{"product_id":"the-laissez-faire-experiment-why-britain-embraced-and-then-abandoned-small-government-1800-1914-9780691213415","title":"The Laissez-Faire Experiment: Why Britain Embraced and Then Abandoned Small Government, 1800-1914","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy Britain's attempt at small government proved unable to cope with the challenges of the modern world\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the nineteenth century, as Britain attained a leading economic and political position in Europe, British policymakers embarked on a bold experiment with small and limited government. By the outbreak of the First World War, however, this laissez-faire philosophy of government had been abandoned and the country had taken its first steps toward becoming a modern welfare state. This book tells the story of Britain's laissez-faire experiment, examining why it was done, how it functioned, and why it was ultimately rejected in favor of a more interventionist form of governance. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlending insights from modern economic theory with a wealth of historical evidence, W. Walker Hanlon traces the slow expansion of government intervention across a broad spectrum of government functions in order to understand why and how Britain gave up on laissez-faire. It was not abandoned because Britain's leaders lost faith in small government as some have suggested, nor did it collapse under the growing influence of working-class political power. Instead, Britain's move away from small government was a pragmatic and piecemeal response--by policymakers who often deeply believed in laissez-faire--to the economic forces unleashed by the Industrial Revolution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eW. Walker Hanlon\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of economics and codirector of the Center for Economic History at Northwestern University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50899142148370,"sku":"9780691213415","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f08587e4-8851-4738-969b-bd321d658909.jpg?v=1738347975","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-laissez-faire-experiment-why-britain-embraced-and-then-abandoned-small-government-1800-1914-9780691213415","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}