Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics

Book Description

In the Origin of Wealth, Eric Beinhocker offers a thorough and convincing new way to think about economic growth and business management. The author begins by exploring the roots of modern economic theory and ultimately declares it outmoded and wrong. Instead, he suggests, markets and growth can best be explained by drawing on the emerging field of complexity economics: the study of markets and social systems as complex adaptive systems. Although biological metaphors in business have become familiar (i.e., organizations are living organisms), Beinhocker moves beyond metaphor to explain the revolutions in science that will inevitably change the way we think about economics, competition, and business. The Origin of Wealth raises important questions such as: How can one create strategy in uncertain and fast moving environments? Why is it hard for large organizations to be innovative and how should we organize for better results? What role should governments play in this new era?

Customer Reviews:

Evolution, a recipe for innovation.......2007-10-14

The author has carried out a tremendous amount of work to study the latest developments in many different fields clustered around the concept of "complexity economics". The two most interesting ideas for me were about innovation and strategy development. I was amazed to learn how you can generate new insights and innovations in products , systems and organisation by computer simulations where "agents" compete in the way the evolution works. That is those features, and organisms, survive that successfully adapt to changes in the environment. These "agents" are simplified computer models of human beings, of a system or of a component. The characteristics of these agents change at random, similar to mutations in evolution. The agents compete in a computer. At the end of a simulation round the best performers engage in "computer sex" leading to new generation of more competent "agents". After many rounds innovations develop "automatically"
The second interesting area is about innovation strategy. Luck remains a factor, but its influence can be reduced by having a portfolio of innovative projects. Microsoft with its Windows strategy is a fascinating example.
The purpose in these simulations is important. On page 280 it says that the goal of a business is making a profit. This is what many people in society at large also think. It is not what the most read management gurus like Peter Drucker, and Jim Collins think. Their view is that profit is a condition for survival and a measure of success. Interestingly on page 411 the first view is corrected where it states that "profitability is not an objective in itself but a fundamental restraint that must be met". The cause of this contradiction may be the almost total absence in the book of the subjects of ethics, values, corporate citizenship and CSR. May be it is difficult to create synthetic "agents" with values other than greed. That should be possible though and would be a very interesting development.

Modern Classic.......2007-09-25

I would classify Eric Beinhocker's book as an instant classic. Although it is more of a survey of broad spectrum of economic studies, it is extremely well put together and well written. I promised myself that this is a book that requires a more detailed review but since I have not had time to write that yet, I want to at least share the following with the would be readers of this book:

Buy this book! The primary focus of the book is analysis of how emergence (no pun intended) of complex dynamical systems is changing the fundamentals of economics. Book does an excellent job of giving historical account of how mathematical foundations of economics was developed and influenced by the math/physics of the time: math of systems in equilibrium. Afterwords it methodically studies the complex dynamical systems, their impact on agent based modeling of complex phenomenon and how this development in mathematical thinking is already impacting economics. Last couple of chapters also provide ponderings of complex dynamical systems analysis and its impact on policy making and international relations.

Book is clearly written, well researched with excellent bibliography and captures some of the most throught provoking research in the industry in a simple and conherent fashion.

If I get time I promise to write a longer and more deserving review of this book.

Eye-popping paradigm shift in economics unveiled.......2007-07-14

On the subject matter...
Ever wonder why macro-economics didn't make sense?
Want to know more about how economies and markets really work?

On the writing...
The author provides a simple, compelling narrative which debunks a large portion of economics as it has been taught for the last 200 years. It then goes on to synthesize broad swaths of recent economic research into a cohesive vision of economics as an evolutionary open system and that observable macro-economic patterns are largely a product of the evolutionary algorithm at work.

If a high level understanding of the workings of economies or markets is of interest to you -- or you just want to unlearn a lot of false theory -- The Origin of Wealth is for you!

Must have for anyone who gave up on economics... like me.......2007-07-02

If you ever tried to read a book on economics, you probably loved the classics (Adam Smith, Shumpeter, Keynes...) but then you probably had an uneasy feeling about people trying to use some kind of Maxwell equation to explain the workings of the economy. That's where you probably decided that this science was either too complex for you (in fact, it is the world that is too complex for traditional economics) or that scholars were probably more interested in masturbating their brains than truly explaining the world. That's usually where a science needs a paradigm shift in order to stay alive in the world, and not just in academia.

Hopefully, things have changed and economists are now introducing concepts that gracefully embrace the nature of the subject : evolution, non-linear functions, psychology, sociology, and intelligent mathematics (the one that tries to fit with the actual world, not the opposite)

This book is a must have... The kind of book that makes you feel intelligent not because it's full of obscure concepts that you think you can loosely fit together, but because it is fact-based, well written, sometimes surprising, and most of all it feels right... which is truly groundbreaking.

Just like in nuclear physics, this science finally takes off the very moment it stops trying to fit the world in an a+b=c equation. Instead of having a precisely wrong theory, we now have something that accounts for the inherent complexity of the economy and unveils new and fascinating territories for us to discover.

A must for economics students!.......2007-07-01

I am an undergraduate student of economics and was always critical about the Traditional Economics theories that were presented in class. I never just accepted the textbook's mathmatical models as the ultimate truth and always looked for more. I read books from a wide range of areas, all supporting my view that there was something more to our economic life than what professors told us in class, but never making a clear connection to economic theory. I bought this book by chance before a long flight and can't say how happy I was when I realized what Beinhocker was saying. I could not stop reading and finished it in about a week. Beinhocker showed me how to break through the mathmatical barriers of traditional economics and think about economics in an exiting and liberating new way. His introduction to Complexity Economics (as he calls it) has given me new hope for economics and enthusiasm for my studies. I am already diving deeper and deeper into work mentioned in the references and a whole new world is opening in front of me! A. J. Sutter makes many valid points in his lengthy review above. I still think Beinhocker managed to write a book that is groundbreaking in its range of topics covered and its comprehensive overview of Complexity Economics.
No student of economics who has not at least heard about the topics mentioned in this book can say that he knows the subject he is studying.

The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide

Average customer rating:

3/4 of the way it's really good and then...
Accessible, clear, enlightening
Breaking the Seemingly Impenetrable Racial Barriers of Wealth Accumulation

The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide
Meizhu Lui , Barbara Robles , and Betsy Leondar-Wright
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Wealth Inequality Reader
Black Wealth / White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality 2E
The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism And White Privilege
The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate Aristocracy (BK Currents)
The Price You Pay: The Hidden Cost of Women's Relationship to Money

ASIN: 1595580042

Book Description

An eye-opening field guide to the wealth gap.

For every dollar owned by the average white family in the United States, the average family of color has less than a dime. Why do people of color have so little wealth? The Color of Wealth lays bare a dirty secret: for centuries, people of color have been barred by laws and by discrimination from participating in government wealth-building programs that benefit white Americans.

This accessible book—published in conjunction with one of the country's leading economics education organizations—makes the case that until government policy tackles disparities in wealth, not just income, the United States will never have racial or economic justice.

Written by five leading experts on the racial wealth divide who recount the asset-building histories of Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, and European Americans, this book is a uniquely comprehensive multicultural history of American wealth. With its focus on public policies—how, for example, many post-World War II GI Bill programs helped whites only—The Color of Wealth is the first book to demonstrate the decisive influence of government on Americans' net worth.

Customer Reviews:

3/4 of the way it's really good and then..........2006-10-28

This book is a solid piece of scholarship for the most part. The last quarter, however, dissipates into more reformism. It is interesting to see statistics on the wealth differential between Whites and other Ethnic Groups and the causal factors concomitantly, e.g. racism, Ethnocentricism, greed etc. The historical analysis as to what created the divide is thorough. That said, the prescription in the end makes one wonder if the scholars' really grasped the Historical antecedents that they presented to begin with. What occured in the past to create the disparity was not accidental. On the contrary. Whites today have the same mindset as their ancestors did in regards to wealth and securing it. How can they not? It's the same continuum. The society reinforces it. Just ask Tim Wise. Whites need only be on auto pilot to maintain this unjust system. The only solution is a complete social revolution, this - in the long run - will move people of color into equality while simultaneously changing the psyches' of Whites. Anything short of that can be consigned to phantasmic thinking.

Accessible, clear, enlightening.......2006-07-24

Heavily researched, but written in a very accessible way. You will learn volumes about wealth disparities and how they got that way, and you will learn something about yourself too. Highly recommended for anyone with interests in social and economic justice, racism, and just getting ahead in America.

Breaking the Seemingly Impenetrable Racial Barriers of Wealth Accumulation.......2006-06-24

Eye-opening doesn't even begin to describe this enlightening volume about the socioeconomic divide among whites and non-whites in this country and the role the government plays in reinforcing the separation. Organized by five key members of the nonpartisan United for a Fair Economy organization based in Atlanta, the book handily dismantles the Horatio Alger myth, especially for minority members, by detailing how economic predation has persisted even as significant strides have been made in the far more discernible civil rights arena. The co-authors - Executive Director Meizhu Lui, Communications Director Betsy Leondar-Wright, current board member Bárbara Robles, past board member (until 2005) Rose Brewer, and Rebecca Adamson of the First Peoples Worldwide - have assembled not only a comprehensive history but also a fulsome, current picture of the economic discrimination that has festered pointedly against four different groups - African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.

Not coincidentally, the five women come from five different ethnic groups (including white), which allow them to compare their individual experiences and provide personal validation (and sometimes challenges) of their findings. Perhaps the most compelling fact unearthed is the substantial divide in net worth between blacks and whites. Previously, focus has been mostly on income disparity, which while significant, has been almost passively accepted. Specifically, median household income for whites in 2003 was about $48K, while for black households it was about $30K. However, looking on the balance sheet, the co-authors uncovered the revelatory fact that whites had a median net worth of $121K in 2001 versus just $19K for blacks.

This and the book's other equally invaluable findings clearly illustrate how public policy has hindered asset accumulation among non-whites, and there is also an itemized list of special advantages afforded exclusively to whites. On a more personal level, the co-authors show how such exclusionary tactics have affected the self-esteem of their families, especially among their fathers who feel they have failed them somehow. In a hopeful effort to clarify the decisive influence of government on Americans' net worth, the book is not a socialist tract but rather a realistic how-to guide on how to affect policy changes that will help future generations in their wealth-building strategies. I think this is must-read information well worth studying by those looking for a constructive means of addressing the economic inequity in wealth, not just income. This is essential reading.

America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy

Average customer rating:

Not particularly rousing or transforming
book for school
Required reading????
The View from the Far Left
Five Stars for Originality and Scholarship, Three for the Quality of Writing

America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy
Gar Alperovitz
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471667307

Book Description

"Be prepared for a mind-opening experience."
-The Christian Century

"Highly readable; excellent for students. . . . A tonic and eye-opener for anyone who wants a politics that works."
-Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"America Beyond Capitalism comes at a critical time in our history-when we all know our system isn't working but we are not sure what can be done about it. This book takes us outside the confines of orthodox thinking, imagines a new way of living together, and then brings that vision back into reality with a set of eminently practical ideas that promise a truly democratic society."
-Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

"Succeeds brilliantly in taking the Jeffersonian spirit into the last bastion of privilege in America, offering workable solutions for making the American economy one that is truly of, by, and for the people."
-Jeremy Rifkin, author of The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream

"The kind of careful, well-researched, and practical alternative progressives have been seeking. And it's more-visionary, hopeful, even inspirational. I highly recommend it."
-Juliet Schor, author of The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need

"A compelling and convincing story of the future."
-William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy

Customer Reviews:

Not particularly rousing or transforming.......2007-07-11

The author is concerned that at this point in our history our ideals of liberty, equality, and democracy have been seriously eroding as never before. By far the most relevant development given by the author is the growing concentration of wealth in the US among the richest 1 percent and thereby their immense power to control the political-economic system. In this highly tilted environment, traditional popular political approaches are largely ineffective - systemic changes are needed. However, the author's proposals scarcely go "beyond capitalism," being reformist at best, and do little to enhance the little "d" democracy that is so important in a democracy.

Because wealth-holding is so central in our society, the author proposes changes in forms of ownership and the distribution of capital. He gives examples of ownership by municipalities, non-profits, and other non-government entities mostly in the areas of low-income housing and utility ownership, none of which are particularly economically transforming to the citizenry. He suggests that ESOPs are empowering to workers, yet he readily admits that most ESOPs do not even have voting rights. There have always been worker cooperatives and direct worker ownership in the US, but hardly at the level of being a countervailing force to huge for-profit corporations owned by anonymous stockholders. His suggestions to decentralize the US into regional political entities, like virtually all of his proposals, do not enhance participation for citizens.

The author notes that major crises in this nation, such as the Great Depression or WWII, have spurred the most profound changes. The author hints at the fact that it may well be the excesses of elites and corporations that will generate the next significant political-economic changes. Forces of globalization, the cheap labor afforded by immigration, growing perceptions of unreasonable inequality, a health care industry increasingly at odds with the health of the American public, the diminishment and jeopardization of retirement income, and perpetual war - all may well combine to stimulate profound changes. As the author acknowledges, it is likely that the situation may have to get worse before action is taken.

The book, though not particularly long, manages to be repetitious and tedious with excessive cataloging of various agencies, programs, and advocates. The book is hardly a far left treatise. Capitalism may get a strong rebuke, but that is the extent of it. His vaguely presented schemes to redistribute wealth are highly bureaucratic, bypassing worker control. Overall this book is a disappointment in its lack of specific suggestions for empowering citizens in all areas, public and private.

book for school.......2007-05-16

I bought this book for a class at college. I am really tired of this propoganda. I do not agree with the viewpoints.

Required reading????.......2006-09-21

The guy makes his liberal points like gangbusters. But why on earth is this type of material required reading in several colleges without an equally substantial pro-capitalist book to counter it?
Nowhere else in society are young people exposed to such raw indoctrination as they are in America's college campuses. Kids need to learn to think for themselves, not just repeat the rantings of their instructors.

The View from the Far Left.......2006-05-02

This book is an excellent summary of the thinking of the left wing of the Democratic party. He brings forth a good collection of ways that he sees our society declining. I believe the thing he laments most is that the rich are rich. From this he goes on to saying that the standard work week in the US should be shorter, there should be universal health care, the whole litany of the issues of the far left.

While many of us think that the far right wing has gone too far, the far left likewise has little appeal.

Another point that bothers me is that problems I forsee being the biggest problems that the country faces, he doesn't mention at all. For instance, we are at about the peak of oil production in the world and developing countries, especially China and India have increased their demand for oil, and the total production of oil is going to go down in the next few years.

Mr. Alperovitz is a Democratic Party activist. He doesn't though address what the Democratics need to do to be able to win on a national level. The old Democratic coalition of minorities, labor, women, the big Eastern political machines no longer has the pull it had. If he really wants to change things, how does he propose for the Democrats to counter the movement in our country to the South and West. Hint: When Kerry and Edwards left the campaign trail for a couple of days to go vote on a gun control measure they wrote off the South and West just to back up the left wing of their party.

I give the book five stars because it so clearly illustrates the feelings of the far left. As a practical plan for the future, it wouldn't rate that high.

Five Stars for Originality and Scholarship, Three for the Quality of Writing.......2005-11-12

I give this book five stars for orginality and scholarship and three for the quality of the writing.

The ideas presented here hold the key to future progressive political success. Unfortunately, most political activists on the Left are not aware of the rich history of democratic localism that progressives can draw on to win a progressive governing majority. This book is the antidote to this lack of awareness. By studying "America Beyond Capitalism" progressive thinkers and activists can learn how to develop popular policies that will earn the trust of the American electorate.

However, the quality of writing leaves much to be desired. The writing style too frequently degenerates into tiring catalogues of examples that could be easily summarized, allowing the curious reader to more easily absorb the main theme, while still having the option of researching examples by looking at the original sources cited. This is why I give it only three stars for the quality of the writing.

Overall, I give this book four stars and I highly recommend it to any progressive who is seriously interested in building a progressive governing majority in the 21st century.

The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality

Average customer rating:

Every American needs to read this book!
Wealth: The Bedrock of Racial Inequality
The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth perpetuates Inequality
Must read for first time black home owners!!
great book

The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality
Thomas M. Shapiro
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Black Wealth / White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality 2E
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States
Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society
Black Picket Fences : Privilege and Peril Among the Black Middle Class
When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America

ASIN: 019515147X

Book Description

Over the past three decades, racial prejudice in America has declined significantly and many African American families have seen a steady rise in employment and annual income. But alongside these encouraging signs, Thomas Shapiro argues in The Hidden Cost of Being African American, fundamental levels of racial inequality persist, particularly in the area of asset accumulation--inheritance, savings accounts, stocks, bonds, home equity, and other investments-. Shapiro reveals how the lack of these family assets along with continuing racial discrimination in crucial areas like homeownership dramatically impact the everyday lives of many black families, reversing gains earned in schools and on jobs, and perpetuating the cycle of poverty in which far too many find themselves trapped. Shapiro uses a combination of in-depth interviews with almost 200 families from Los Angeles, Boston, and St. Louis, and national survey data with 10,000 families to show how racial inequality is transmitted across generations. We see how those families with private wealth are able to move up from generation to generation, relocating to safer communities with better schools and passing along the accompanying advantages to their children. At the same time those without significant wealth remain trapped in communities that don't allow them to move up, no matter how hard they work. Shapiro challenges white middle class families to consider how the privileges that wealth brings not only improve their own chances but also hold back people who don't have them. This "wealthfare" is a legacy of inequality that, if unchanged, will project social injustice far into the future. Showing that over half of black families fall below the asset poverty line at the beginning of the new century, The Hidden Cost of Being African American will challenge all Americans to reconsider what must be done to end racial inequality.

Customer Reviews:

Every American needs to read this book!.......2007-03-10

I agree with Mr. Shapiro. He took my understanding of how tax policy and wealth transfers have widened the gap to a new level. His arguments are highly persuasive. However, I have an alternative view of why the value of homes in AA communities do not appreciate as fast. There is validity to his view but I believe another reason is because of the way AA's maintain their communities and not because they are segregated. I grew-up in an all black neighborhood but my father cut our grass; we didn't have broken down cars in the drive way, or couches on the front porch. Everyone worked together and we were proud of our homes. The way I see it, I don't care if the neighborhood is black, white, hispanic, or asian, if the people do not keep that community clean and well-maintained, the property values will stagnate or decline, inevitably. So let's not go too far to one side and say that "Because neighborhoods are racially segregated, African Americans' homes do not grow in value as fast as whites' homes do." There are other factors at play as well.

Wealth: The Bedrock of Racial Inequality.......2006-12-08

The typical minority household in the United States now owns less than one-tenth the wealth of a typical white household. Even worse, this gap is actually growing, an increase that's confounding America's mainstream public policy analysts.

These analysts treat racial inequality as purely a function of unequal access to jobs, skills, and education. The more access, the less inequality.

That certainly sounds reasonable. But if this analysis were correct, then racial inequalities ought to be narrowing, since Americans of color today have far more access to jobs, skills, and education than they did just a generation ago.

So why is racial inequality, as measured by net worth, expanding? Thomas Shapiro has an answer in his insightful new Hidden Cost of Being African American. Racial inequalities are widening, he argues, because Americans continue to ignore our nation's incredibly unequal distribution of wealth.

That maldistribution, Shapiro contends, has essentially trumped the expanded access to jobs, skills, and education won through years of civil rights struggles.

Consider two young people. Both study hard in high school. Both go on to attend college. One has parents with enough wealth to foot the bill for college tuition. The other graduates with thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

These two young people get hired by the same company. Both make the same income, and both look to buy their first home at the same time. But only one has parents who can help with the downpayment. The other, still burdened with student debts, gets dirty looks from lenders -- and ends up with a mortgage at a higher monthly rate.

Our lucky young person, buoyed by abundant parental help, can afford to buy a home in a nice neighborhood with good schools. Our unlucky young person can only afford a home in a considerably less desirable neighborhood.

Fifteen years later, the home in the nice neighborhood has appreciated nicely. The other home has not. Our two now-no-longer-young people still make the same income. But they are not equally wealthy. Only one lives in financial security. One is white, the other black.

How can we begin to turn this dynamic around? Shapiro sees "no means of seriously moving toward racial equality without positive asset policies to address the racial wealth gap." And Shapiro also emphasizes the importance of leveling down privilege at the top of America's economic ladder.

"What is really at stake," he writes, "is the power of very wealthy individuals to assure succeeding generations economic success and material comfort through unearned advantages, regardless of any achievements or contributions they may make."

[Excerpted from a review that appeared in Too Much, the online weekly newsletter.]

The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth perpetuates Inequality.......2006-11-15

Finally, a book that acknowledges the historical inequalities of any people, in this instance, African Americans. Thomas M. Shapiro gives a very well written and researched treatise of how historical disadvantages perpetuates inequality today for the people who were held back the longest in the United States.

This is a must read for people who really care about humanity and the diminishing middle class in this country. I hope this book is not seen as some mere racial rant, but rather as a substative tool for remediating some of the ills of our common past.

Must read for first time black home owners!!.......2006-11-03

Mr Shapiro taught me why a white man and a black man with the same degree,same college, job position and income will pay a different price for the same house.(The white man pays less).

He reviews school districts and how they effect the price of a house.
Real Estate is driven by school taxes. Now I know why the Freshmen at Harvard came from homes where the average house was very expensive.

I learned so much about INHERETED wealth that some whites but few blacks enjoy.

Darrell Pone,MD
New York

great book .......2006-03-16

I really learned why real estate in communities of color so often is worth less money than when the exact same housing or real estate is available in white communities. What a terrible price people of color pay for our nation's social cancer of racism. Our collective racism cloaks our underlying issues of pretending there is no classism in the USA. I appreciate Dr. Shapiro's honest assessment of the situation and his clarity in analyzing the actual numbers and statistics underneath the money and educational disparities that can keep some African American families from achieving the wealth levels they would otherwise easily be able to enjoy. Great reading and a fair minded resource for all Americans of any heritage.

Economic Apartheid In America: A Primer on Economic Inequality & Insecurity, Revised and Updated Edition

Average customer rating:

More of a primer
Informative, important, and easy to read

Economic Apartheid In America: A Primer on Economic Inequality & Insecurity, Revised and Updated Edition
Chuck Collins , Felice Yeskel , and Class Action
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Wealth Inequality Reader
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From Cradle to Grave: The Human Face of Poverty in America

ASIN: 1595580158

Book Description

Revised following the 2004 presidential election, a graphic portrait of the growing gap between the rich and everyone else in America.

• In 1968, African Americans earned 55 cents for every dollar of white income. At the current pace, it would take 581 years for African Americans to achieve income parity.
• States including Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia tax food and basic needs at a higher rate than income from investments.
• Welfare for very low income people totaled $193 billion in 2004. Aid to "dependent corporations" exceeded $800 billion.

This updated edition of the widely touted Economic Apartheid in America looks at the causes and manifestations of wealth disparities in the United States, including tax policy in light of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and recent corporate scandals.

Published with two leading organizations dedicated to addressing economic inequality, the book looks at recent changes in income and wealth distribution and examines the economic policies and shifts in power that have fueled the growing divide.

Praised by Sojurners as "a clear blueprint on how to combat growing inequality," Economic Apartheid in America provides "much-needed groundwork for more democratic discussion and participation in economic life" (Tikkun). With "a wealth of eye-opening data" (The Beacon) focusing on the decline of organized labor and civic institutions, the battle over global trade, and the growing inequality of income and wages, it argues that most Americans are shut out of the discussion of the rules governing their economic lives.

Accessible and engaging and illustrated throughout with charts, graphs, and political cartoons, the book lays out a comprehensive plan for action. Charts, graphs, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Customer Reviews:

More of a primer.......2007-07-11

This book isn't bad. But the content makes it difficult to be entertaining. I would compare it to a college freshmen economic textbook. But it's not just boring text. There are interesting graphs and charts. And even some lame cartoons. But it's done very well and has some excellent commentary. It's almost entertaining. But again, it's tough to sit down and actually read content about labor unions and minimum wage and stay excited. But as far as the books that I've seen or read that paint a big picture of our economy and it's current state . . . this is the best.

Informative, important, and easy to read.......2007-04-17

Co-authors Chuck Collins and Felice Yeskel discuss the widening gap between America's rich and poor, and why it's in our interest to pay attention.

With clarity and conviction, Economic Apartheid In America details the reasons for this country's increasing disparity between the wealthiest and everyone else. It begins with a discussion of the societal risks economic inequality poses, including a decrease in family security, threats to our democratic institutions, and the decay of social cohesion. The book indicates that families in all but the highest earning brackets face declining real incomes, increasing personal debt, a virtual disappearance in both retirement and personal savings, and unavailable or unaffordable health care coverage. In addition, education and child care costs are on the rise and the federal minimum wage is so outdated it can no longer realistically keep a family of four above the poverty line.

The authors explain how high concentrations of wealth place excessive power in the hands of too few, primarily through political influence and corporate disenfranchisement of workers. This has resulted in an uneven playing field on which the wealthiest individuals and corporations enjoy higher income, numerous tax breaks, and greater returns on investment, while the poorest are expected to bear higher living costs, declining income, and an ever-increasing tax burden. The book also discusses the persistent disparities in earning power for minorities and women.

Collins and Yeskel point out that it wasn't always this way. In the post World War II era families in every income bracket enjoyed comparably sized increases in earnings, allowing a more even distribution of wealth and, with the notable exceptions of women and minorities, a greater level of overall prosperity. Now, in the post-Reagan era of globalization and the proliferation of "free-market capitalism," corporations have compromised wage-earner security through downsizing, outsourcing, and excessive executive compensation.

The book admonishes readers to effect change through the use of grassroots organizing efforts, the support of political leaders who favor limits on corporate welfare and an increase in the minimum wage, the reinvigoration of unionized labor, and the creation/adaptation of government social services that support working families. In addition, several strategies, from socially responsible investing to publicly funded elections, are offered as methods to close the economic divide.

Other notable topics discussed in the book include the Federal Reserve's over-aversion to inflation, the abuse of commonwealth resources, a cultural shift towards greed and consumerism, and the perpetuation of class divide via intergenerational retention of wealth. While at times the book suffers from a tone of activist desperation, overall it offers an informed summation and practical solutions for a critical issue facing society.

The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer

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Welfare State Conservatives
Excellent brief coverage of the welfare state
Towards achieving a measure of economic justice
Some Good Ideas, But Some Flawed Reasoning.
A 199-page treatise that needs to be read by every economics student

The Conservative Nanny State: How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer
Dean Baker
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
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ASIN: 1411693957

Book Description

In his new book, economist Dean Baker debunks the myth that conservatives favor the market over government intervention. In fact, conservatives rely on a range of "nanny state" policies that ensure the rich get richer while leaving most Americans worse off. It's time for the rules to change. Sound economic policy should harness the market in ways that produce desirable social outcomes - decent wages, good jobs and affordable health care. Dean Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Customer Reviews:

Welfare State Conservatives.......2007-08-11

You'd have to be the proverbial ostrich not to know that in i-pod America, the rich are getting richer, the poor poorer, while the middle class qualifies as an endangered species. What is not so well known is how redistribution is aided and abetted by government policy. Conservatives, as Baker notes, have been very successful in dressing up their windfall as the unbiased workings of the marketplace. Thus the citizenry accepts unfavorable results as the outcome of the glorified market god, in whose name things ultimately turn out for the best. Baker's slim volume (100 pps.) aims at showing how despite the smoke and mirrors, the god actually resides in Washington DC, in enumerated programs and policies directed toward funneling wealth upward. These measures and their rationale are kept in place by governmental machinery he dubs the "conservative nanny state" (cns).

Far from opposing government intervention in the economy, the cns uses intervention effectively in behalf of established wealth. The quarrel between liberals and conservatives is usually framed in terms of a liberal welfare state vs. a conservative free market. But, as Baker points out, these terms are seriously misleading. Both sides favor government intervention. Where they differ is over who gets the benefits, while the success of the cns lies in their ability to deflect public awareness from govn't actions that benefit the rich at the expense of the rest of us.

Baker examines a number of these biased policies showing how they funnel wealth upward. These prove to be enlightening discussions. However, what's unusual about the sections is his proposed remedy, which is essentially to let the markets operate free of the cns. For example, crippling health care costs have been sky-rocketing. They can be reduced, he points out, by allowing a greater supply of foreign physicians to immigrate. Or, consider long-depressed wage hikes. These can be resurrected, he argues, by curtailing the Federal Reserve's power to pump up depressing interest rates in the name of fighting inflation. Similar market-based solution are recommended for other cns biases.

It would be easy to assume that the author is a libertarian insisting on free market principles. But he's not, at least from my reading. For he proposes letting the govn't compete in the marketplace with private business, a definite anathema to classic libertarians. Hence, in his view, govn't should offer medical insurance to compete with private insurers for the consumer's buck. How well all this would work out is up to the reader to decide. Still, it's educational to examine how far cns policies depart from the hallowed conservative principle of non-intervention, and how effectively these measures are masked from public awareness.

One important arena not examined is the defense industry. It's a multi-billion dollar complex, the proceeds from which largely funnel upwards and, it would appear, a mother lode the cns regularly taps into. Why Baker doesn't examine cns activity in this highly significant sector is unclear to me. Perhaps, it's because solutions are not as amenable to market operations, or maybe because the topic is simply too big to be included with the others. Anyway, don't expect an expose of Lockheed-Martin et. al. and the cns in these pages. Nonetheless, the book is well worth the read, particularly for Chapter Five on bankruptcy and the cns's little-known role as both national and international debt-collector.

Excellent brief coverage of the welfare state.......2007-08-07

This book gives a great introduction to how a variety of industries get breaks from the system, so for example, how drug companies take tax money (through the NIH) and then after succesfully creating a new drug, patent it to create a monopoly. It's a wonderful introduction to what's wrong in our mixed market economy.

Towards achieving a measure of economic justice.......2007-08-04

"The Conservative Nanny State" by Dean Baker is a concise, 108-page book that seeks to change the popular debate about economy policy in the U.S. Mr. Baker's principle argument is that conservatives use market rhetoric to conceal the fact that the wealthy frequently depend upon government intervention to help protect and preserve class privilege. The author suggests that liberals should stop trapping themselves in the conservative play book and instead loudly promote alternative policies that use market mechanisms to distribute wealth in a more socially equitable manner. While not wholly convincing on all points, overall the book succeeds in demonstrating that progressives should not be intimidated into accepting conservative heterodoxy when a sane and just socio-economic future for all may be possible.

Mr. Baker makes three major proposals that effectively turns the tables on conservative free-market ideologues. The first pertains to eliminating protections that are currently afforded to professionals; he believes that this would drive down medical and legal costs and, by extension, increase the purchasing power of the working class. The second is to democratize the Federal Reserve so that its bias towards protecting the profits of the banking industry by creating excess unemployment is curbed. The third is to reduce health care costs by opening the industry to government competition, allowing individuals and businesses to purchase coverage through Medicare. In all three cases, the author suggests that free marketeers would have nothing to fear in these proposals if they truly believed their narratives about the supposed superiority of the markets and the private sector to government-run programs.

One only wishes that some of the author's arguments were laid out in greater length. While Mr. Baker occasionally cites the experiences of other nations as points of comparison -- such as when comparing health care costs in the U.S. with other countries -- he does not go into any detail about the trade-offs or unintended consequences that might emerge as a result of pursuing these policies. For example, might not there be a major disruption to the financial markets if the private insurance companies that currently provide health care coverage were suddenly run out of business; and if so, how might this turbulence be contained and managed? In my opinion, the author could have done well to provide us with additional information to more intelligently anticipate and address at least some of the most obvious objections and counterarguments.

Still, Mr. Baker has performed a great service by showing how we might pursue policies that can begin to restore economic justice in the U.S. I recommend this thought-provoking book to everyone.

Some Good Ideas, But Some Flawed Reasoning........2007-01-11

The Good: He shatters myths about 'free trade' that its really selective free trade and that organizations and professionals who push such policies want it applied everywhere except for themselves. For example - lawyers benefit when cheaper factory labor is imported to this country or we import goods made by lower paid workers - but why don't we for example have overseas certification for lawyers so we can import cheaper lawyers or outsource it to other countries.
But the frame the argument in such a way that people 'against' 'free trade' lose before they begin, after all who can be for 'free trade'?
The Bad: He champions big companies and criticizes tax breaks for small businesses - true he points out these are often just dummy businesses set up so people can take advantage of tax breaks, but I do think it is important to promote small businesses in the US, if only to prevent from increased monopolization.

A 199-page treatise that needs to be read by every economics student.......2006-12-10

In "The Conservative Nanny State: How The Wealthy Use The Government To Stay Rich And Get Richer", Dan Baker (a macroeconomist and Co-Director for Economic and Policy Research in Washington D.C.) has written a revealing expose on how conservatives favor government intervention to regulate the market to their own advantage. Baker documents and illustrates a number of `nanny state' policies that advantage the wealthy while penalizing the poor, expand the economic well being of those at the top, while diminishing the middle-class and expanding the ranks of the impoverished. The fault does not lay with the market which is simply an economic tool. The fault lays with those who manipulate that tool to unfairly favor those that have to have more, and those who have little, to have even less. Deftly written so as to be fully accessible to scholars and non-specialist general readers alike, "The Conservative Nanny State" is a 199-page treatise that needs to be read by every economics student, every free market capitalist, every elected politician, every corporate manager, and every working citizen in the country.

Wealth and the Wealthy in the Modern World

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Wealth and the Wealthy in the Modern World
Rubinstein
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312859368

Income and Wealth (Greenwood Guides to Business and Economics)

Average customer rating:

Federal Reserve Study Disagrees with Author
Should be required reading for all high school graduates
BLUE COLLAR RESORCE
Suks...better book exists, cheaper 2
Get ready for a big surprise.

Income and Wealth (Greenwood Guides to Business and Economics)
Alan Reynolds
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
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ASIN: 0313336881

Book Description

Why some people are rich and others poor can be explained in a number of ways. Income and Wealth focuses on "who" gets "what" and "why." The who are those in the top, middle, and lower income groups. Why they are there is a function of a variety of factors, including education, employment, saving, investing, and taxation. What they get is cash income, leisure time, property, and other forms of wealth. This volume explains the dynamics of income generation, how it is measured, and how such dramatic disparities in distribution come about. Citing numerous cases of distortion in the popular press, and among academics, policymakers, and pundits, Reynolds exposes many popular myths concerning income and wealth, and presents a balanced perspective on this critical aspect of economics and social policy. The book first defines various characteristics of income, with an emphasis on the gap between the rich and the poor, and reviews several theories to explain the disparities. Subsequent chapters focus on such timely topics as the "vanishing" middle class and the sky-high salaries of CEOs, Hollywood stars, and athletes. The final chapters consider the implications of policies, such as the minimum wage, taxes, immigration, and trade quotas, and expand the discussion to consider international comparisons. Featuring graphs and charts, a glossary of key terms, and a listing of references and resources, Income and Wealth explains the intricate, and often controversial, effects of economic policies on individuals, families, and communities. Moreover, it demonstrates how the numbers can be manipulated by policymakers, pundits, journalists, and academics to promote various agendas, and shows readers how to recognize hyperbole and make better-informed decisions.

Customer Reviews:

Federal Reserve Study Disagrees with Author.......2007-06-22

The Federal Reserve, US Department of Treasury, publishes every three years a Consumer Finance Survey
that details the distribution of Wealth in the USA. This is the authoratative source. According to this study
half of the population owns 2.5% of the wealth of the country. One percent owns 33% of the wealth. Readers of this book should go to the most credible source of information, and also be familiar with the works of Edward Wolff and other scholars.

Should be required reading for all high school graduates.......2007-03-06

OK, maybe the book is a bit advanced for high schoolers (thanks to the stranglehold that the teachers' unions have on the public school system). But the main point is this--Reynolds lays out his case in plain English, in a manner accessible to anyone with an open mind, that so much of the economic commentary emanating from the "minds" of pundits and politicians is just pure BUNK.

The main themes of the book, which recur throughout, are these:

1) Most published reports of income/wealth inequality are based, at best, on incomplete measures, failing to account for government transfers (from "rich" to "poor") and for the painfully obvious fact that two-earner households tend to have higher household incomes than one-earner or (especially) zero-earner households.

2) "Static" analyses of income/wealth inequality fail to account for the simple fact that people's income and wealth tend to increase over time as they develop ever greater skills and as their 401K plans grow over the years.

Reynolds also points out the only effective ways to achieve "true" income/wealth inequality. Either have widespread poverty, so that nobody has anything, or have exorbitant tax rates so that nobody can keep anything.

This should be a very important book as we all decide what sort of President to elect in 2008.

BLUE COLLAR RESORCE.......2007-02-11

I consider myself a blue collar American now retired and with time to try to understand these economic conditions I find I have been living within. If you feel you are not understanding what you are reading or the media is telling you about as concerns inflation, unemployment, rich-poor income gaps, etc., then this is probably the book for you, too. I feel it is very clear and very complete, but I will have to read it again, mostly because it changed my mind on so many things, I want to be sure where I have been left in my opinions on these things. The price, which I consider high for a "blue collar" reader, may hold you back. It did me for a few weeks. But, I am glad I finally ordered it.

Suks...better book exists, cheaper 2.......2007-02-02

I bought this book thinking it was a get rich quick book...boy was I disappointed! It suxs.

If you're interested in money, who has how much, and why, I recommended the book by Andrew Hacker, which is cheaper, entitled "Money: Who Has How Much and Why" (1997). Data therein can be multiplied by 1.3 to give current inflation adjusted figures.

Get ready for a big surprise........2006-11-27

Conventional wisdom tells us that: (1) the vast majority of US households have experienced no increase in real income for more than a quarter century; (2) real wages have been stagnant for that same period; (3) low-wage burger-flippers have replaced high-paid factory jobs; (4) only the top one percent or ten percent have benefited significantly from rising productivity or asset prices; and (5) the once-robust middle class has been shrinking.

Just about everybody treats those assertions as if they are facts. That includes politicians on both sides, talking-head partisans, economics correspondents, and columnists--many with undisguised or thinly-veiled political agendas. They are supposed to be the experts, and the masses (like me) have to trust them; after all, our busy lives permit us only a limited amount of time for paying attention to politicians and the press. When the experts are nearly unanimous, that's a good signal that the five conventional wisdom assertions have to be true . . . isn't it?

That brings us to the big surprise, which Alan Reynolds sums up clearly and concisely: "Not one of those statements is even remotely close to being true."

This book is one of the best debunkings of conventional wisdom I've come across in a decade. It is a step-by-step dismantling of conventional wisdom about income and wealth distribution. Alan Reynolds does it methodically, one point at a time--using direct quotes from people who make those assertions, clear logic explaining what's wrong or misleading about those assertions, and facts and figures from easily-checkable references to official, government-published sources (such as the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Why, then, do so many people seem to accept the false conventional wisdom without question? I have a guess: Each of us likes to think the person we heard it from must have done their homework; otherwise they wouldn't be talking like that. Let's face it, assumptions like that save us a lot of work. In this case, however, I now realize that, by trusting conventional wisdom, I was being too lazy--and I strongly suspect that most of our country's so-called "economics correspondents" are guilty of the same thing I was.

I am thankful that Alan Reynolds is one who actually did the homework on this subject, then wrote a book laying out his findings. His attitude is one we should all adopt: "I accept nothing as an article of faith. I want to hear the logic and see the evidence. And you should demand nothing less. In the absence of logic and evidence, you should not give a hoot about my opinion. Reality is not a matter of opinion."

And I'll steal one more passage from his book: "No matter what one thinks ought to be done about taxes, spending, unions, immigration, minimum wage laws, and so on, the first thing that needs to be done is to get the facts right. If that happens, there will still be plenty of room for lively debates about all sorts of public policies. And they will be *honest* debates."

This book will always be within an arm's reach of my workstation. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone thinking about writing on the subject of income or wealth "distribution" in the United States of America.

Get this book, and get ready for a big surprise.

Rediscovering Abundance: Interdisciplinary Essays on Wealth, Income, And Their Distribution in the Catholic Social Tradition

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A remarkable compendium of useful, conceptual, and practical information

Rediscovering Abundance: Interdisciplinary Essays on Wealth, Income, And Their Distribution in the Catholic Social Tradition

Manufacturer: University of Notre Dame Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0268020272

Book Description

"These essays represent some of the best thinking anywhere on the practical implications of Catholic social thought for business, organizational management, and economic life generally. They deserve to be read by a broad audience." —J. Michael Stebbins, Gonzaga University

The essays in Rediscovering Abundance provide a complex and interdisciplinary analysis of the question of wealth creation and distribution in light of the moral and spiritual insights of the Catholic social tradition. In this volume, theologians, economists, philosophers, management theorists, and CEOs engage in conversation. Contributors cover the dimensions of today's global system of wealth creation and outline challenges to make it more just and humane.

This book questions both neoliberal and neoconservative views of the creation, distribution, and use of wealth. The volume seeks a middle ground, avoiding both conservative bias toward market mechanisms and liberal bias against business. It also provides practical suggestions for distributing wealth more justly, as understood within the Catholic social tradition. Rediscovering Abundance is an important new work that will be useful in business ethics courses, as well as to ethicists, pastors, practitioners in the business community, and anyone interested in the question of how a capitalist economy can create and distribute wealth in a way that benefits the common good.

Customer Reviews:

A remarkable compendium of useful, conceptual, and practical information.......2006-04-08

Rediscovering Abundance: Interdisciplinary Essays On Wealth, Income, And Their Distribution In The Catholic Social Tradition, knowledgeably co-edited by Helen Alford (Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical University of S. Thomas, Rome), Charles M. A. Clark (Professor of Economics, Tobin College of Business and Senior Fellow, Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John's University, New York), S. A. Cortright (Professor of Philosophy and of the Integral Curriculum of Liberal Arts at St. Mary's College of California), and Michael J. Naughton (Director of the John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota) is an in-depth collection of many knowledgeable writers concern and understanding of the ideological and practical implications which the Catholic social thought contributes to society. As an informed and informative introduction to the social economics, business thought, and organizational management which so many follow as a result of Catholic thought and mentality's effect as being a significant part of society, Rediscovering Abundance is a remarkable compendium of useful, conceptual, and practical information. Rediscovering Abundance is very strongly recommended to all readers of economic, political, societal, and catholic scriptures for its informational and educational content.

Average customer rating:

Thinly veiled class warfare
Long on statistics, short on insight
3.5 stars for the Mad Statistician
An interesting look at how money gets distributed in the US.
Brief Response to Brian Carey's review

Money: Who Has How Much and Why
Andrew Hacker
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684196468

Amazon.com

A staple of American conversation, from barstools to sermons to op-ed pages, is that money isn't everything. And yet it seems that nowadays, nothing else counts nearly so much. In this book, Andrew Hacker, an eminent sociologist, uses his knack for making statistics come alive to address such questions as "Has affirmative action helped African-Americans financially?," "Do the same professions that used to ensure lifelong economic security still do so?," and "Are the rich getting richer, and if so, why aren't the poor doing better as well?" Hacker doesn't conclude with a call for income redistribution--he doesn't think it would be heeded--but the facts he amasses tell the story of a country that inordinately promotes non-social ambition and, just as excessively, penalizes children.

Book Description

Described by Newsweek as "a political scientist doing with statistics what Fred Astaire did with hats, canes, and chairs...he makes them live and breathe," Andrew Hacker provides a comprehensive protrayal of income and wealth in American society.

Download Description

Combining keen insight with a flair for bringing a human dimension to facts and figures, bestselling author Andrew Hacker shows how the changing economy affects our lives. His clear-eyed analysis of the data illuminates the real results of women's fight for salary parity, the impact of affirmative action on the income of African-Americans, the effect immigration has on the job market, and more. "A titillating collection of statistical snapshots designed to reveal who makes how much in America and why". -- Clay Chandler, The Washington Post "Andrew Hacker...uses numbers to enlighten instead of obscure, making sure the statistics come alive by illustrating their inexorable messages with cases involving real people. This wise, creative book is filled with equally fascinating explanations of financial behavior". -- Steve Weinberg, Baltimore Sun "If you are the ordinarily nosy sort...Hacker indulges your curiosity about how much other people make and how much they have squirreled away". -- Fredric Smoler, Worth

Customer Reviews:

Thinly veiled class warfare.......2006-12-26

I am disappointed to have bought this book. More judgmental than analytical, the author clearly has an agenda and presents many one-sided arguments in support of it, resulting in numerous rhetorical fouls (e.g. completely ignoring the important distinction between statistical correlation and causation) in addition to complete dismissal of basic economic tenets.

The statistics presented are quite unidimensional and are given with opinion frequently presented as fact. After conventional attacks on the very real problems of CEO salary levels and increasing gaps between our nation's very rich and very poor, the book takes a turn for the surreal. To whit, while questioning salary differentiation between different types of medical specialists: "While we allow ourselves to be entranced by the mysteries of medicine, none of us really knows whether orthopedic surgery is any more complicated than overhauling a transmission. We know that police officers deliver babies with no ill effects, and on at least one occasion, a submarine corpsman has performed a successful appendectomy. Much of medicine now depends on high-tech equipment, which most of us wouldn't know how to plug in. As it happens, doctors are just as baffled by it."

The author offers this passage and many like it without trace of irony, satire, or devil's advocacy. If you are the type to argue that we will run out of a natural commodity in XX years by linearly projecting today's consumption rate into the future while ignoring the impact of increasing scarcity on prices and economic viability of substitutions (and therefore decreased demand levels and consumption rates), then this book is for you.

Long on statistics, short on insight.......2005-08-25

Long on statistics, short on insight., August 29, 1999

Rather dry. Not very much that you couldn't figure out by yourself; not
much original insight. The author uses statistics throughout to the
point that it almost becomes meaningless. Anyone with the most limited
experience with statistics knows that you can make them say just about
anything you want.
What I had hoped for was some insight into why there is so much
economic disparity in this country and what we can, or should, do about
it. Instead the author gave more of a status quo, "we are here,"
appoach.

The last chapter was maybe the most insteresting. It focused on the
economic changes in the US since WW2. It is anybody's guess what the
future will bring, but it seems like it will continue as it is now
until there is some big crash or other disaster.

3.5 stars for the Mad Statistician.......2005-05-08

A mack daddy of statistical research analysis, the author pulls off another grand compilation of information relating to the title. The fun part about reading his stuff is that the stats are easy for everyone to see and relate, in otherwords its very simple...and he throws in tidbits of information that you won't be able to catch if you read too fast...for example for every $1000.00 the descendents of the puritans make the descendents of the ex-enslaved make $700.00, which means that they are making approximately three quarters of what they were approximately said to be worth almost two hundred and fifty years ago. whew, some stat...

An interesting look at how money gets distributed in the US........1999-07-10

Andrew Hacker's Money is a great look at who has the money in America and how they got it. He talks in great detail about how the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. I was astounded to read that in 1997 there were 137 individuals who claimed over $1 billion in income. Almost 70,000 tax returns claimed an income of at least $1 million. There are far more rich people out there than I thought and it leads me to believe that if they can do it, so can I.

Brief Response to Brian Carey's review.......1999-02-12

As a former student of Professor Hacker, I've developed much respect for the man. While that certainly biases my opinion of his books (as I do view him as the God of Political Science), I know that I will always be getting a fresh perspective as I've never known anyone who could "cut the crap" better than Professor Hacker.

One of the most important lessons I learned from him is to always read between the lines; so that we may learn to think beyond the 68% norm. While Dr. Hacker could certainly fill hundreds of more pages with his insightful comments and statistical analyses, he knows that in between the lines, there is a whole other book yet to be created by the reader. I regret not having learned that until after he had already given me my final grade.

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