A Capitalism for the People: Recapturing the Lost Genius of American Prosperity [Hardcover]

Luigi Zingales (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Foreign Policy
“[Zingales’s] ringing denunciation is the Capitalism and Freedom of our time.”

David Brooks, New York Times
“An influential book.”

Steven M. Davidoff, New York Times
“Provocative”

Bloomberg View
“[F]ascinating…. Zingales provides an enormous service by laying out such persuasive evidence.” 

National Review Online
“[A Capitalism for the People] is the book that hits closest to the mark on the question of where the American center-right ought to go in the next few years.” Sacramento Bee
“Zingales offers more than rehashed Friedman or Hayek. It’s a book that should appeal to tea partyers and the Occupy Wall Street crowd.”
 Publishers Weekly
“Zingales…presents a striking dichotomy….engaging.” Financial Times
“Zingales’s fundamental diagnosis is right….[T]his remains a stimulating essay on the nature of American capitalism and the issues that will determine the pace of America’s relative decline.” Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen“I know you have book fatigue, popular economics book fatigue, policy book fatigue, and books-with-subtitles-like-this fatigue, all at once.  But this book is really, really good.  It hits all the right notes, is clearly written, and refers to academics as the new crony capitalists.  I agreed with almost all of it.  If I had to pick out one book, of this entire lot of books, to explain what is going on right now to a popular audience of non-economists, this might well be it.” J. Bradford DeLong, University of California, Berkeley
“More than 30 years ago, Milton and Rose Director Friedman raised high the banner of small-government free-market libertarianism with their Free to Choose. Now, a generation later, income inequality is substantially higher, the globe is even more interconnected, and our partial financial deregulation has backfired badly. Luigi Zingales thus has a harder task as he tries to update the small-government free-market libertarian position for the 21st century. But he has done a very good job at it.”
 Robert J. Shiller, author of Finance and the Good Society
“This remarkably creative book, driven by a strong moral conviction, offers a bold array of ideas for us to ponder, so we can really make the American capitalist model work better for everyone.”
Edmund S. Phelps, Director, Center on Capitalism and Society, Columbia University
“In A Capitalism for the People, Luigi Zingales joins the small but influential group of economists who see that America’s economy is now more and more corporatist, less and less capitalist. His impressive account of our downhill slide is enriched by his deep knowledge of the harm wrought by the worst excesses of Italian crony capitalism. A must-read.”
 Nell Minow, co-author of Corporate Governance and co-owner and board member of GMI Ratings
“An especially accessible and holistic assessment of what went wrong in our financial markets and an especially thoughtful and constructive proposal for the future.  Highly recommended!”
 Paul Ryan, U.S. Congressman, Wisconsin
“In A Capitalism for the People, Luigi Zingales exposes the pernicious collusion of big business and big government – offering the sharp analytical perspective of a world-renowned economist and the unique personal perspective of an immigrant living the American Dream.  This must-read for policymakers and citizens alike serves as a lucid call to action for rediscovering what makes America exceptional.”
 N. Gregory Mankiw, Robert M. Beren Professor of Economics, Harvard University, and author of Principles of Economics
“A Capitalism for the People is a wise, deep, and timely book.  With lively prose, Zingales diagnoses what is right and wrong with the U.S. economy.  Whether your political sympathies lie with the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, or someplace in between, you will learn much about how we can best promote an economic future that works for all of us.”

The Economist
“[A]n elegy to the America (Zingles) found when he moved here 24 years ago.”

Washington Post
“[An] accessible and powerfully argued book.”

John R. Talbott, Huffington Post“[O]utstanding….I give the book my ultimate compliment; it is so full of new and innovative ideas that it makes you pause and think on every page.” National Review“[W]e are fortunate to have an Italian-born economist so powerfully and persuasively defending America’s once exceptional free-enterprise system.” Co.Exist, a blog of Fast Company “Zingales is readable, engaging, and full of insight. A Capitalism For The People is worth the time of anyone, left or right, who cares about the future of the American market system.” Adam Ozimek, Modeled Behavior, a blog on Forbes.com
“[A Capitalism for the People is] unquestionably insightful and thought-provoking, and it has plenty of smart policy recommendations….I do strongly recommend A Capitalism for the People to anyone looking for a robust and pragmatic vision of free market economics directed at current problems.”

LA Progressive“Zingales is excellent.” Iain Martin, The Telegraph“[A] brilliant and important new book.” Mechanics Institute Library
“[Zingales] provides a forceful look at how pro-business forces overwhelmed the pro-market principles that made American capitalism great, and how we can get it back on track. This book should have a wide readership, from the Occupy Wall Street crowd to Tea Partyers.”

The American Conservative
“Zingales hits a winning note….Zingales offers a refreshing and improved program for saving capitalism.”

About the Author

Luigi Zingales is the Robert C. McCormack Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.  He is a faculty research fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research, a research fellow for the Center for Economic Policy Research and a fellow for the European Governance Institute. He is the Lead Independent Director of Telecom Italia and the Vice President of the American Finance Association. He is the co-author of Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists and a contributing editor of City Journal.  He lives in Chicago with his wife and children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465029477
• ISBN-13: 978-0465029471
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.4 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Free Enterprise

More About the Author

Luigi Zingales is the Robert C. McCormack Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1992. His research interests span from corporate governance to financial development, from political economy to the economic effects of culture.

Zingales is a contributing editor of City Journal and Project Syndicate and writes regularly on Il Sole 24 Ore (the most important economic newspaper in Italy) and L'Espresso (an Italian weekly magazine).
He is currently a faculty research fellow for the National Bureau of Economic Research, a research fellow for the Center for Economic Policy Research, and a fellow of the European Governance Institute. Zingales also serves on the Telecom Italia's board and on the Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, which has been examining regulatory issues affecting financial markets.

In 2003 he won the Bernacer Prize for the best European young financial economist. In 2005-06 he held the prestigious Taussig Research Professorship at Harvard University. He has published extensively in the major economics and financial journals. A sample of his more recent research is available on his University of Chicago faculty page. Together with Paola Sapienza, he launched the "Financial Trust Index," an indicator of the level of trust Americans have in financial markets.

Zingales received a bachelor's degree in economics from Universita Bocconi in Italy in 1987 and a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great book June 15, 2012

By MxM

Format:Hardcover

Luigi Zingales' book is fascinating. Once I started it, I could not put it away and finished it in two days. Zingales presents a clear, comprehensive (and scary) analysis of the unhealthy relationship that has developed in the US between big business and politics, and its nefarious effects on competition, incentives, the lives of ordinary people, and the American Dream.
Many blame "capitalism" for the financial crisis. Zingales argues and demonstrates that there is an enormous difference between "capitalism" and "the capitalists", and between "pro-market" and "pro-business" choices and policies. It is the capitalists and pro-business policies that are to blame, not capitalism. Pro-business choices have favored the incumbents (rich people). As a result, outsiders (ordinary people) have seen their opportunities reduced, their shot at the American dream denied. The book argues that we need to put a stop to the cozy relationship between politicians, Wall Street and big business. Zingales demonstrates (with logic and plenty of examples) that we need pro-market policies that foster competition and meritocracy, and which ultimately benefit ordinary people.
This is a great book. I strongly recommend it to anyone who cares about the future of America, from supporters of (true) capitalism to Occupy Wall Streeters.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant and principled critique of the Left and Right, from the Libertarian Right June 29, 2012

By Lawrence

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Zingales is an Italian who loves the best part of America. He writes with authority (economist at the University of Chicago business school) about the great threat to America: A corruption of its core engine of prosperity -- a free market. That corruption comes not from Reds in high places: It comes from the collusion successful capitalists engage in with dependent politicians, producing a bevy of regulations that happen to protect the successful, and block the competitors. Zingales applies this analysis to a wide range of policies, but none as important as a causes of the collapse on Wall Street. Critically important and perfectly timed: Read and recommend this book!

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book for All of Us June 11, 2012

By Ann Westchester

Format:Hardcover

I am not a finance person or an economist or an academic, just a self employed American who likes to be informed and have some grasp of what is going on in our country. Mr. Zingales has written an extremely insightful and provocative book that would appeal to all of the above vocations as well as me. Born and raised in a rather corrupt Italy, he reminds Americans how our country became so strong in the first place and offers solutions to get back on track. It is akin to learning a foreign language in that by learning about the mechanics of the Italian Government, one learns more about the Government in America. He uses current events to illustrate his ideas which helps puts things in perspective and keeps the read fresh and relatable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the state of our nation.