In a new book "The Waste of Government," Chris Prior addresses one of the biggest challenges of our times.

Government has a vital role yet to varying degrees, government is failing to function at its best.

Everyone is aware of government waste; over priced items and unnecessary or extravagant activities. Alarming although these cases are, they are not the real problem.

The fundamental challenge is making sure that all government programs are as effective as possible in achieving their objectives. Government has a unique position in societies and yet it is this primary role that makes it extremely vulnerable to under-performance.

Governments suffer from the failings of monopoly, yet for various reasons the "regulatory" functions that legislatures should perform, are insufficient to deliver corrective action.

As a result countries get stuck with policies and programs that are outdated and inefficient. Society moves on but government far from leading, falls further and further behind. The power of government is diminished and dissipated, its resources and potential wasted, the opportunities for improvement lost.

Chris Prior

"failing policies and programs are the curse of effectiveness and efficiency"

"the argument is not about big versus small government, it is good versus bad, what works and what doesn't"

"governments are so important that even a small improvement can have a dramatic impact on national prosperity"