Much like the atmosphere of the 1920s, America's prosperity is top heavy. Professor Joel Blau explores the paradoxical relationship between America's love of unrestrained capitalism and the real effects it has on the daily lives of American workers. Illusions of Prosperity challenges the basic premise of public policy in the United States, namely, that an increasing reliance on the market will benefit most Americans. Market-based reforms in education, job training, and public assistance, which are designed to counter these trends, will only exacerbate them further, because reforms that rely on the market can never compensate for the market's deficiencies. In short, Illusions of Prosperity is a wake-up call about the fundamental direction of public policy in the United States.
Few experiments yield such clear outcomes.
Instead he calls for a stronger, more caring government to counter the debilitating effects of the market, and he urges the development of the broadest possible alliances to ensure economic security. Sure to raise controversy, Illusions of Prosperity turns today's conventional wisdom inside out, making a profound case for the importance of a strong government in a world where markets do not have all of the answers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Praise for Joel Blau's previus book, The Visible Poor Selected facts from Illusions of Prosperity Publicity department home page For more information contact the Publicity department .