The Great Divide: Unequal Societies And What We Can Do About Them

How has America become the most unequal advanced country in the world, and what can we do about it? In The Great Divide, Stiglitz, argues that inequality is a choice—the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities. From Reagan-era policies to the Great Recession, Stiglitz delves into the irresponsible policies—deregulation, tax cuts, and tax breaks for the 1 percent—that are turning the American dream into an ever more unachievable myth.

Drawing lessons from Scandinavia, Singapore, and Japan, he urges to embrace real solutions: increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy; offering more help to the children of the poor; investing in education, science, and infrastructure; helping out homeowners instead of banks; and, most importantly, doing more to restore the economy to full employment. His is a call to confront America's economic inequality as the political and moral issue that it is. If we reinvest in people and pursue the other policies that he describes, America can live up to the shared dream of a more prosperous, more equal society.