Portland Public Library

Deaths of despair and the future of capitalism, Anne Case, Angus Deaton

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-291) and index

illustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

Deaths of despair and the future of capitalism

bibliography

1119532490

Anne Case, Angus Deaton

"This book documents the decline of white-working class lives over the last half-century and examines the social and economic forces that have slowly made these lives more difficult. Case and Deaton argue that market and political power in the United States have moved away from labor towards capital--as unions have weakened and politics have become more favorable to business, corporations have become more powerful. Consolidation in some American industries, healthcare especially, has brought an increase in monopoly power in some product markets so that it is possible for firms to raise prices above what they would be in a freely competitive market. This, the authors argue, is a major cause of wage stagnation among working-class Americans and has played a substantial role in the increase in deaths of despair. Case and Deaton offer a way forward, including ideas that, even in our current political situation, may be feasible and improve lives"--, Provided by publisher