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Wealth, Poverty and Politics
£3.80
In Wealth, Poverty, and Politics, Thomas Sowell, one of the foremost conservative public intellectuals in this country, argues that political and ideological struggles have led to dangerous confusion about income inequality in America. Pundits and politically motivated economists trumpet ambiguous statistics and sensational theories while ignoring the true determinant of income inequality: the production of wealth. We cannot properly understand inequality if we focus exclusively on the distribution of wealth and ignore wealth production factors such as geography, demography, and culture.
Sowell contends that liberals have a particular interest in misreading the data and chastises them for using income inequality as an argument for the welfare state. Refuting Thomas Piketty, Paul Krugman, and others on the left, Sowell draws on accurate empirical data to show that the inequality is not nearly as extreme or sensational as we have been led to believe.
Transcending partisanship through a careful examination of data, Wealth, Poverty, and Politics reveals the truth about the most explosive political issue of our time.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 2nd edition (6 Sept. 2016), Basic Books |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 1453 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 509 pages |
by Glenn
In depth look at issues that are hotly debated today with a view from angles that few research or present today. Importance of coastlines, weather and waterways in countries hoping to develop in the modern world but struggle for reasons beyond anyone’s control. I only wish I’d discovered Sowell earlier in life.
by Raf M.
The book explores much historical information from an empirical viewpoint, exposing the prevailing lies regarding perceived inequality in all walks of life.
by Jack Brett
Dr Sowell’s book provides a comprehensive overview of the historical sources of prosperity of disparate peoples. These are rigorously presented to show that the economic outcomes of these peoples are the result of a confluence of myriad factors which interact in such a way as to preclude any hope that these outcomes would be equal. Thus, inequality between peoples is the rule, not the exception, governing the economic landscape of the world. Suspicion of inequality usually arises out of ignorance of the productivity of different groups and thus avoids consideration of the critical role human capital plays in the economic advancement of peoples. — Jack, 20, law student in UK.
by John Hawkins
This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand not just why the current fashion for identity politics is misguided, but also the motives that make it seem attractive. It calmly explores the myriad factors that explain unequal economic outcomes both between, and within, nations.
Thomas Sowell writes methodically, at times perhaps laboriously, to make his points. This is a book which gives the sense of trying to teach and inform, rather than one which just wants to throw an opinion into an already crowded space. If the pace seems slow, particularly in the early chapters, my advice is to stick with it. The sheer amount of insight, the number of lightbulb moments, will more than repay the time spent reading it.
This book is not a harsh polemic promoting a particular ideological standpoint, but instead a quiet exposition of the factors producing inequality, and always supported by facts. Sowell does not shy away from highlighting cultural differences which may be thought of as provocative or controversial – for example the different levels of honesty within different populations – but his purpose in doing so is always to explain how these differences influence economic outcomes (rather than making moral judgements).
A thoroughly recommended book. Some of it will surprise you, some of it will shock you, and some of it will grate against your own preconceptions, but mostly it will expand your understanding of a complex subject.
by Rahul Kumar
An absolutely amazing book that is thoroughly researched, from a historical and economic perspective. The book’s initial paragraphs which delve deeper into the root causes of economic disparities worldwide are incredibly enlightening and help to quash many myths about some societies being always more prosperous than others throughout history. The chapter about political reasons for certain economic features, especially the portion on the welfare state is remarkably researched and argued; Sowell’s contrarian conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the welfare state and his beliefs on why it it has failed for the advancement of demographics such as blacks in the US and working class whites in the UK is truly thought provoking and a line of argument far from the mainstream.
Overall, this book is a must read for those anywhere on the political/economic spectrum with arguments that are well argued with a highly thorough evidence on a global scale. It quashes many myths about wealth and poverty and is a continuation of Sowell’s outstanding work in the field of economics, politics and social issues.
by Gergely Károlyi
This book is incredible. While Sowell’s dry, laconic style takes a lot of getting used to (and the first too-many pages on geography don’t help with this), every single page will feature an argument, angle or fact you may not have considered or even known about before. Whilst the book is certainly controversial both in its main thrust and its individual arguments, I think any serious reader will be made to think, consider and reconsider.
Exhaustively researched and very well argued, this book presents a very wide range of ideas and assimilates them into a single, very coherent whole.
Physically, this book is very well presented – the setting and binding look and feel high quality, and the green cover (although personally I find it a little ugly) is very useful as a page- and reference marker.
Whilst Sowell certainly is not a liberal author, and this book accordingly does not fit the received wisdom of the last few decades of Western academia and media, I personally would recommend this as a very thought-inducing read for anyone, regardless of political or economic views.
by Anil
This man is without a doubt one of the greatest economists of our era and this book is proof of it. Written in simple, clear and non-academic writing, his research-based answers are tough to refute and factual.
Highly recommend it for everyone interested in understanding economics and culture.
by Arthur Koestler
There is some overlap with his other books as usual however it is always brilliant to be reacquainted once in a while with powerful analysis of Sowell as well as his incredible use of statistics on all range of subjects. Well worth a read