When All Else Fails: Government As the Ultimate Risk Manager

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on economic policy out there
Review: I bought this book on the strength of a review in The Economist and was not disappointed. With policies as varied as limited liability, central banking, deposit insurance, and Social Security, American legislators transformed government into an insurer of last resort. Sometimes they shift risk from prospective victims to those better able to afford the loss (product liability); at other times they spread catastrophic risks over the whole tax base (flood insurance). The book charts the expansion of government in the United States from the late 19th century to its zenith in the late 1970s. The author answers the objections of the Chicago and Austrian schools - Becker, Hayek, Mises, and the others - in convincing fashion thanks to its moderate tone and extensive research. The prose is clear, surprising for a book dealing with such complex subject matter. The chapter on the emergence of limited liability corporations is particularly strong. Unfortunately, the chapter on product liability could have used a bit more skepticism. Few readers will share the author's view that tort lawyers are an unalloyed blessing. The author sidesteps many of the problems we now face with exploding damage awards and wide discrepancies in the awards handed down in various jurisdictions. Nor does he grapple with the consequences these problems impose for medical research and the US insurance industry.