We’re a bit late getting to this but the Economist had a special report two weeks ago on the growth of government in the west and its current unsustainability.
The full report (which includes several more articles beyond the one linked) is filled with interesting observations, not least of which is that fact that total government spending per person in the United States is higher than in Canada, which should put out to pasture many myths about the two countries’ cultures. It also shows that the west has seen an almost inexorable growth in the size of government over the past fifty years, which those who complain that we live in a hyper-capitalist age should sit up and take note of. Further, there is much talk in the Economist about dynamics the Frontier Centre has paid attention to in the past, including provider capture of public services and the potential for alternative service delivery, as well as the notion that there is an optimal size of government.
