How Government Built America challenges growing, anti-government rhetoric by highlighting the role government has played in partnering with markets to build the United States. Sidney A. Shapiro and Joseph P. Tomain explore how markets can harm and fail the country, and how the government has addressed these extremes by restoring essential values to benefit all citizens. Without denying that individualism and small government are part of the national DNA, the authors demonstrate how democracy and a people pursuing communal interests are equally important. In highly engaging prose, the authors describe how the government, despite the complexity of markets, remains engaged in promoting economic prosperity, protecting people, and providing an economic safety net. Each chapter focuses on a historical figure, from Lincoln to FDR to Trump, to illustrate how the government-market mix has evolved over time. By understanding this history, readers can turn the national conversation back to what combination of government and markets will best serve the country.

‘This lively book offers an accessible window into vital debates about the role of government in society that have run throughout the history of the United States. Even in the face of today’s sharp political disagreements - perhaps especially because of them - readers will learn a lot from the authors’ measured, pragmatic perspectives.’

Cary Coglianese - University of Pennsylvania

‘Shapiro and Tomain provide a vital - and perfectly timed - reminder that the U.S. government, with all its flaws, is an indispensable aid to Americans' life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.’

Rogan Kersh - former Provost, Wake Forest University

‘How Government Built America is a must read for those who want to understand the challenges facing government agencies whose important, often life-saving work is opposed by mercenary interests.’

David Michaels - former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration

‘As we enter a period of increasingly challenging and high-stakes debates over public policy, inequality, and sustainability, this book offers a needed reminder of the power wielded by politics and policy-and the people who shape them.’

K. Sabeel Rahman - former President of Demos

‘The authors make a compelling case that market regulation is government’s most important role. The pull and tug between corporate power and government regulation is always in play. Read this book. You will learn a ton, and you will keep turning the pages.’

David Vladeck - former Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection