Against Leviathan: Government Power and a Free Society - Hardcover

Higgs, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 094599995X ISBN 13: 9780945999959

Publisher: Independent Institute, 2005

Synopsis

An unflinching critical analysis of government is contained in this follow-up of Higgs's bestseller Crisis and Leviathan, which distills complex economic and political issues for the layperson. Combining an economist’s analytical scrutiny with an historian’s respect for empirical evidence, the book attacks the data on which governments base their economic management and their responses to an ongoing stream of crises. Among the topics discussed are domestic economic busts, foreign wars, welfare programs, the arts of political leadership, the intrusive efforts of governments to protect people from themselves, and the mismanagement of the economy. Though focused on U.S. government actions, revealing comparisons with similar government actions abroad and in China, Japan, and Western Europe are also made.

About this title

From the Author

Robert Higgs is the author of Competition and Coercion, Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, The Transformation of the American Economy, 1865–1914, and more than 100 articles and reviews appearing in publications such as the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Reason, Society, and The Wall Street Journal. He is a senior fellow in political economy at the Independent Institute and is the editor of the institute's quarterly journal, The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy. He has also appeared on ABC, CNBC, C-SPAN, NPR, and Radio Free Europe.

Review

“I wish liberals and even radicals felt and wrote as strongly about the Iron Heel of government power as does Robert Higgs.”  —Alexander Cockburn, columnist, The Nation; co-editor, CounterPunch

"Against Leviathan is one of the best books on economic policy in the last few years. Higgs’s case against government oppression is tight and persuasive. Virtually every page of this easy-to-read book tells something important about the economy or government." —David Henderson, Professor of Economics, Naval Postgraduate School; author, The Joy of Freedom

"This is a book that should be read by anyone concerned with American freedoms in the 21st century." —Thomas Gale Moore, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

"Defenders of liberty need look no further for intellectual ammunition. This hard-hitting book exposes the multitude of ways the growth of the welfare-warfare state threatens our freedom and prosperity." —Ron Paul, U.S. Congressman

About this edition

• Publisher: Independent Institute
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 094599995X
• ISBN 13: 9780945999959
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 408