CFED
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The Inclusive Economy
Not Just a Textbook
By Bill Schweke on 04/05/2011 @ 03:45 PM
Progressive policymakers and advocates have been pining for a book that maps the “high road” to a more democratic America for some time. American Society: How It Really Works, authored by University of Wisconsin Professors Erik Olin Wright and Joel Rogers, meets this need. Designed to be a critical introduction to sociology, political science, public policy and social problems classes, the book also succeeds in being an entrée to the major policy controversies of our time. Encyclopedic in its scope, the textbook addresses 18 topics ranging from persistent poverty to gender inequality, from the environment to taxes. Framed by a clearly stated set of progressive values, the book is grounded in current facts and stats, as well as tightly argued. It treats the major barriers to progressive reform, including media concentration, lobbying by vested interests, escalating electoral campaign spending, the decline of unions, racism, militarism and the national security state. Especially compelling are the chapters on “The Capitalist Market: How It Is Supposed to Work” and “The Capitalist Market: How it Actually Works.” If you are searching for a book that makes an intelligent case for alternative ways to view U.S. society and to “close off the low road and pave the high,” this is the book for you. Warning: The book is not padded but is 494 pages long, divided into 23 largely stand-alone chapters. Also, it considers only national reform options (not state and local), discusses wealth inequities briefly but thoughtfully and advocates reforms in business subsidies but says little explicitly about asset building or protection policies. The book is published by W.W. Norton Books.
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