As individuals we depend on the services that governments provide. Collectively we look to them to tackle the big problems from longterm climate and demographic change to shortterm crises like pandemics or war.ampnbsp Funding this activity and managing the required finances sustainably is difficult and getting more so. But governments dont provide or use basic financial information that every business is required to maintain. They ignore the value of public assets and most liabilities. This leads to inefficiency and bad decisionmaking and piles up problems for the future. Governments need to create balance sheets that properly reflect assets and liabilities and to understand their future obligations and revenue prospects. Net Worth both today and for the future should be the measure of financial strength and success.Only if this information is put at the centre of government financial decisionmaking can the present challenges to public finances around the world be addressed effectively and in a way that is fair to future generations.The good news is that there are ways to deal with these problems and make government finances more resilient and fairer to future generations. The facts and the solutions are nonpartisan and so is this book. Responsible leaders of any political persuasion need to understand the issues and the tools that can enable them to deliver policy within these constraints.ampnbsp