Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein

The Cost of Rights

Why Liberty Depends on Taxes

To "fight for your rights," or anyone else's, is not just to debate principles but to haggle over budgets.
The simple insight that all legally enforceable rights cost money reminds us that freedom is not violated by a government that taxes and spends, but requires it—and requires a citizenry vigilant about how money is allocated. Drawing from these practical, commonsense notions, The Cost of Rights provides a Òuseful corrective to the all-or-nothing feel of much political debate nowadaysÓ (The Economist).

The Cost of Rights
Stephen Holmes teaches political science at Princeton University and New York University Law School. Cass R. Sunstein teaches law and political science at the University of Chicago.


April / paper / ISBN 0-393-32033-2 / 256 pages / 5-1/2" x 8-1/4" / POLITICAL SCIENCE
Back to W.W. Norton
Spring '00 Catalog Contents
Ordering Information
View Your Shopping Cart