The Great divide : unequal societies and what we can do about them

Summary: "In the face of rising inequality in America, Joseph E. Stiglitz charts a path toward real recovery and a more equal society. A singular voice of reason in an era defined by bitter politics and economic uncertainty, Joseph E. Stiglitz has time and again diagnosed America's greatest economic challenges, from the Great Recession and its feeble recovery to the yawning gap between the rich and the poor. The Great Divide gathers his most provocative reflections to date on the subject of inequality. As Stiglitz ably argues, a healthy economy and a fairer democracy are within our grasp if we can put aside misguided interests and ideologies and abandon failed policies. Opening with the essay that gave the Occupy Movement its slogan, "We are the 99%," later essays in The Great Divide reveal equality of opportunity as a national myth, show that today's outsized inequality is a matter of choice, and explain reforms that would spur higher growth, more opportunity, and greater equality"--Publisher's website.

Record details

ISBN: 0393352188
ISBN: 9780393352184
ISBN: 9780393248579 (ebook)
ISBN: 0393248577
ISBN: 9780393248579
Physical Description: print
xxvi, 438 pages ; 22 cm
Edition: [First paperback edition]
Publisher: New York, New York : W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2016.
Copyright: ©2015

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Prelude: Showing Cracks.The economic consequences of Mr. Bush -- Capitalist fools -- The anatomy of a murder: who killed America's economy? -- How to get out of the financial crisis -- Big Think. Of the 1 percent, by the 1 percent, for the 1 percent -- The 1 percent's problem -- Slow growth and inequality are political choices : we can choose otherwise -- Inequality goes global -- Inequality is a choice -- Democracy in the 21st century -- Phony capitalism -- Personal Reflections. How Dr. King shaped my work in economics -- The myth of America's golden age -- Dimensions of Inequality. Equal opportunity, our national myth -- Student debt and the crushing of the American dream -- Justice for some -- The one housing solution left : mass mortgage refinancing -- Inequality and the American child -- Ebola and inequality -- Causes of America's Growing Inequality. America's socialism for the rich -- A tax system stacked against the 99 percent -- Globalization isn't just about profits, it's about taxes too -- Fallacies of Romney's logic -- Consequences of Inequality. The wrong lesson from Detroit's bankruptcy -- In no one we trust -- Policy. How policy has contributed to the great economic divide -- Why Janet Yellen, not Larry Summers, should lead the Fed -- The insanity of our food policy -- On the wrong side of globalization -- The free-trade charade -- How intellectual property reinforces inequality -- India's patently wise decision -- Eliminating extreme inequality: a sustainable development goal, 2015-2030 -- The postcrisis crises -- Inequality is not inevitable -- Regional Perspectives. The Mauritius miracle -- Singapore's lessons for an unequal America -- Japan should be alert -- Japan is a model, not a cautionary tale -- China's roadmap -- Reforming China's state-market balance -- Medellín: a light unto cities -- American delusions down under -- Scottish independence -- Spain's depression -- Putting America Back to Work. How to put America back to work -- Inequality is holding back the recovery -- The book of jobs -- Scarcity in an age of plenty -- Turn left for growth -- The innovation enigma -- Afterword. Q & A: Joseph Stiglitz on the fallacy that the top 1 percent drives innovation, and why the Reagan Administration was America's inequality turning point.