Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Security [Paperback]

Chuck Collins (Author), Felice Yeskel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2000

Examines recent changes in income and wealth distribution, as well as economic policies and shifts in power that have fueled the growing divide. Filled with charts, graphs, and political cartoons, this book is an action-oriented, movement-building guide to closing the widening gap between the rich and everyone else. Softcover. DLC: Income distribution--United States.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The authors, social activists rather than economists, explain the growing economic insecurity and inequality in the U.S. While they do not have a comprehensive blueprint for change, they offer an analysis of the problems that they believe threaten human values and our quality of life. The first three chapters explain the impact of the growing inequality on daily living; examine trends in income, wages, savings, and wealth; and consider the causes of inequality, such as the rise of corporate power and the decline of worker power. While chapter four discusses the building of a fair-economy movement, the final chapter offers an action plan for reducing inequality with ideas such as lifting the income and wealth floor for people at the bottom; progressive taxation on income and wealth; and policies that fundamentally redistribute power and wealth. While many will not agree with the ideas in this book, all voices should be heard in a democracy searching for solutions to economic problems. Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Hard-hitting and insightful. -- The Beacon --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565845943
• ISBN-13: 978-1565845947
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chuck Collins is author of 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It (www.99to1book.org). He is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good (www.inequality.org). He is cofounder of Wealth for the Common Good (www.wealthforcommongood.org), a national network of business leaders and high net worth individuals concerned about shared prosperity and fair taxation. He is a national expert on economic inequality, tax policy, corporate power and class privilege and power. He lives in Boston, Mass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An informative and helpful overview, June 20, 2002

By 

Kerry Walters (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Security (Paperback)

...

Collins and Yeskel do a superb job in showing why multinational corporations are progressively extending the gap between rich and poor, both in this country and abroad. The power of the multinationals is incredible; of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporate. Governments increasingly cater to multinationals, rewriting environmental and tax laws in order to encourage them to do business. Even the supposedly liberal Clinton--who, after all, enthusiastically brought us NAFTA--bought into (or should it be "sold out to") the corporate line that "the business of government is business." This attitude creates huge wealth for a very few, but the old claim that this wealth trickles down to benefit others is simply false, and Collins and Yeskel give facts and figures to demonstrate its falsity.

In short, the book is an invaluable read for anyone concerned with questions of social justice. sustainability, and old-fashioned economic survival. It tends to be a bit redundant in places, but this may be more of a merit than otherwise in a primer that really does summarize a dizzying amount of information. Readers who wish to explore the case against multinationals in more depth may wish to consult works like Derber's *Corporation Nation* or Korten's *When Corporations Rule the World.* E.F. Schumacher's classic *Small Is Beautiful* is also still well worth taking a look at.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringing economics to the masses, August 7, 2000

By 

James A.W. Shaw (Northampton, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Security (Paperback)

Historically, the ideological mission of corporate America has been to make the masses believe that corporate capitalism is in their interests. From the corporate perspective, should the truth about the economy escape--that corporate capitalism generates wealth for a minority at the expense of the great majority--it is widely expected that the oppressed would rise up. That would be a disaster for the capitalist.

One of the mechanisms that the ruling class has used to keep the masses mystified has been technical economics. The function of our economy is presented as though it cannot be understood by the average citizen. "Trust us," the right-wing economists have told us.

In this book, Collins and Yeskel have made great strides in demystifying the economy, and exposing the truth about how capitalism generates inequality while leaving most people feeling insecure and uncertain of their future.

If, somehow, this book were to be read by the masses, the effect could be truly monumental. Do what you can, and get books like these into the hands of everyone you know.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Synopsis, September 17, 2001

By 

Dominic Vaccaro & Ben Young (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Security (Paperback)

Economic Apartheid in America approaches the issue of economic inequality in an alternative fashion. Unlike other books, the authors explain the status quo and then continue to propose ideas and their thoughts of possible activist movements. The first three chapters discuss the current situation not only in wages but also income, savings and wealth. They explain the different indicators of increasing gaps between quartiles of income levels. The authors provide reasons for the unequal distribution that has spiraled out of control over the past few decades, such as CEO compensation reaching a record high of 419 times greater than the average factory worker. Chapter 4 outlines strategies for the so-called "building a fair economy movement." They use historical examples to illustrate possible solvency of the current dilemma. The book concludes with personal action-oriented options for readers to undertake, such as campaigning for a coalition for living wage. While it is evident that the authors have strong opinions and may be viewed as radical, their suggestions do have relevance and have a right to be considered in the search for a solution. The illustrations and charts serve in visual understanding of the facts and help the reader to understand the data in an alternative facet. The book is not difficult to read or to comprehend and highlights the major problems arising between the rich and the rest of America. Economic problems are running ramped in the United States and, as a reader, you are challenged to consider the fairness and moral implications of the issue.