In examining the role of the state Smith addresses a plethora of issues dealing specifically with the scope and depth of the states involvement in society and the economy. Much of what Smith writes is in response to the Mercantilist movements in Europe, as Smith viewed government granted monopolies and restrictive trade as only being harmful for the economies of the nations that practiced them. Smith recognized the importance of the state providing security and protection from the outside as well as from those on the inside but also let the role of the state deepen by stating that it should be responsible for undertaking ventures that would benefit or even be necessary to the wellbeing of the society with out being profitable (public works and institutions).

Smith’s third role for the Sovereign, the Expense of Public Works and institutions, is one of the more “controversial” in his theory of the state as he states that it is the duty of the government to build and maintain social necessities “which though they may be in the highest degree advantageous to a great society, are, however, of such a nature that the profit could never repay the expense to any individual … and which it therefore, cannot be expected that any individual … should erect or maintain.” (Heilbroner, p 298). Many say they find this section contradicts some of what Smith says earlier in his work where the government should just stay out of things like this and let the market function. The other interpretation, the one that Smith seems to provide in his work, is that some public works and institutions are required for economic prosperity and opportunity but could never be run privately, such as embassies to help conduct foreign trade or roadways to make the transportation of goods and services possible (Zinn, p2). Smith also points t

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