Author Description

For the past 25 years, Americans have been lead to believe that government can cut taxes without adjusting future spending and not harm government finance. Simply put, our government's economic policies have not worked as advertised.That is the conclusion by two prominent scholars in the field-Bryan D. Jones and Walter Williams-and they support it with sharp and insightful analysis of the bad economic ideas that have shaped our economy. The authors look at the amazing resilience of these ideas and why they continue to survive, despite overwhelming evidence that they have caused damage to our long-term fiscal stability and the American economy.Ending on a positive note, Politics of Bad Ideas concludes with suggestions on how we can get out from under the dead weight of these destructive strategies."Jones and Williams provide a valuable-and much needed-critique of "faith-based" analysis. This is essential reading for students of public policy."-George C. Edwards III, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies, Texas A&M University"A lucid, convincing, and devastating critique of supply-side economics and a starve-the-beast route to shrinking the size of government. Jones and Williams document the high cost of the triumph of ideology over neutral competence in national policymaking and suggest ways of restoring honesty and responsibility to public finance in America."- THOMAS E. MANN, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, and co-author of The Broken Branch"Here's a good idea: Read The Politics of Bad Ideas. With care and without cant, Jones and Williams?an acclaimed political scientist and an accomplished policy expert?eviscerate the free lunch mantra of radical tax cutters. They show that the "great tax cut delusion" has eroded not just our government's fiscal capacity, but also the health of our representative democracy.- JACOB S. HACKER, Professor of Political Science, Yale University, and author of The Great Risk Shift