The Conscience of a Liberal

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The Conscience of a Liberal
LC Class
HC110.I5 K74 2007

The Conscience of a Liberal is a 2007 book written by

American history in the context of economic inequality. A central theme is the reemergence of both economic and political inequality since the 1970s. Krugman analyzes the causes behind these events and proposes a "new New Deal" for America.[1]

Synopsis

The book is a history of wealth and income gaps in the US in the 20th century. The book documents that the gap between rich and poor diminished greatly in mid-century—he refers to this as the "Great Compression"—then widened again, starting in the 1980s, to levels higher than those in the 1920s. Most economists—including Krugman himself—have regarded the late 20th century divergence as resulting largely from changes in technology and trade, but now Krugman writes—particularly in Chapters 1, 3, and 4—that government policies—particularly the establishment of, and subsequent attacks on, the social safety net or "welfare state"—has played a much greater role both in reducing the gap in the 1930s through 1970s, and in widening it in the 1980s through the present.

He talks about the history of

labor unions] and norms [particularly corporate policy]"—vis-à-vis government policy—in increasing or decreasing economic inequality. He rebukes the George W. Bush
administration for policies that were currently widening the gap between the rich and poor.

Nevertheless, Krugman expresses optimism in Chapter 10 that demographic trends—particularly on race and culture—and what he sees as conservative overreach during the Bush years—are creating a new

Ruy Texeira's book, The Emerging Democratic Majority. Krugman proposes, in Chapters 11 and 12, that Democrats propose a "new New Deal", which includes placing more emphasis on social and medical programs—particularly universal health care—and less on national defense.[3]

Finally, in Chapter 13, he talks about what it means to be a "

partisans until both major political parties accept the rationality of the New Deal.[4]

Reviews and critiques

The book received praise from outlets such as

Pulitzer prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy stated: "Krugman's chapter on the imperative need for health care reform is the best in this book, a rueful reminder of the kind of skilled and accessible economic analysis of which he is capable, and how little of it is on display here. Like the rants of Rush Limbaugh or the films of Michael Moore, Krugman's shrill polemic may hearten the faithful, but it will do little to persuade the unconvinced or to advance the national discussion of the important issues it addresses."[7]

Related information

The Conscience of a Liberal is also the title of Krugman's economics and politics blog, hosted by The New York Times since 2005.[8]

A paperback edition of The Conscience of a Liberal was released in January 2009.

References

  1. ^ a b "The Conscience of a Liberal". W. W. Norton & Company. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  2. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction - New York Times". The New York Times. 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  3. ^ Krugman, Paul (17 October 2007). "On Healthcare, Tax Cuts, Social Security, the Mortgage Crisis and Alan Greenspan". Archived 2007-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, in response to Alan Greenspan's Sept 24 appearance (Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine) with Naomi Klein on Democracy Now!
  4. ^ Krugman, The Conscience of a Liberal, pp. 272–273
  5. ^ November 22, 2007- Tomansky, Michael The Partisan
  6. ^ "The Conscience of Paul Krugman - David Gordon - Mises Institute". Mises.org. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  7. ^ "Malefactors of Megawealth" Archived August 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine David M. Kennedy
  8. ^ Paul Krugman:Welcome,The Conscience of a Liberal, September 17, 2005

External links

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