AMERICA'S HIDDEN SUCCESS: A Reassessment of Twenty Years of Public Policy

by John E. Schwarz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 1983

False images of failure,"" contends U. of Alabama political scientist Schwarz, ""have gravely misinformed us about the record of the nation and both its government and economy during the post-Eisenhower years."" The case is decidedly worth considering, whether or not every conclusion is valid (and notwithstanding Schwarz's flannel prose). First, poverty was substantially reduced among female-headed families and the elderly--through government programs, not economic growth. Government programs also improved nutritional, health, and housing standards among the poor; job-training and job-creation programs showed positive results. Second, environmental programs--also ""under heavy fire"" --reversed air pollution trends and forestalled increases in water pollution. Third, government is no more wasteful than the private sector. But didn't the ""increasingly heavier burden of government""--in the form of taxation and regulation--throttle the economy? Here, Schwarz's points are more surprising. ""Neither corporate nor personal income taxes rose substantially""; ""relative to the state of the economy,"" the annual deficit increased less than private borrowing. The alleged costs of regulation, based on Murray Weidenhaum's widely-publicized calculations, are unfounded--as Schwarz's review of Weidenbaum's methodology would seem to bear out. ""Why, then, did all these facts remain obscure?"" ""Why [was] the new consensus able to assume command""? Vietnam and Watergate; stagflation; ""vast sums"" spent disseminating criticism--plus liberal quaking. And, crucially: non-recognition of ""the crushing avalanche of American workers entering the labor market""--baby boomers, women, the divorced. All in all, ""the nation's performance was far more successful than we came to believe""--so it behooves us not to abandon ""the philosophy of the past."" The argument is pursued with more diligence than flair; but Schwarz has statistical backing for his assertions--and the demographic finding alone is a strong opening wedge.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1983

Categories: NONFICTION