Overview
One of the most significant changes to have occurred in modern history has been the growth of government.  Government now accounts for at least 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product in the industrialized countries, including that paragon of capitalism and free market ideology the United States.  At the same time that government has grown larger, public satisfaction with (and confidence in) government has diminished, or so we are told.  What factors account for the globalization of government enlargement?  What is the attitude of people toward government across national boundaries?  How have countried attempted to restrain the size of government and what has (has not) "worked?"  What implication does the "downsizing" (some would say "rightsizing") of government have for 21st-century public administration and administrators?