beyond the status quo: policy proposals for americaby david boaz; edward h. crane

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Beyond the Status Quo: Policy Proposals for America by David Boaz; Edward H. Crane Review by: Randall G. Holcombe Public Choice, Vol. 49, No. 1 (1986), pp. 99-100 Published by: Springer Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30024616 . Accessed: 16/06/2014 00:40 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Springer is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Public Choice. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 188.72.126.41 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:40:39 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Beyond the Status Quo: Policy Proposals for America by David Boaz; Edward H. CraneReview by: Randall G. HolcombePublic Choice, Vol. 49, No. 1 (1986), pp. 99-100Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30024616 .

Accessed: 16/06/2014 00:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

Springer is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Public Choice.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 188.72.126.41 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:40:39 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Public Choice 49: 99-100 (1986). a 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht. Printed in the Netherlands.

Review

Beyond the status quo: Policy proposals for America. David Boaz and Edward H. Crane (Eds.),

Washington, D.C.: Cato Institute, 1985. 292 pages.

New political programs meet with a great deal of debate when they are first proposed. Even if a program fails to pass when it is first introduced in Con- gress, it will be brought up again until eventually it is passed, probably by a narrow margin. After passing, it then becomes a part of the status quo and its existence is rarely questioned. The purpose of this volume, Boaz and Crane argue in the introductory chapter, is to present policy proposals that are alternatives to the existing programs. The introduction is followed by thirteen chapters, all by different authors, that are intended to widen the policy debate by considering alternatives to the status quo.

The authors do not seem to have a common audience in mind, although all of the alternatives suggested advocate a move toward less government in- volvement in economic and political affairs. The alternatives proposed vary from generally accepted applications of economic theory to more controver- sial - and at times unsettling - themes. Many chapters appear to be aimed at the general public or perhaps at college undergraduates for the purpose of applying solid economic analysis to political programs. Most of these chapters seem to be relatively straightforward and relatively uncontrover- sial, at least insofar as it is possible to be uncontroversial while advocating a reduction in the government's activities.

Some of the chapters do get into advocating controversial proposals; two examples are Peter J. Ferrara's on social security and Clint Bolick's on public education. Bolick argues for tuition tax credits to provide true freedom of choice to parents regarding where to send their children to school. Bolick's proposal seems to be riddled with problems, and though he argues that the tax credit system would be superior to the voucher system, this reviewer was not convinced. In contrast, Ferrara's essay on social security is an excellent proposal for expanding the role of the IRA account and guaranteeing social security liabilities using government bonds. Readers of Public Choice may be aware that Ferrara has discussed the social security problem before. His proposals are definitely worth considering.

Joan Kennedy Taylor argues for deregulating the poor along the same lines as the currently prominent arguments by Charles Murray. She provides an interesting introduction with some history of government involvement in helping the poor. The introduction provides a nice complement to her later arguments that parallel Murray's. Terry L. Anderson makes a strong argu- ment for moving toward free market environmental policies. Anderson

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wants to auction off federal lands, establish property rights for water that can be freely traded, and establish a policy of strict liability for environmen- tal damage. These are controversial recommendations, to be sure, but Anderson uses solid economic analysis to make the best possible argument.

Surely the most troubling essay in the book is Earl C. Ravenal's 'The Price and Perils of NATO.' Ravenal argues that our military alliance with Europe has gradually been deteriorating over the years and that there are good arguments for encouraging the deterioration to continue. Ravenal wants to reduce our defensive commitments around the world and wants the U.S. to isolate itself from any conflict in Europe. As the years go by, it is becoming less and less credible that the U.S. would risk the attack of its own shores to defend Europe, and Ravenal thinks that the best policy is to simply allow our defensive commitment to Europe to wither away naturally and let the Europeans defend their own continent. After suggesting this, Ravenal closes by saying that he is not advocating a position, but merely describing the natural course of events that will occur unless we take steps to alter them. Don't blame the messenger, he says, absolving himself of blame for his argument.

Overall, this book has much to recommend it, although different essays should be recommended for different things. Many of the essays are relatively well-known policy alternatives based on standard theory. Others, like Ferrara's and Anderson's, are bolder and more controversial, but they are clearly thought-out and deserve to be taken seriously. Essays like these are undoubtedly the most valuable in the volume. Still others, like Ravenal's and a chapter by Bernard Siegan on the Supreme Court, are thought pro- voking discussions about serious problems with no clear best solution. Taken as a whole, the volume presents its ideas effectively and succeeds in its goal of identifying good alternatives to the status quo.

Randall G. Holcombe Department of Economics

Auburn University Auburn, AL 36849-3501

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