The True Size of Government

Paul C. Light

doi:10.5771/9780815720157

Summary

This book addresses a seemingly simple question: Just how many people really work for the federal government? Official counts show a relatively small total of 1.9 million full-time civil servants, as of 1996. But, according to Paul Light, the true head count is nearly nine times higher than the official numbers, with about 17 million people actually providing the government with goods and services. Most are part of what Light calls the "shadow of government"nonfederal employees working under federal contracts, grants, and mandates to state and local governments. In this book--the first that attempts to establish firm estimates of the shadow work force-- he explores the reasons why the official size of the federal government has remained so small while the shadow of government has grown so large. Light examines the political incentives that make the illusion of a small government so attractive, analyzes the tools used by officials to keep the official headcount small, and reveals how the appearance of smallness affects the management of government and the future of the public service. Finally, he points out ways the federal government can better manage the shadow work force it has built over the past half-century.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2010
ISBN-Print: 978-0-8157-5266-0
ISBN-Online: 978-0-8157-2015-7
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 238
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
1. Counting Heads No access
2. Estimating the True Size of Government No access
3. Overview of the Book No access
1. Comparing Apples to Apples No access
2. Exploring the Shadow of Government No access
3. Conclusion No access
1. The Market for Smallness No access
2. Presidential Incentives No access
3. Congressional Incentives No access
4. Party Incentives No access
5. Civil Service Incentives No access
6. Conclusion No access
1. A History of Head Counts No access
2. The Big Chill No access
3. The Consequence of Counting Heads No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. How Presidents Manage Head Counts No access
2. The Definitional Tangle No access
3. Sorting the Shadows No access
4. Sorting by Competency No access
5. Conclusion No access
1. A Brief Review No access
2. Illusions upon Illusions No access
3. Managing the New Public Service No access
4. Conclusion No access
1. A. Estimated Gains and Losses in the Shadows of Government, 1984–96 No access
2. B. Public Opinion toward Government Reform No access
3. C. Head Count Ceilings, Freezes, and Thaws, 1940–97 No access
Notes No access Pages 211 - 224
Index No access Pages 225 - 238