Otherwise titled "The Privatization of Government"
Can Government really be run like a business?
No, said James Beattie Morison this past February, because their goals are different.
"if only government adhered to business principles, the United States would be solvent, more efficient, and more prosperous." As with all trivializations in economics, this one resonates well with the public. But it is dangerously wrong, says this article.
And in a 2002 report by James E. Roper, the author makes a very strong case for why government should not be run like a business, including this quote:
"The conclusion that this country would no longer be a democracy if government decisions were made on the business model points to the most profound deficiency in the idea that government should function like a corporation: The individual rights and freedoms that are the foundation of our society would cease to exist. In their defense of taxes, The Cost of Rights, Holmes and Sunstein argue that all rights presuppose an elaborate and costly infrastructure of courts and law enforcement (1999). Without such institutional support, rights and related liberties cannot be sustained. Even if the "law" recognizes them, rights and liberties cease to function if they cannot be defended; and they cannot be preserved without an infrastructure dedicated to maintaining them (1999)."
Frederick E. Allen of Forbes has included additional links to people who have argued that government can not be run like business.
The business model is good for business- let's leave it there.
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