yG A EALTH and safety can be promoted in many different ways. One underutilized technique is to employ governH ' ~ 2 ment procurement leverage to stimulate the production of improved goods and services. In May, I988, Ralph Nader and the Center for Study of Responsive Law e sponsored a two-day conference on that topic. This article is a selected summary of those meetings. Government is the largest U.S. consumer, purchasing close to zo% of the gross national product. The large buying power of the federal government, and cooperative procurement efforts by smaller localities, can be used to help create markets for new products, and to assist innovation. As Robin Zee, President of the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing succinctly stated, "Nothing stimulates the marketplace like a big demand." Two case studies illustrate the potential of stimulative procurement for public health: the automobile airbag example and the Buy Quiet program. Gerald Carmen, Republican businessman and former head of the General Services Administration, described the GSA's role in airbag promotion. In the early I98os, Carmen received a phone call from Ralph Nader and they agreed to meet. Nader later referred Carmen to some pro-airbag insurance executives for additional discussion. Although much of his private experience was in the automotive field, Carmen knew little about passive restraint systems. He was stunned by how little the airbag components cost. Some evidence concerning airbag performance already existed, and Carmen became convinced that the GSA should purchase this safety device. Sitting down with the automobile companies, however, was a disheartening experience. Although GSA wanted to order 5,000 cars with airbags on the driver's side, both General Motors and Chrysler refused to respond to the initiative. Ford was also initially nonresponsive, but after the government offered to help subsidize production, Ford agreed to provide airbag-equipped Tempos. These were delivered to GSA in I98 5. Progressive insurers such as Travelers, Allstate and U.S.A.A. also