Governments are failing giants.

They gobble up our wealth, controlling half the income of many advanced economies. In the US, government spending expanded from less than 8 per cent of the economy in 1913 to 41 per cent in 2011; in Britain, from 13 to 48 per cent over the same period.

Yet increasingly governments are failing to deliver, to satisfy the people they’re supposed to serve. Now only 13 per cent of American voters approve of the politicians who manage their country. In Britain the public is so disenchanted that membership of the main political parties has plunged from 20 per cent of the voting-age population to just 1 per cent. There is an explosion in support for radical groups such as National Front in France.

What’s gone wrong?

There are many reasons why governments have become so enormous. In an excellent new book*, John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, editors at The Economist, suggest these:  

David Fuller's view

Here is the current issue of On Target.

Some subscribers are likely to be interested in the book mentioned above, and Martin Spring highlights some of its topics.  Additionally, there are several other worthwhile features in what I regard as one of the best issues of On Target.