Customer Reviews

Income Inequality in America: An Analysis of Trends (Issues in Work and Human Resources)

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Ryscavage undertands statistics about both income and (what is not at all the same thing) wages. Unfortunately, such data are often abused to score political points.

The book is full of tables and graphs (like "Income and Wealth" by Alan Reynolds)but remains quite readable for nonprofessionals. One suspects it received less attention than it deserves because the conclusions, though factually correct, are not nearly as sensational as what you would expect from reading popular newspapers.

Despite its apparent age, this is still very much worth reading.

Far exceeding the author's objective--to present a primer on the state and causes of income inequality in the US-this work by an eminent scholar addresses in masterful fashion the many factors related to these issues in a style comprehensible to both the public and experts. Ryscavage presents not only his own prestigious studies but also summarizes and aluates the major works of others. His study provides a strong bridge over the disconnect between economists' views and popular conceptions that ascribe income inequality to corporate greed, soaring profits, deregulation, waning power of unions, and the demise of the so-called social contract between workers and employers. Instead, the author examines relevant measures showing and causing income disparity. ... A must purchase for economic and public policy collections. All libraries. Choice

I was interested in the above review until I noticed it comes from the New York town that the publisher hails from. A coincidence? Possibly--but what else is in Armonk besides M.E. Sharpe?