… is from Deirdre McCloskey’s April 11th, 2020, Spectator essay, “Coronavirus must not rob us of our liberties forever” (link added):
The evidence suggests, in other words, that behind the growth of government there’s something deeper, and more recent, than mere wars. The missing cause is ideas, as [Robert] Higgs in fact came to believe – in particular a triad of anti-liberal ideas devised in Europe during the 19th century and implemented whole-hog during the 20th: nationalism, unlimited majority rule and socialism.


The evidence suggests, in other words, that behind the growth of government there’s something deeper, and more recent, than mere wars. The missing cause is ideas,
