The Scope of Government in a Free Society

The Scope of Government in a Free Society PDF Author: James A. Dorn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
The purpose of this article is to delineate the legitimate functions of government in a free society. This exercise differs from determining the “optimal” size of government, which economists have estimated at 15 to 30 percent of gross domestic product. James Madison, the chief architect of the U.S. Constitution, was not primarily looking for an engine of economic growth; he was seeking an institutional design to limit the powers of government and protect individual rights. People would then be free to pursue their happiness and, in the process, create wealth.There is no more important question than the scope of government in a free society. The legitimate functions of government help define the range of choices open to individuals and, hence, the boundaries between the individual and the state. Limiting the powers of government to the protection of persons and property -- broadly understood in the Lockean sense as “lives, liberties, and estates” -- provides a clear sense of justice and promotes a spontaneous market order, enhancing both personal and economic liberties. An overreaching government does the opposite.

The Scope of Government in a Free Society

The Scope of Government in a Free Society PDF Author: James A. Dorn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
The purpose of this article is to delineate the legitimate functions of government in a free society. This exercise differs from determining the “optimal” size of government, which economists have estimated at 15 to 30 percent of gross domestic product. James Madison, the chief architect of the U.S. Constitution, was not primarily looking for an engine of economic growth; he was seeking an institutional design to limit the powers of government and protect individual rights. People would then be free to pursue their happiness and, in the process, create wealth.There is no more important question than the scope of government in a free society. The legitimate functions of government help define the range of choices open to individuals and, hence, the boundaries between the individual and the state. Limiting the powers of government to the protection of persons and property -- broadly understood in the Lockean sense as “lives, liberties, and estates” -- provides a clear sense of justice and promotes a spontaneous market order, enhancing both personal and economic liberties. An overreaching government does the opposite.

Foundations of a Free Society

Foundations of a Free Society PDF Author: Eamonn Butler
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780255366915
Category : Economic policy
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


Foundations of a Free Society

Foundations of a Free Society PDF Author: Gregory Salmieri
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822986531
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
Foundations of a Free Society brings together some of the most knowledgeable Ayn Rand scholars and proponents of her philosophy, as well as notable critics, putting them in conversation with other intellectuals who also see themselves as defenders of capitalism and individual liberty. United by the view that there is something importantly right—though perhaps also much wrong—in Rand’s political philosophy, contributors reflect on her views with the hope of furthering our understandings of what sort of society is best and why. The volume provides a robust elaboration and defense of the foundation of Rand’s political philosophy in the principle that force paralyzes and negates the functioning of reason; it offers an in-depth scholarly discussion of Rand’s view on the nature of individual rights and the role of government in defending them; it deals extensively with the similarities and differences between Rand’s thought and the libertarian tradition (to which she is often assimilated) and objections to her positions arising from this tradition; it explores Rand’s relation to the classical liberal tradition, specifically with regard to her defense of freedom of the intellect; and it discusses her views on the free market, with special attention to the relation between these views and those of the Austrian school of economics.

Freedom in the World 2018

Freedom in the World 2018 PDF Author: Freedom House
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538112035
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1265

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Book Description
Freedom in the World, the Freedom House flagship survey whose findings have been published annually since 1972, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. The survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and fifteen territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide. The Freedom in the World political rights and civil liberties ratings are determined through a multi-layered process of research and evaluation by a team of regional analysts and eminent scholars. The analysts used a broad range of sources of information, including foreign and domestic news reports, academic studies, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, individual professional contacts, and visits to the region, in conducting their research. The methodology of the survey is derived in large measure from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and these standards are applied to all countries and territories, irrespective of geographical location, ethnic or religious composition, or level of economic development.

The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society

The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society PDF Author: United States. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crime
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
This report of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice -- established by President Lyndon Johnson on July 23, 1965 -- addresses the causes of crime and delinquency and recommends how to prevent crime and delinquency and improve law enforcement and the administration of criminal justice. In developing its findings and recommendations, the Commission held three national conferences, conducted five national surveys, held hundreds of meetings, and interviewed tens of thousands of individuals. Separate chapters of this report discuss crime in America, juvenile delinquency, the police, the courts, corrections, organized crime, narcotics and drug abuse, drunkenness offenses, gun control, science and technology, and research as an instrument for reform. Significant data were generated by the Commission's National Survey of Criminal Victims, the first of its kind conducted on such a scope. The survey found that not only do Americans experience far more crime than they report to the police, but they talk about crime and the reports of crime engender such fear among citizens that the basic quality of life of many Americans has eroded. The core conclusion of the Commission, however, is that a significant reduction in crime can be achieved if the Commission's recommendations (some 200) are implemented. The recommendations call for a cooperative attack on crime by the Federal Government, the States, the counties, the cities, civic organizations, religious institutions, business groups, and individual citizens. They propose basic changes in the operations of police, schools, prosecutors, employment agencies, defenders, social workers, prisons, housing authorities, and probation and parole officers.

The Constitution and the Regulation of Society

The Constitution and the Regulation of Society PDF Author: Gary C. Bryner
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 0791497925
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
In the two hundred years since ratification of the Constitution, government regulation of American society has grown enormously in both scope and complexity. The Framers, who made short work of regulation with the simple admonition that "Congress shall have the power To... regulate Commerce," would surely blanch at the extent to which those few words have since been interpreted. Beyond mere immensity, one wonders if they could have foreseen the degree to which broad bureaucratic discretion would threaten the constitutionally based separation of powers, rule of law, and individual rights—or, on the other hand, to what extent unchecked administrative oversight and political manipulation could threaten regulatory efficiency and effectiveness. In this volume eight prominent scholars representing the disciplines of political science, government, law, and philosophy analyze and debate with each other different aspects of government regulation, and the problems generated thereby, from a constitutional perspective. Topics include the growth, scope, and range of government regulation; regulation as it is affected by liberal thought and action; the paradox posed by the dangers to society of zealous regulatory efforts to protect it; a philosophical analysis of the preconditions for a free society; the expansion of public power through increased regulation at the expense of democratic accountability and control; expansion of judicial power to cope with regulatory rule making; the need to maintain the viability of private institutions, to include the family, in the face of increased regulation; the need for a renewed effort to assure that officials of the expanded regulatory structure have a sense of and carry out their duty to the American people; and competing views concerning how the Constitution should be interpreted regarding administrative decision making and judicial review. The Constitution and the Regulation of Society is the second of a three-volume series examining significant features of the Constitution. The series, inspired by the bicentennial of that great achievement, consists of essays presented by scholars at three conferences held at Brigham Young University in 1985, 1986, and 1987, and several additional essays written especially for these volumes. This volume includes in addition debate and discussion between the contributing scholars during the conference they attended.

The Role of Government in a Free Society

The Role of Government in a Free Society PDF Author: Phil Gramm
Publisher: Fisher Inst
ISBN: 9780933028203
Category : Industrial policy
Languages : en
Pages : 153

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THE MAN VERSUS THE STATE

THE MAN VERSUS THE STATE PDF Author: Herbert Spencer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments

Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments PDF Author: Benjamin Constant
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 594

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Book Description
Benjamin Constant (1767-1830) was born in Switzerland and became one of France's leading writers, as well as a journalist, philosopher, and politician. His colourful life included a formative stay at the University of Edinburgh; service at the court of Brunswick, Germany; election to the French Tribunate; and initial opposition and subsequent support for Napoleon, even the drafting of a constitution for the Hundred Days. Constant wrote many books, essays, and pamphlets. His deepest conviction was that reform is hugely superior to revolution, both morally and politically. While Constant's fluid, dynamic style and lofty eloquence do not always make for easy reading, his text forms a coherent whole, and in his translation Dennis O'Keeffe has focused on retaining the 'general elegance and subtle rhetoric' of the original. Sir Isaiah Berlin called Constant 'the most eloquent of all defenders of freedom and privacy' and believed to him we owe the notion of 'negative liberty', that is, what Biancamaria Fontana describes as "the protection of individual experience and choices from external interferences and constraints." To Constant it was relatively unimportant whether liberty was ultimately grounded in religion or metaphysics -- what mattered were the practical guarantees of practical freedom -- "autonomy in all those aspects of life that could cause no harm to others or to society as a whole." This translation is based on Etienne Hofmann's critical edition of Principes de politique (1980), complete with Constant's additions to the original work.

The NSA Report

The NSA Report PDF Author: President's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, The
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400851270
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The official report that has shaped the international debate about NSA surveillance "We cannot discount the risk, in light of the lessons of our own history, that at some point in the future, high-level government officials will decide that this massive database of extraordinarily sensitive private information is there for the plucking. Americans must never make the mistake of wholly 'trusting' our public officials."—The NSA Report This is the official report that is helping shape the international debate about the unprecedented surveillance activities of the National Security Agency. Commissioned by President Obama following disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward J. Snowden, and written by a preeminent group of intelligence and legal experts, the report examines the extent of NSA programs and calls for dozens of urgent and practical reforms. The result is a blueprint showing how the government can reaffirm its commitment to privacy and civil liberties—without compromising national security.