American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget

American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper

A â€œprovocativeâ€ (Kirkus Reviews), timely, and topical work that examines whatâ€™s good for American business and whatâ€™s good for Americansâ€”and why those interests are misaligned.

In American Amnesia, bestselling political scientists Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson trace the economic and political history of the United States over the last century and show how a viable mixed economy has long been the dominant engine of Americaâ€™s prosperity. We have largely forgotten this reliance, as many political circles and corporate actors have come to mistakenly see government as a hindrance rather than the propeller it once was. â€œAmerican Amnesiaâ€ is more than a rhetorical phrase; elites have literally forgotten, or at least forgotten to talk about, the essential role of public authority in achieving big positive-sum bargains in advanced societies.

The mixed economy was the most important social innovation of the twentieth century. It spread a previously unimaginable level of broad prosperity. It enabled steep increases in education, health, longevity, and economic security. And yet, extraordinarily, it is anathema to many current economic and political elites. Looking at this record of remarkable accomplishment, they recoil in horror. And as the advocates of anti-government free market fundamentalist have gained power, they are hell-bent on scrapping the instrument of nearly a century of unprecedented economic and social progress. In the American Amnesia, Hacker and Pierson explain the full â€œstory of how government helped make America great, how the enthusiasm for bashing government is behind its current malaise, and how a return to effective government is the answer the nation is looking forâ€ (The New York Times).
Country USA
Brand Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer Simon & Schuster
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9781451667837
ReleaseDate 2017-02-14
UnitCount 1
EANs 9781451667837

Country	USA
Brand	Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer	Simon & Schuster
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9781451667837
ReleaseDate	2017-02-14
UnitCount	1
EANs	9781451667837

American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper

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