ABSTRACT
Despite the title of this volume, I find myself in the position of a near-monopolist in that my brief alone appears to encompass the actual role of government in improving the quality of life. While this provides a clear temptation to treat the subject with some abandon, monopolists often have to beware countervailing power, and I have no doubt that this exists in more than adequate supply among my colleagues. I shall therefore try to take care to make my theme clear, since what I have to say will strike some as supporting an authoritarian or nonliberal viewpoint about the role of governmental institutions. Given the enormous scope of the subject matter, I have chosen to take a broad sweep approach to the question of how to determine the function and justifiable extent of government activity in improving the quality of life.
