Ladder or Lottery

Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-0-520-40262-1
Verlag: University of California Press

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Cloth Over Boards, Format (B × H): 142 mm x 218 mm, Gewicht: 340 g

Who really gets ahead in a market-based economy.

This book asks the reader a simple question: Is our economy a ladder or a lottery? Are people able to control their position on the economic spectrum by their actions? Some argue that, in our market-based economy, if you play by certain rules and make certain choices, you'll achieve upward mobility no matter what economic position you were born into.

Drawing on his vast economic expertise, Gary A. Hoover explores what this "social contract" requires of its citizens, and what it offers in return. Hoover shows how civil unrest is often directly related to broken society-level promises, exploring protest movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, the Arab Spring, and student debt forgiveness as case studies. He also predicts where future protests can be expected if results promised are not results delivered.

This insightful and data-driven book tackles challenging issues around income inequality, health care, and artificial intelligence, and ultimately equips readers to answer these pressing questions: Is our social contract a ladder to higher economic standing, accessible to all no matter where they start? Or rather a lottery in which many will buy a ticket but only a few will find success? And how can we best align social promises with our lived economic realities?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hoover, Gary A

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Minderheiten, Interkulturelle & Multikulturelle Fragen
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie von Migranten und Minderheiten
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftsgeschichte
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Wirtschaftspolitik, politische Ökonomie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface

1. Who Are the Haves and Have Nots?
2. Poverty and Inequality by the Numbers
3. Social Contracts in Theory and Practice
4. Occupy Wall Street
5. The Tea Party
6. The Arab Spring
7. Student Debt Forgiveness
8. Conclusions and Predictions

Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Gary A. Hoover is Executive Director of the Murphy Institute, Professor of Economics, and Affiliate Professor of Law at Tulane University.