"Although many Americans believe that government creates more problems than it solves, the federal government has amassed an extraordinary record of successes over the past half century. Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, the United States helped rebuild Europe after World War II, conquered polio and other life-threatening diseases, faced down communism, attacked racial discrimination, reduced poverty among the elderly, and put men on the moon.".

"In Government's Greatest Achievements, Paul C. Light explores the U.S. government's achievements from 1944 to 1999. Drawing on survey responses from 230 historians and 220 political scientists, Light profiles fifty legislative initiatives through which the federal government has tackled some of the world's toughest problems."--BOOK JACKET.