Against the Profit Motive The Salary Revolution in American Government, 1780-1940 |
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| Author:
| Parrillo, Nicholas R. |
| Series title: | Yale Law Library Series in Legal History and Reference Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-300-19475-3 |
| Publication Date: | Oct 2013 |
| Publisher: | Yale University Press
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| Book Format: | Paperback |
| List Price: | USD $62.00 |
Book Description:
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In America today, a public official's lawful income consists of a salary. But until a century ago, the law frequently provided for officials to make money on a profit-seeking basis. Prosecutors won a fee for each defendant convicted. Tax collectors received a percentage of each evasion uncovered. Naval officers took a reward for each ship sunk. Numerous other officers were likewise paid for "performance." This book is the first to document the American government's...
More Description
In America today, a public official's lawful income consists of a salary. But until a century ago, the law frequently provided for officials to make money on a profit-seeking basis. Prosecutors won a fee for each defendant convicted. Tax collectors received a percentage of each evasion uncovered. Naval officers took a reward for each ship sunk. Numerous other officers were likewise paid for "performance." This book is the first to document the American government's for-profit past, to discover how profit-seeking defined officialdom's relationship to the citizenry, and to explain how lawmakers--by ultimately banishing the profit motive in favor of the salary--transformed that relationship forever.