Summer Reads, Fall Talks: Five Books on Power, Wealth, and Policy in America
Looking for summer reads that tackle real questions about money, power, and inequality? Here are five books that offer rigorous, accessible analysis of the forces reshaping American economic power. Better yet, all five authors, including JRCPPF faculty affiliate Owen Zidar and graduate student Brendan Greeley, will be on campus this fall to discuss their work. So summer break is the perfect time to dive in.
Spanning monetary history, generational inequality, wealth distribution, taxation, and trade, these books highlight a central tension running through contemporary economic policy: the question of who holds power over the economic system, in whose interest those systems are structured, and whether the rules that govern them can be reformed.
The dollar, it turns out, is not controlled by America, even though American power rests on it. Your grandparents might be hoarding your future. The wealthy are scattered across the country, not concentrated in Beverly Hills. Taxes are actually democracy in action. And, yes, trade wars are about to get even more complicated. History matters, and understanding how we got here is crucial for deciding where to go next.
- , by Brendan Greeley
- , and What to Do About It, by Samuel Moyn
- , by Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick
- , by Vanessa Williamson
- , by Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Bown
Read these books this summer and join us this fall for conversations with the authors. All talks will be open to the public, both in person and via livestream on Media Central.