Describe how government spending and the composition of the government changed in recent decades. In other words, in what areas has the government cut spending and in what areas has the government increased spending in recent decades?

Applying Economics to the Real World

Select two of the three cases presented below and prepare a three-page written analysis of each case. These case studies provide real-world application to concepts you have studied during this course.

Case 1: Government Spending and Taxation

Read Special Topic 1, pages 404 through 418 of Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice. You may also want to review Chapters 5 and 6 as the role of the government and the political process were covered in detail.

Using the Government Spending and Taxation case, Chapters 5 and 6, the knowledge you have gained in this course, as well as at least three additional credible resources, analyze the case by addressing the following:

1.Describe how government spending and the composition of the government changed in recent decades. In other words, in what areas has the government cut spending and in what areas has the government increased spending in recent decades?

2.Determine if this change in government spending and composition will help Americans achieve a higher living standard. Be sure to support all opinions with research.
democracy can survive if the majority of the U.S. citizens pay little or nothing in taxes while benefiting directly from a higher level of government spending. Why or why not?

4. Propose the composition of government, government spending, and taxation that you believe would work best. Be sure to be specific and support your proposal with research.

The Economics of Social Security