Shadow Government: The Hidden World of Public Authorities - And How They Control Over $1 Trillion of Your Money

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Wiley, May 1, 1992 - Business & Economics - 352 pages
"In power, affluence, and assets, public authorities rival the largest state and local governments and commercial banks in the United States. They borrow more billions of dollars than state and local governments combined. They have run up a debt that is second only to that of the United States government itself. ...In what amounts to a quiet revolution we now have two governments side by side: the visible general government and the shadow government of public authorities." --from Shadow Government Advance praise for Shadow Government... "Most Americans have had direct experience with public authorities through paying tolls on turnpikes, paying water and sewer charges, and the like. But few are even dimly aware of the pervasiveness of public authorities. ...Now Donald Axelrod has produced a wide-ranging examination of the history, evolution, and status of public authorities; his book is a searching description of their penetration into our lives. Passionately written, it is essential reading." --Herman B. Leonard Baker Professor of Public Management Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University "[Shadow Government] sheds light on government-sponsored authorities which flout constitutional, budget, and sound financial restraints. It provides a thorough examination of the rise and virtually uncontrolled proliferation of all kinds of enterprises that use government powers, without voter control." -- Ben Weberman Columnist, Forbes "Donald Axelrod's...findings make fascinating and disturbing reading. This book should be read by every citizen who is concerned with fiscally sound and accountable public institutions." --Harold Seidman Senior Fellow; National Academy of Public Administration

From inside the book

Contents

The Rise of the Shadow Government
1
Always a Borrower or a Lender Be
35
A Fate Worse Than Debt
63
Copyright

13 other sections not shown

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About the author (1992)

About the author DONALD AXELROD, PhD, is a professor emeritus of Public Administration at Rockefeller College, State University of New York at Albany. He has served as Assistant Budget Director of New York State, Interregional Advisor on Government Budgeting for the United Nations, consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development, and a Senior Fulbright Research Fellow. His earlier book, Budgeting for Modern Government, is a widely used text in the field.

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