The disappearing state? - Francis G Castles

Whilst the prevailing orthodoxy of the expenditure retrenchment literatureis that globalisation and neo-liberal ideas are leading to a downsizing ofthe state, empirical research - basing its conclusions on patterns ofwelfare state spending - does not support such a view. This book brings anew perspective to bear by looking at what has been happening to otherareas of the state's activity.Edited by Francis G. Castles, a leading authority in the field, andbringing together an outstanding group of British, German and Americanscholars, it examines trends in non-social or 'core' spending on publicadministration, defence, public order, education, economic affairs anddebt financing and in the regulatory ordering of the economic sphere. Thebook not only opens up new areas of comparative public policy research,but also demonstrates clearly that there have been real reductions in thereach of state in some areas, although patterns of causation are morecomplex and varied than generally presumed by the retrenchment literature.The research findings reported in The Disappearing State? provide pivotal,relevant and challenging core material for advanced undergraduate andpostgraduate courses in public and social policy, political economy andthe sociology of the modern state.