The Fragile Middle Class
Subtitle: Americans in Debt
Edition: New Ed edition
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 1, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 448
ISBN-13: 9780300091717
Subjects: Family & relationships; Microeconomics; Social classes; Business & Economics; Sociology; Business/Economics; USA; General; Social Science / Sociology / General; Money & Monetary Policy; Personal Finance - General
First sentence: In the early years of the Republic's third century, America stands more economically and militarily dominant in the world than ever before.
Description: "The authors of this book analyze court records and demographic data on thousands of bankruptcy cases, as well as debtors' own poignant accounts of the reasons for their bankruptcies. For many middle-class Americans, the findings show, financial stability is fragile - almost any setback can be disastrous. The erosion of job stability, divorce and family instability, the visible and invisible costs of medical care, the burden of home ownership, and the staggering weight of consumer debt financed with plastic combine to threaten the financial security of growing numbers of middle-class families. The authors view the bankruptcy process in the light of changing cultural and economic factors and consider what this may signify for the future of a large, secure, and dynamic middle class."--Jacket.

"The authors of this book analyze court records and demographic data on thousands of bankruptcy cases, as well as debtors' own poignant accounts of the reasons for their bankruptcies. For many middle-class Americans, the findings show, financial stability is fragile - almost any setback can be disastrous.

The erosion of job stability, divorce and family instability, the visible and invisible costs of medical care, the burden of home ownership, and the staggering weight of consumer debt financed with plastic combine to threaten the financial security of growing numbers of middle-class families. The authors view the bankruptcy process in the light of changing cultural and economic factors and consider what this may signify for the future of a large, secure, and dynamic middle class."--BOOK JACKET.