America Unequal (Russell Sage Foundation S.) - Hardcover

An admirably brief and clearly argued book... and a valuable distillation and summary of the last fifteen years of economic research on poverty. -- Nicholas Lemann "Transition" "America Unequal" is not only about social inequality, but about poverty, employment, economic growth and government social policy. The book is a rich brew of information and ideas about the complex interactions between these different phenomena. Indeed, it offers an incisive analysis of social conditions in contemporary America...This is an important book. It makes a major contribution to unraveling the factors that contribute to heightened inequality and poverty in the United States. It is meticulously researched and should serve as an invaluable resource for policy makers. America Unequal shows that even within the circumscribed meaning of conservative politics, while 'everyone' gained from growth in the postwar decades, only a few have gained over the past twenty years...[Danziger and Gottschalk's] argument...[is] clear and persuasive. America Unequal is not only about social inequality, but about poverty, employment, economic growth and government social policy. The book is a rich brew of information and ideas about the complex interactions between these different phenomena. Indeed, it offers an incisive analysis of social conditions in contemporary America...This is an important book. It makes a major contribution to unraveling the factors that contribute to heightened inequality and poverty in the United States. It is meticulously researched and should serve as an invaluable resource for policy makers. "America Unequal" shows that even within the circumscribed meaning of conservative politics, while 'everyone' gained from growth in the postwar decades, only a few have gained over the past twenty years...[Danziger and Gottschalk's] argument...[is] clear and persuasive.--Jacob Kramer "Nation " [An] admirably brief and clearly argued book...[and] a valuable distillation and summary of the last fifteen years of economic research on poverty.--Nicholas Lemann "Transition " An incredibly useful book...In jargon-free prose...[Danziger and Gottschalk] review the competing theories which social scientists have used to account for the unpleasant economic news of the 1980s and 1990s--a time when the United States economy has prospered even as poverty and economic inequality have increased...Taking into account what is politically and practically possible, the authors talk sensibly about government policies to alleviate the situation.--Virginia Quarterly Review This book contains much of value for those who have only a passing knowledge of recent distribution changes and are seeking to learn more. Because the authors' presentation of the basic distributional statistics is accessible to those unfamiliar with the field, the book could be very useful in an undergraduate class focused on distributional issues..."America Unequal "is well written and concise, and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to begin learning about the subject.--McKinley Blackburn "Industrial and Labor Relations Review " The book is of considerable use to American Studies practitioners. It is written for the lay person. It is clear, precise and assumes no prior knowledge of economics...For those of us who seek to understand modern America, the importance of a book like this, written in accessible English and with all terms explained so that we can interpret the data, is in providing a useful anchor or corrective to reliance only on factors rooted in abstracted media images. And, in an age of swinging cutbacks and demoralisation in higher education, the book offers us a look at a society where education really is the key to success.--Stephen Burwood "Borderlines [UK] "

America Unequal demonstrates how powerful economic forces have diminished the prospects of millions of Americans and why "a rising tide no longer lifts all boats." Changes in the economy, public policies, and family structure have contributed to slow growth in family incomes and rising economic inequality. Poverty remains high because of an erosion of employment opportunities for less-skilled workers, not because of an erosion of the work ethic; because of a failure of government to do more for the poor and the middle class, not because of social programs.