"Winner-Take-All Politics" by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson reveals how growing income inequality in America is primarily driven by political decisions favoring the wealthy. The authors trace this shift back to the late 1970s, showing how both parties have contributed to a system that benefits the rich at the expense of the middle class.
"A groundbreaking account of how the dangerous alliance of right-wing plutocrats and populists threatens the very pillars of American democracy. We often assume that the Republican Party is divided between a tax-cutting old guard and a white-nationalist vanguard-and that with Donald Trump's ascendance, the upstarts are winning. Yet as New York Times best-selling authors Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson demonstrate, plutocrats and populists are now effectively allies in an intensifying fight to lock in America's skyrocketing inequality. Conservative parties can always be expected to side with economic elites, but when faced with popular resistance, they usually allow for policies that benefit the working and middle classes. Yet today's Republicans are an anomaly. Not only are they doubling down on a truly radical, elite-benefitting economic agenda, but even once-respectable conservatives have turned to nativist appeals and racist dog whistles-and, increasingly, to assaults on democracy itself. Drawing on decades of research, Hacker and Pierson offer a new framework for understanding this vicious circle of deregulation and fear-mongering-and show how we can fight it"-- Provided by publisher
A ground-breaking book on one of the great economic crises of our time -- why the richest of the rich are getting richer while we're not.
The Genesis of President Clinton's Plan for Health Security
The book delves into the pivotal role of health care reform during the 1992 presidential campaign, focusing on Bill Clinton's 1993 proposal for managed competition. Jacob Hacker explores how this framework emerged, tracing its development from policy experts to political endorsement and its eventual incorporation into the proposal. Key questions addressed include the rise of health reform as a national issue in the 1990s, Clinton's choice of managed competition over other options, and the implications for the proposal's success.
In The Great Risk Shift, Jacob S. Hacker lays bare this unsettling new economic climate, showing how it has come about, what it is doing to our families, and how we can fight back.
The book explores the dynamics between government social programs and private social benefits, analyzing how these two systems interact and influence each other. It delves into the implications of this relationship on policy-making and social welfare, providing insights into the effectiveness and challenges of integrating public and private support mechanisms. Through a critical lens, it discusses the potential for collaboration and conflict between these entities in addressing societal needs.