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The Growth of Government and the Reform of the State in Industrial Countries
Author:
Ludger Schuknecht null

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Mr. Vito Tanzi
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Series:
IMF Working Papers
Volume/Issue:
Volume 1995: Issue 130
Language:
English
Publication Date:
01 Dec 1995
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451933857.001
ISBN:
9781451933857
ISSN:
1018-5941
Pages:
44
Keywords:
WP; public expenditure; government Finance Statistics; government expenditure; expenditure policy; government consumption; Total expenditures; Government consumption; Europe; North America; Western Europe; Asia and Pacific
Legal-disclaimer:
IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
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This paper describes the growth of public spending in industrial countries over the past century. It identifies several periods: the periods between 1870 and 1913; the period between the two World Wars; the post World War II period up to 1960; and the period after 1960. Public spending started growing during World War I but its growth accelerated after 1960. The paper outlines the reasons for this growth and speculates that recent government growth has not brought about much economic or social progress. The paper sees the future of government mainly in setting the “rules of the game,” and provides a rough blueprint for reform. It also discusses experiences with government reform in selected count les, and predicts that over the next decades, public spending as a share of GDP will fall.
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Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF Working Papers
ISSN:
1018-5941
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund