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Termites of the State: Why Complexity Leads to Inequality
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About Termites Of The State: Why Complexity Leads To
Product Description In Termites of the State, renowned public economist Vito Tanzi presents a sweeping account of the industrialized world's economic development during the twentieth century to today. In the tradition of grand economic histories, Tanzi connects the biggest issues of the modern world including extreme gaps in income distribution, increasing complexity of government actions and regulations, and asymmetry of access to information and to political influence between the elite and the rest of society. Part one covers the growth of state intervention since the early twentieth century - a time before income taxes, central banks or social welfare programs. Part two investigates how and why laws and regulations have expanded in industrialized economies. Part three, building from this foundation, explains the forces behind the precipitous rise in global inequality. With a talent for clear, non-technical writing, Tanzi has produced an important book that will be of interest to any instructor, student, or general reader of economics and public policy. Review 'This book is the most thorough and intelligent review of the western world's economic development and the corresponding intellectual debates and lines of thought in economics and public policy from the end of World War I to the present that I have seen. Vito Tanzi is one of the most prominent public finance economists in modern times, and probably the one with the broadest practical experience. Offering unparalleled deep explanations, his book is a fascinating read. I was compelled enough to read the entire book in one swoop.' Hans-Werner Sinn, Emeritus Professor of Economics and Public Finance, University of Munich 'This book, in which you find both civil passion and scientific analysis, masterly explains how corruption and inequalities have nurtured two figures that seriously injure the functioning of our economies: the termites, who contribute to abuses in the application of the laws, and the new aristocrats, who seize for themselves skyrocketing compensations and live their exclusive lives ignoring the others. Will a new wisdom restore the healthy features of our democracies?' Giuliano Amato, former Prime Minister of Italy 'This book is a fascinating discussion of why government may sometimes aggravate the problems which they are set to solve. It offers a wealth of examples from New Zealand to the US to Italy, from current events to the Great Depression. Read it if you want to reflect upon the role of the public sector in modern economies. You will learn a lot from Vito Tanzi.' Alberto Alesina, Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University 'Vito Tanzi's breadth and depth of coverage of the changing role of the state in the last century is amazing. It is a masterpiece and I highly recommend it to both public finance experts, economists and the broader public.' Carol Cottarelli, former head of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department and Director of the Observatory on the Italian Public Sector 'In the Termites of the State, the reader is invited on a tour of public finance covering ideas, practices, and events over time and around the world. With more than fifty years of experience and reflection, of which about twenty years as the director of the IMF's Fiscal Affairs Department, Vito Tanzi is the best guide to explore such rugged landscape. This book, full of deep insights and practical wisdom, is an essential reading for policymakers but also for anyone with an interest in public policies.' Vitor Gaspar, Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department, International Monetary Fund 'In his long career as an academic and policymaker, Vito Tanzi has seen it all. In this book, he goes back to the 'Scienza delle Finanze' school developed by Italian economists between 1850 and the early 1920s and describes the dangers of overambitious government interventions. This is a must read for everybody interested in the role of the government in modern econom
