Consisting of straightforward statements about the United States--each one explained in a page of text and a page of bold graphs and charts--this guide is an excellent and practical desktop reference for anyone seeking to make sense of economic news or, more importantly, to place it in context.
Six articles contribute to the attention on the U.S. Postal Service in response to advances in telecommunications and communications and new thinking about regulated industries.
Too often we lack the basic facts we need to understand and judge what we learn about the U.S. economy. The New Illustrated Guide to the American Economy is a valuable asset for anyone seeking to make sense of economic news or -- more important -- to place it in a broader context. The book consists of straightforward, objective statements about the United States, each one explained in a page of text and a page of bold, four-color charts. At the same time it deals with the uncertainties of the data and the interpretations based on them. Listening to TV or reading newspapers raises a long list of questions whose answers would be relevant to the national discussion but are commonly unknown, ignored, or misunderstood, such as - How rich is the American economy compared with other times and other countries? - What is the extent of poverty in America? - What has happened to productivity and real earnings? - What is happening to the relative earnings of women or blacks compared with white males? - How heavy are American tax burdens today compared with earlier times and other countries? - What caused the large increase of the U.S. trade deficit? This thoroughly revised second edition brings the information up to date and expands the treatment of many subjects, including - the economics of health - problems in measuring changes in the quality of life - government capital and infrastructure, natural resources, and research and development - small business, multinational corporations, and trade unions - the distribution of income and its change
With 150 original color charts and graphs, The Illustrated Guide to the American Health Care Economy is an attractive, user-friendly, one-of-a-kind resource on the economics of health care in the United States. Covering topics such as 'How Is Each Health Care Dollar Spent?' and 'Who Pays for Health Services?,' this comprehensive, accessible guide will be of interest to everyone concerned about the future of health care in America.
In The American Way of Strategy, Lind argues that the goal of U.S. foreign policy has always been the preservation of the American way of life--embodied in civilian government, checks and balances, a commercial economy, and individual freedom. Lind describes how successive American statesmen--from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton to Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan--have pursued an American way of strategy that minimizes the dangers of empire and anarchy by two means: liberal internationalism and realism. At its best, the American way of strategy is a well-thought-out and practical guide designed to preserve a peaceful and demilitarized world by preventing an international system dominated by imperial and militarist states and its disruption by anarchy. When American leaders have followed this path, they have led our nation from success to success, and when they have deviated from it, the results have been disastrous. Framed in an engaging historical narrative, the book makes an important contribution to contemporary debates. The American Way of Strategy is certain to change the way that Americans understand U.S. foreign policy.
The myth that women make 78 cents on a man’s dollar is a standard refrain in popular media and serves as a rationale for affirmative action for women. Unstated is that for women and men with the same job and work experience, the wage gap practically disappears. In Women’s Figures, Manhattan Senior Fellow Diana Furchtgott-Roth shatters the myth of the wage gap. Women are continuing to gain ground relative to men, and in some cases, they have even reversed the gender gap. Rather than helping women, preferential policies undermine America’s idea of meritocracy, and call into question the value of women’s hard-earned achievements.
Drawing upon the experience of some 40 journalists, this work offers practical information to help with the complicated and risky task of writing about business and industry. It demystifies such concepts as macro and micro-economics and suggests specific investigative techniques.
In this funny, readable, and thought-provoking book based on the popular film of the same name, activists John de Graaf (coauthor of the bestselling Affluenza) and David Batker tackle thirteen economic issues, challenging the reader to consider the point of our economy. Emphasizing powerful American ideals, including teamwork, pragmatism, and equality, de Graaf and Batker set forth a simple goal for any economic system: The greatest good for the greatest number over the longest run. Drawing from history and current enterprises, we see how the good life is achieved when people and markets work together with an active government to create a more perfect economy-one that works for everyone. Beginning by shattering our fetish for GDP, What's the Economy For, Anyway? offers a fresh perspective on quality of life, health, security, work-life balance, leisure, social justice, and perhaps most important, sustainability. This sparkling, message-driven book is exactly what those lost in the doldrums of partisan sniping and a sluggish economy need: a guide to what really matters, and a map to using America's resources to make the world a better place.
Americans have been conditioned to appreciate, cheer, and serve economic growth. Brian Czech argues that, while economic growth was a good thing for much of American history, somewhere along the way it turned bad, depleting resources, polluting the environment, and threatening posterity. Yet growth remains a top priority of the public and polity. In this revolutionary manifesto, Czech knocks economic growth off the pedestal of American ideology. Seeking nothing less than a fundamental change in public opinion, Czech makes a bold plea for castigating society’s biggest spenders and sets the stage for the "steady state revolution." Czech offers a sophisticated yet accessible critique of the principles of economic growth theory and the fallacious extension of these principles into the "pop economics" of Julian Simon and others. He points with hope to the new discipline of ecological economics, which prescribes the steady state economy as a sustainable alternative to economic growth. Czech explores the psychological underpinnings of our consumer culture by synthesizing theories of Charles Darwin, Thorstein Veblen, and Abraham Maslow. Speaking to ordinary American citizens, he urges us to recognize conspicuous consumers for who they are—bad citizens who are liquidating our grandkids’ future. Combining insights from economics, psychology, and ecology with a large dose of common sense, Czech drafts a blueprint for a more satisfying and sustainable society. His ideas reach deeply into our everyday lives as he asks us to re-examine our perspectives on everything from our shopping habits to romance. From his perspective as a wildlife ecologist, Czech draws revealing parallels between the economy of nature and the human economy. His style is lively, easy to read, humorous, and bound to be controversial. Czech will provoke all of us to ask when we will stop the runaway train of economic growth. His book answers the question, "How do we do it?"