Economic Collapse, Economic Change

Getting to the Roots of the Crisis

By Arthur MacEwan and John A. Miller

Publisher:

M.E. Sharpe

Date of publication:

June 2011

Pages:

237

ISBN:

978-0-7656-3068-1

Price:

$29.95

This thoughtful book, by D&S columnists Arthur MacEwan and John Miller, offers a widely accessible account of the recent economic collapse and crisis, emphasizing the deep nexus of economic inequality, undemocratic power, and leave-it-to-the-market ideology at its root.

The authors develop this theory in detail, including clear analysis of the data, terms, and policies that dominate discussion of the crash. Based on their understanding of the origins of the crisis, they propose a program for reform that is equally dependent on popular action and changes in government policy.

The book’s engaging prose makes it appealing both to students and to general readers seeking an understanding of the crisis that moves beyond recent headlines to address the underlying systems and conditions that continue to make the American economy vulnerable.

• Praise
• Table of Contents

• Preface
• Part I: Economic Crisis, Causes, and Cures
  • 1. What Ails the U.S. Economy: Understanding Causes to Find Cures
  • 2. Where Are We Now? Why Is This a “Crisis”?
• Part II: How We Got Here: The Changing Terrain of Inequality, Power, and Ideology
  • Introduction to Part II
  • 3. Ideology and Power in the Post-World War II Era
  • 4. The Turnaround: Change in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century
• Part III: The Emergence of Crisis in the United States
  • Introduction to Part III
  • 5. Setting the Stage: Loosening the Reins on Finance
  • 6. Tracking the Evolution of the Crisis
• Part IV: Globalization and Instability
  • Introduction to Part IV
  • 7. Shaping the Global Economy
  • 8. China, the United States, and the Crisis
• Part V: Moving in a Different Direction
  • Introduction to Part V
  • 9. Palliative Care: An Appraisal
  • 10. Moving in a Different Direction
• Appendix A: Brief Notes on Wealth and Power
• Appendix B: What’s Wrong with the Case for Free-Market Globalization?
• Index