Contours of Descent: US Economic Fractures and the Landscape of Global Austerity - Hardcover

Pollin, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1859846734 ISBN 13: 9781859846735

Publisher: Verso Books, 2003

Synopsis

Whilst Bush adopted Clinton's economic strategy, events since September 11th suggest that much of the rhetoric accompanying those policies will be dropped. Gone will be Clinton's little acted upon concern for welfare and education, to be replaced by public spending focusing on the military.

About this title

Review:

Bob Pollin's readable and sharply argued book is an excellent guide to the reality of recent US economic policy and its global implications. Contours of Descent is lucid economics as if reality matters. Cutting through the myths, hype and diversionary corporate-side indicators, Professor Pollin lays out an agenda to turn around the economy that is increasingly disconnecting from millions of workers and their well-being. A laser-beam exposure of globalization as defined by the World Bank, the IMF, Alan Greenspan and the corporate supremacists. --Ralph Nader Robert Pollin's readable and sharply argued book is an excellent guide to the reality of recent US economic policy and its global implications. --Andrew Glyn, Oxford University This insightful book dissects the consequences of the neoliberal revolution of the 1990s, and offers valuable lessons for the neophyte and professional economist alike. --Professor Dani Rodrik, Harvard University Professor Pollin is one of the leading heterodox economists in the US. His rigorous and insightful analysis convincingly demonstrates that Clinton and Bush as well as the IMF have each followed fundamentally similar neoliberal economic policies to the detriment of people in the US and the developing world. Importantly, the book also outlines an alternative policy program for building a prosperous US and world economy. It is a 'must read' for those who wish to understand recent developments in the US and the world economy. --Professor Ajiit Singh, Cambridge University Contours of Descent does a great job in making current U.S. and global economic issues accessible to the average reader. Pollin presents a clear discussion of what he terms the Marx Problem, the Keynes Problem, and the Polanyi Problem, as they apply both in the U.S. under Clinton and Bush, and in the developing countries. Most importantly, the book ends by demonstrating that another path is possible sketching a workable egalitarian policy agenda in both the U.S. and developing country context, focused on full employment, defending workers rights, and regulating financial markets. --Professor Lourdes Beneria, Cornell University ""Contours of Descent" is lucid economics as if reality matters. Cutting through the myths, hype and diversionary corporate-side indicators, Professor Pollin lays out an agenda to turn around the economy that is increasingly disconnecting from millions of workers and their well-being. A laser-beam exposure of globalization as defined by the World Bank, the IMF, Alan Greenspan and the corporate supremacists."--Ralph Nader "Robert Pollin's readable and sharply argued book is an excellent guide to the reality of recent US economic policy and its global implications."--Andrew Glyn, Oxford University "This insightful book dissects the consequences of the neoliberal revolution of the 1990s, and offers valuable lessons for the neophyte and professional economist alike."--Professor Dani Rodrik, Harvard University "Professor Pollin is one of the leading heterodox economists in the US. His rigorous and insightful analysis convincingly demonstrates that Clinton and Bush as well as the IMF have each followed fundamentally similar neoliberal economic policies to the detriment of people in the US and the developing world. Importantly, the book also outlines an alternative policy program for building a prosperous US and world economy. It is a 'must read' for those who wish to understand recent developments in the US and the world economy."--Professor Ajiit Singh, Cambridge University ""Contours of Descent" does a great job in making current U.S. and global economic issues accessible to the average reader. Pollin presents a clear discussion of what he terms 'the Marx Problem, ' 'the Keynes Problem, ' and 'the Polanyi Problem, ' as they apply both in the U.S. under Clinton and Bush, and in the developing countries. Most importantly, the book ends by demonstrating that 'another path is possible'--sketching a workable egalitarian policy agenda in both the U.S. and developing country context, focused on full employment, defending workers rights, and regulati

About the Author:

Robert Pollin is Professor of Economics and founding Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Among his many books are "The Living Wage" (with Stephanie Luce) and the edited volume "Transforming the US Financial System "(with Gary Dymski and Gerald Epstein). He has worked with the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress and the United Nations Development Program, and was the economic spokesperson for the 1992 presidential campaign of Governor Jerry Brown.

About this edition

• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1859846734
• ISBN 13: 9781859846735
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240