Sidney A. Shapiro and Joseph P. Tomain, "How Government Built America" (Cambridge UP, 2024)

Dec 1, 2024

The podcast delves into how government has shaped America, challenging anti-government rhetoric. It explores the symbiotic relationship between government and markets, emphasizing the need for balance. Historical figures like Lincoln and FDR illustrate evolving government roles in societal welfare. The discussion includes the Manhattan Project's impact on socio-economic progress and critiques neoliberalism. Moreover, it touches on the political dynamics of globalization and recent administrations' economic policies, highlighting the crucial role of government in fostering community and addressing inequalities.

Ask episode

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 2min

The Government-Market Nexus

01:37 • 14min

Markets and Government: A Symbiotic Relationship

16:02 • 10min

From Hamilton to Roosevelt: Evolving Government Roles

26:00 • 17min

The Manhattan Project and Its Socio-Economic Aftermath

42:35 • 2min

The Government's Role in Nuclear Power and Social Movements

44:16 • 20min

Globalization, Economic Opportunity, and Political Rhetoric

01:04:40 • 4min

Economic Policies and Governance Implications

01:08:30 • 16min

How Government Built America (Cambridge UP, 2024) challenges growing, anti-government rhetoric by highlighting the role government has played in partnering with markets to build the United States. Sidney A. Shapiro and Joseph P. Tomain explore how markets can harm and fail the country, and how the government has addressed these extremes by restoring essential values to benefit all citizens. Without denying that individualism and small government are part of the national DNA, the authors demonstrate how democracy and a people pursuing communal interests are equally important. In highly engaging prose, the authors describe how the government, despite the complexity of markets, remains engaged in promoting economic prosperity, protecting people, and providing an economic safety net. Each chapter focuses on a historical figure, from Lincoln to FDR to Trump, to illustrate how the government-market mix has evolved over time. By understanding this history, readers can turn the national conversation back to what combination of government and markets will best serve the country.

Sidney A. Shapiro holds the Fletcher Chair in Administrative Law at the Wake Forest University School of Law. He is the author of Administrative Competence: Reimagining Administrative Law (2020) and Achieving Democracy: The Future of Progressive Regulation (2014).

Joseph P. Tomain is Dean Emeritus and the Wilbert and Helen Ziegler Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati. A highly respected professor and scholar, his teaching and research interests focus in the areas of energy law, land use, regulatory policy, and contracts.

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory