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dtd's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really important book that should be required reading for everyone of voting age. That said, it is really long and depressing. So, it won't get a mass audience- likely only those who already buy into the general idea that inequality is bad for the economy -and society-as a whole.
marksinnott4's review against another edition
1.0
While I agree with the premise of this book, I found it to be very dryly written and tough to digest. I even read another basic economics book (which I greatly enjoyed) in order to try and process this one more efficiently. Stiglitz goes to great (and often boring) lengths to prove his point that the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. This was certainly a hard book to get through.
hardhatscott's review against another edition
4.0
This is the manifesto of the Occupy Movement. Steiglitz details how the system is stacked against the 99% and for the wealthy and makes a strong case as to how the inequality we have is hurting the economy as well as the 99%. He has solutions at the end which shows how it is possible to solve these problems but politically it is hard to imagine them ever being enacted. A very cogent analysis but I didn't feel very hopeful at the end.
chesterburnett's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent dissertation by Stiglitz on the threat to our economy and polity posed by the increasing concentration of wealth and political power in the hands of the few. We'll always be a republic, we'll just have to get used to being a banana republic.
michellegotto's review against another edition
4.0
Now somewhat dated, but important and valuable nonetheless.
cpullman's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great book for those without a background on political science or economics. It provides a good synthesis of the factors that led to the inequality we see in America today. The lack of true social mobility is staggering is largely ignored by many as America is the supposed land of opportunity, but Stiglitz shows otherwise. It goes beyond theory to explain the reality of the situation and how it happened and how to stop it. Unfortunately, those that it would most effect (people who disagree) are unlikely to read it.
nschwenkbeck's review against another edition
5.0
This paragraph from the book summed things up nicely for me...
"Investing more in our society- in education, technology, and infrastructure- and providing more security to ordinary citizens will lead to a more efficient and dynamic economy, one more consistent with what we claim to be and offering more opportunity to a wider segment of the society. Even the 1 percent (those who are there now) may benefit when the capabilities of so many at the bottom are not squandered. And many more people will have a shot at one day being in the 1 percent."
Joseph Stiglitz
"Investing more in our society- in education, technology, and infrastructure- and providing more security to ordinary citizens will lead to a more efficient and dynamic economy, one more consistent with what we claim to be and offering more opportunity to a wider segment of the society. Even the 1 percent (those who are there now) may benefit when the capabilities of so many at the bottom are not squandered. And many more people will have a shot at one day being in the 1 percent."
Joseph Stiglitz
lloydna's review against another edition
3.0
While Stiglitz lacks Paul Krugman's ability to present economic arguments in a form palatable to mass audiences, his book is insightful and significant.
pinktide's review against another edition
4.0
A great overview of inequality in the United States as a result of a deregulated market and rent-seeking.
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0