Synopses & Reviews
The issue of living standards is arguably the biggest challenge facing economists and politicians in the United States and the United Kingdom today. The product of a year-long fellowship at Harvard Universityandrsquo;s Kennedy School of Government,
The Squeezed Middle brings together leading experts from both sides of the Atlantic to ask what the UK can learn from the US experience of stagnating wages and rising living costs.
American workers have not benefited from growth for an entire generation: adjusting for inflation, the averageand#160;American worker today earns as much as the average American worker did in 1975. During the last decade British workers have had a similar experienceandmdash;they can no longer assume that when the economy grows their wages will grow with it. With contributions from a number of leading economic and policy thinkers, this collection analyzes the impact of different policies on those with low to middle incomes and explains what lessons the UK can learn from Americaandrsquo;s so-called lost generation. A timely and crucial book, it is essential reading for anyone concerned about the living standards crisis and will have great relevance to policy makers and researchers in the UK, United States, and beyond.
Review
andldquo;This timely book provides incisive analysis from leading scholars of a key issue of contemporary politics on both sides of the Atlantic. It explores why middle incomes have stagnated and discusses what might be done about it. If you read one political book this year you should read this one.andrdquo;and#160;
Review
and#8220;For anyone who wants an all-in-one primer on the economic problems facing the middle class in America today, this is your book.andnbsp;The Squeezed Middleandnbsp;is full of data, but it is no academic tome. It is accessible to anyone who cares enough about deteriorating living standards to want to know how we got into this hole and what we can do to get out of it. . . . Books likeandnbsp;The Squeezed Middleandnbsp;won't solve our economic problems, but they do help give people like you and me the information we need to solve our problems.and#8221;
Synopsis
As wages stagnate but living costs keep rising, the pressure on working people grows more intense. The issue of living standards has become one of the most urgent challenges for politicians in both Britain and America. 'The squeezed middle' brings together experts from both sides of the Atlantic to ask what the UK can learn from the US. American workers have not benefited from growth for an entire generation - the average American worker earned no more in 2009 than in 1975. Now British workers are undergoing a similar experience. No longer can they assume that when the economy grows their wages will grow with it. This collection brings together for the first time leading economic and policy thinkers to analyse the impact of different policies on those on low-to middle incomes and to explain what lessons the UK can learn from America's 'lost generation'. This timely book is essential reading for everyone concerned about the living standards crisis, an issue which could decide elections as well as shaping the future for millions of working families.
Synopsis
The squeezed middle brings together leading experts from both sides of the Atlantic to ask what the UK can learn from the US experience of stagnating wages and rising living costs.
About the Author
Sophia Parkerand#160;is an associate at the Resolution Foundation in London, where she previously was the director of Policy and Research.and#160;
Table of Contents
List of tables and figures
Notes on contributors
Foreword by Gavin Kelly and Jared Bernstein
A note on terminology
Introduction
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Sophia Parker
Section 1: Setting the scene: a rising tide no longer lifts all boats
1.1 A lost decade not a burst bubble: the declining living standards of middle-class households in the US and Britain
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Larry Mishel and Heidi Shierholz
1.2 Rising incomes and modest inequality: the high-employment route
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Lane Kenworthy
Section 2: Policy lessons: creating quality work, raising incomes and building greater economic security
Creating quality work
2.1 Improving job quality in low-paid jobs: care workers in the US
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Eileen Appelbaum and Carrie Leana
2.2 Employment change and economic vulnerability in the US
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Franand#231;oise Carrand#233; and James Heintz
Raising incomes
2.3 New evidence and new directions for promoting labour market advancement for low and modest earners
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; James A. Riccio
2.4 Boosting the pay packets of low- to middle-income families
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Daniel P. Gitterman
Strengthening economic security
2.5 Strategies to expand the affordable private rental stock
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Keith Wardrip
2.6 Insulating middle-income households from economic insecurity: why savings matter, and how we can increase them
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Joanna Smith-Ramani and Preeti Mehta
Section 3: Looking ahead: a cautionary table
3.1 The past to post-recession prosperity
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Tamara Draut
3.2 How US politics is undermining the American Dream, and what it means for the UK
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Jacob S. Hacker
3.3 Conclusion: learning the lessons
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Vidhya Alakeson
Index