Slavery, Freedom and Business Endeavor by Bradley Bowden

Author:Bradley Bowden
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030972325
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, when governments everywhere assumed virtual wartime powers over every aspect of life, this debate assumes renewed significance. Even before the pandemic, the state’s footprint had taken on unprecedented peace-time significance. In 2019, on average one-third of GDP in OECD countries went to taxes. In France, taxes consumed 45.4% of GDP. Even in the United States, a society historically renowned for its suspicion of state intervention, taxes represented a quarter of GDP. Government spending was even more significant. In 2019, United States government spending represented 38.1% of GDP. In the United Kingdom, government expenditure accounted for 41.1% of GDP. French government spending was equivalent to 55.2% of GDP.10 Everywhere, this trend belied the popular narrative as to the supposed advance of “neo-liberalist” policies at government expense. Yes, it is true that governments have shown a proclivity to outsource services. Invariably, however, such services are still paid for by the government. The effect of this is to arguably increase rather than diminish the state’s power, creating a pool of corporate entities (rent-seekers) who profit from government largesse.

The tendency for the modern iteration of western civilization to oscillate has been a liberal capitalist model and one that can be described as “corporatist” (where business success rests on collusion with the state) points to a fundamental but easily overlooked fact. The rise of the industrialized iteration of western civilization is not only associated with innovation and business endeavor, it is also characterized by more powerful states. In large part, the history of western civilization has revolved around a perpetual contest between these two tendencies.

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