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Show Expanded Social Programs Contribute To Growth years has been the greater role played by the United States in world affairs. In 1902, expenditures expendi-tures for national defense and international relations constituted consti-tuted about 10 of all government govern-ment expenditures in the U.S. In 1977, this percentage amounted to 15.5. During recent years, however, the proportion of total government spending going for national defense and international relations rela-tions has been declining. At one point during World War II it made up nearly 80 of all government expenditures. FILL IN T L y Adoption and expansion of social programs during the . twentieth century is the factor chiefly responsible for the growth of government in the United States. This was the conclusion presented by Utah Foundation, the private research re-search organization, in an analysis of the government growth over the past 75 years. Total expenditures by all levels of government in the U.S. (Federal, state, and local) have multiplied by 410 fold over the past 75 years. In 1902 all governments in the nation spent a total of $1,660,000,000. By 1977 total government expenditures expendi-tures in the United States had risen to $680,329,000,000. According to the Foundation analysis, government spending during 1977 was equal to $3,145 for every man, woman, and child residing in the nation. This compares with per capita expenditures of only $21 in 1902. Inflation, while responsible respon-sible for a substantial part of the increase, was by no means the major factor in this government growth. When expenditures are expressed in terms of constant 1977 dollars, the adjusted per capita amounts would be $152 in 1902 and $3,145 in 1977, an increase of more than twenty times. Over the 75 year period, the growth in government has been substantially greater than that of the economy as a whole. The Foundation study points out that total government expenditures were equal to about 7 of the gross national product in 1902. Government expenditures now make up about 38 of the gross national product. New social programs, developed devel-oped mainly during the twentieth twen-tieth century, are the major factors responsible for this expansion of government activity activ-ity in the United States. Between 1902 and 1977, Federal, Feder-al, state, and local expenditures for social programs (welfare, hospitals, health, housing, public pub-lic employee retirement, unemployment unem-ployment compensation, social security, etc.) multiplied 2,240 times.' In 1902 expenditures for social programs accounted for about 6 of all government spending, compared with more than 34 in 1977. Foundation analysts observe that another, though less significant factor in this government govern-ment growth over the past 75 |
