ABSTRACT
“I believe simply in giving people what they want.” This expression of democratic largesse has come from a business tycoon 1 and, I regret to say, from a well-known economist as well. The idea has, of course, a superficial appeal, so it is as well to point out at the start that people can have “what they want” only in a limited sense, before going on to consider the problems involved in the attempt to give them more of “what they want” in years to come.
