American History: Outlines: The Growth of Government

As the 20th century has progressed, the public has come to expect the government to provide more services than in any previous era. It might be added that a greater number of services becomes economically feasible for the government to provide when large numbers of people are crowded into cities. For example, organized collection of trash would be prohibitively expensive in rural areas because of the dispersed population, but it is practical -- and necessary -- in big cities.