I wrote The Price of Civilization out of the conviction that the US government has failed to understand and respond to the challenges of globalization ever since it began to impact America’s economy in the 1970’s. Rather than respond to globalization with more government spending on education, infrastructure, and technology, Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980 by pledging to slash government spending and cut taxes.
《文明代价》一书的基本观点就是美国政府其实并未理解并应对全球化的挑战，而这种失败自1970年代全球化开始影响美国经济时已初现端倪。罗纳德·里根非但没能通过增加政府在教育，基础设施以及科技放方面的支出来应对全球化，反而利用大幅压低政府开支和减税的口号赢得了1980年大选。