Running head: THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 1

The Role of the Federal Government in the Country

Name

Institution
THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 2

The Role of the Federal Government in the Country

Americans have always been weary of government’s involvement in personal and state

affairs. Many people hold the belief that the growth of the federal government would eventually

lead the United States to become a socialist country. The fear of socialism thus fuels the rejection

of the federal government’s involvement in many of the functions controlled by the state. The

main areas where the debate rages on whether the federal government should have more control

include education, health, the economy, and setting land policies. However, the rejection of

federal government involvement in these areas is at times driven by misinformation and special

interests. This is because there are other developed countries that allow government’s

involvement in these sectors and they have operated well and sometimes even better than in the

United States. Notably, globalization is leading many Americans to realize the consequences of

limiting the federal government’s role. Therefore, the federal government is likely to play a

larger role in the United States in the future especially in healthcare, education, and the economy.

One of the problems experienced due to the restriction of government involvement is in

healthcare. Healthcare costs in the United States are the highest in all of the developed countries.

These costs are estimated to account for around 40 percent of the country’s GDP if they are not

managed (Heskett, 2007). Markedly, many states, especially the conservative states, have

opposed government involvement in healthcare. Notably, the government is involved in the U.S.

healthcare system through various forms of funding. The government runs the Medicare and

Medicaid programs which are heavily subscribed by Americans, especially those in the low

income bracket (Geyman, 2016). Notably, the increasing cost of healthcare has caused many

Americans to rethink the restriction of government involvement. Countries such as Canada and

the United Kingdom have implemented universal healthcare which is run by the government.
THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 3

These countries have excelled in healthcare provision which has caused many Americans to

desire universal healthcare too. Therefore, it is likely that the federal government will increase its

role in healthcare provision in order to curb the rising costs of healthcare.

The federal government should also be increasingly involved in the economy to provide

regulation for markets where there is no effective competition. Notably, the federal government

already plays a crucial role in the economy of the United States. The government, through its

spending, is able to influence the economy. However, government spending has been found to be

detrimental to the growth of the economy in many instances. Analysts have found that increased

government spending leads to the slowed growth of the economy (Dorfman, 2013). Therefore, it

is most likely that government will reduce its spending in the future due to these statistics.

However, government involvement in providing regulations for private markets is needed where

these markets have near monopoly companies. This is especially true for the broadband market

as well as in healthcare. In broadband, companies have a near monopoly and thus they charge

higher prices than the average charged in other developed countries (Brodwin, 2012).

Additionally, in healthcare, drug companies, as well as private insurers, also have near

monopolies in the marketplaces that they operate. Thus, this has led to the massive increase in

healthcare costs for the payers (Brodwin, 2012). Thus, it is likely that government will be

involved in regulating these markets in the future to curb their abuse by the monopolistic

companies.

The government should also be involved in education to enhance accountability. While

the United States has a fairly decent education system, it has consistently fallen below the

median in various international tests done over a span of 40 years (Hanushek, 2005). Notably,

education has been largely controlled by the local state governments with many Republican
THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 4

states rejecting the involvement of government in education affairs. However, the government

should play a huge role in education to prevent its mismanagement by the local governments and

also to secure the country’s economy. Notably, in some states, education is not given priority as

state funding for public schools is usually decreased when the state cuts on spending. This

ultimately affects the quality of education in these states. Moreover, in such situations, it is the

low income communities in the states that suffer the most (Cross, 2005). Thus, the federal

government should intervene in this sector to ensure that the states are accountable for their

education so that they do not decrease their quality. Further, the level of education of a country is

positively related to its economy (Hanushek, 2005). Thus, the federal government should be

interested in education since it directly affects the economy of the country.

All in all, it is clear that the federal government is likely to play a larger role in the

country than the state and local authorities. Healthcare should be managed by the federal

government to reduce its cost. Further, the government should also be involved in the economy

to prevent monopolistic markets against exploitation by the companies. The government should

also oversee the accountability of states in education.

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References

Brodwin, D. (2012, December). Why We Need the Government in the Marketplace. Retrieved

May 9, 2018, from https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-

intelligence/2012/12/21/why-we-need-the-government-in-the-marketplace.

Cross, C. (2005). The evolving role of the federal government in education. After Student

Standards Alignment, 1-13.

Dorfman, J. (2013, December 10). More Government Equals Less Growth, The Facts Are In.

Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreydorfman/2013/12/10/more-

government-equals-less-growth-the-facts-are-in/#5a6d1ad837b5.

Geyman, J. (2016, December 29). What Role Should the Government Have in U. S. Health

Care? Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-geyman/what-role-should-

the-gove_b_8891730.html

Hanushek, E. A. (2005). Why the federal government should be involved in school

accountability. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 24(1), 168-172.

Heskett, J. (2007). What is the Government's Role in US Healthcare?. HBS Working Knowledge.