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Title details for The Middle Out by Michael Tomasky - Available

The Middle Out

The Rise of Progressive Economics

by Michael Tomasky
Adam Barr
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Political journalist Michael Tomasky tracks an exciting change among  progressive economists who are overturning decades of conservative dogma and offering an alternative version of capitalism that can serve broadly shared prosperity to all.
"Engaging, briskly paced ... On balance, history appears to be on Tomasky’s side." —The New York Times Book Review
In the first half of the twentieth century the Keynesian brand of economics, which saw government spending as a necessary spur to economic growth, prevailed. Then in the 1970s, conservatives fought back. Once they got people to believe a few simple ideas instead—that only the free market could produce growth, that taxes and regulation stifle growth—the battle was won. The era of conservative dogma, often called neoliberal economics, had begun. It ushered in increasing inequality, a shrinking middle class, and declining public investment. For fifty years, liberals have not been able to make a dent in it. Until now. 
In The Middle Out, journalist Michael Tomasky narrates this history and reports on the work of today's progressive economists, who are using mountains of historical evidence to contradict neoliberal claims. Their research reveals conservative dogma to be unfounded and shows how concentrated wealth has been built on the exploitation of women, minorities, and the politically powerless. Middle-out economics, in contrast, is the belief that prosperity comes from a thriving middle class, and therefore government plays a role in supporting families and communities. This version of capitalism—more just, more equal, and in which prosperity is shared—could be the American future.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    September 6, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593628256
      • File size: 240542 KB
      • Duration: 08:21:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 20, 2022
      It’s time to repudiate free-market dogma and return to tax-and-spend liberalism, according to this feisty manifesto. New Republic editor Tomasky (If We Can Keep It) criticizes the neoliberal economic consensus of recent decades that emphasized tax cuts, reduced government social spending, privatization, deregulation, and pitiless self-interest; that recipe, he argues, yielded rising inequality, insecurity, and sluggish growth. His proposed antidote is massive government investment in healthcare, childcare, and education. Tomasky is light on policy specifics aside from a broad endorsement of the Biden administration’s stimulus and infrastructure spending, which he absolves of responsibility for inflation and salutes for “commendable progress in changing the economic circumstances of Americans.” He focuses instead on revamped messaging that associates progressive economics with emotionally resonant themes of freedom, democracy, opportunity, and humane values. (“My Republican friends believe that all we need to do is selfishly pursue our own interests,” reads one of his suggested talking points for Democrats. “We think people are more generous than that.”) Tomasky’s critique of free-market orthodoxy is cogent and often stinging, but he takes little account of the tensions now wracking the economy, and many of his messaging prescriptions are already being followed by Democrats including Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren. This rallying cry falls short. Agent: Chris Calhoun, Chris Calhoun Agency.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Michael Tomasky's economic ideas are serious and urgent, and they require a narrator with the gravitas to make them heard. Adam Barr answers that call with his confident baritone, which lends authority to the author's words. Tomasky, the progressive editor of THE NEW REPUBLIC, makes a compelling argument that prosperity emanates not from the top down, but from a thriving middle class. He's passionate but restrained, and both of these traits are conveyed by Barr, whose narration is well tempered and even allows the author's subtle humor to peek through. In our polarized culture, this is an audiobook destined to appeal only to those who already share the author's convictions, which is a shame, because it could change some minds. D.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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