories on three fronts. Firstly, public action reflects a range of human motivations including material interests and social and moral commitments, not just the individual self-interest that lies at the explanatory heart of the three theories. Secondly, the productivity and social quality of modern economies reflect the diverse contributions of commercial, domestic and public economic realms, contributions not captured by theories assuming the inherent superiority of private markets. Thirdly, old and new ideas within established traditions of political thought justify more constructive government to produce more equal societies and to provide the institutional supports essential for full human development and diverse social life. Such arguments go far beyond standard libertarian and liberal rationales for limited government.