But almost all developed countries have gone well beyond the point at which larger government has a positive impact on these and other measures of social progress. The data fails to support that view. The study notes that many different types of government spending may affect measures of social progress - including spending of roads, police, hospitals and schools. But given current spending patterns among developed countries, there is virtually no relationship between the size of government and measures of social progress. In addition to literacy and health, the study also looked at such other quality of life indicators as crime rates and the availability of roads and telephones for 112 different countries.
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