Unbound: How Inequality Constricts Our Economy and What We Can Do about It

A Financial Times Book of the Year“The strongest documentation I have seen for the many ways in which inequality is harmful to economic growth.”-Jason Furman“A timely and very useful guide…Boushey assimilates a great deal of recent economic research and argues that it amounts to a paradigm shift.”-New YorkerDo we have to choose between equality and prosperity? Decisions made over the past fifty years have created underlying fragilities in our society that make our economy less effective in good times and less resilient to shocks, such as today’s coronavirus pandemic. Many think tackling inequality would require such heavy-handed interference that it would stifle economic growth. But a careful look at the data suggests nothing could be further from the truth-and that reducing inequality is in fact key to delivering future prosperity.Presenting cutting-edge economics with verve, Heather Boushey shows how rising inequality is a drain on talent, ideas, and innovation, leading to a concentr