The story of how economic reasoning came to dominate Washington
between the 1960s and 1980s—and why it continues to constrain
progressive ambitions today For decades, Democratic politicians have
frustrated progressives by tinkering around the margins of policy
while shying away from truly ambitious change. What happened to bold
political vision on the left, and what shrunk the very horizons of
possibility? In Thinking like an Economist, Elizabeth Popp Berman
tells the story of how a distinctive way of thinking—an “economic
style of reasoning”—became dominant in Washington between the
1960s and the 1980s and how it continues to dramatically narrow
debates over public policy today. Introduced by liberal technocrats
who hoped to improve government, this way of thinking was grounded in
economics but also transformed law and policy. At its core was an
economic understanding of efficiency, and its advocates often found
themselves allied with Republicans and in conflict with liberal
Democrats who argued for rights, equality, and limits on corporate
power. By the Carter administration, economic reasoning had spread
throughout government policy and laws affecting poverty, healthcare,
antitrust, transportation, and the environment. Fearing waste and
overspending, liberals reined in their ambitions for decades to come,
even as Reagan and his Republican successors argued for economic
efficiency only when it helped their own goals. A compelling account
that illuminates what brought American politics to its current state,
Thinking like an Economist also offers critical lessons for the
future. With the political left resurgent today, Democrats seem poised
to break with the past—but doing so will require abandoning the
shibboleth of economic efficiency and successfully advocating new ways
of thinking about policy.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780691226606
Publisert
2022
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter