The American Dream Is Not Dead, Michael R. Strain
The American Dream Is Not Dead, Michael R. Strain
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The American Dream Is Not Dead
But Populism Could Kill It

Author: Michael R. Strain

Narrator: Walter Dixon

Unabridged: 2 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/09/2020

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Populists on both sides of the political aisle routinely announce that the American Dream is dead. According to them, the game has been rigged by elites, workers can't get ahead, wages have been stagnant for decades, and the middle class is dying.

Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, disputes this rhetoric as both wrong and dangerous. In this succinctly argued volume, he shows that, on measures of economic opportunity and quality of life, there has never been a better time to be alive in America. He backs his argument with overwhelming—and underreported—data to show how the facts favor realistic optimism.

He warns, however, that the false prophets of populism pose a serious danger to our current and future prosperity. Their policies would leave workers worse off. And their erroneous claim that the American Dream is dead could discourage people from taking advantage of real opportunities to better their lives. If enough people start to believe the Dream is dead, they could, in effect, kill it. To prevent this self-fulfilling prophecy, Strain's book is a must-listen for anyone feeling the pull of the populists.


About Michael R. Strain

Michael R. Strain is director of economic policy studies and Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). An economist, his research has been published in academic and policy journals and he has edited two books on economics and public policy. He is a research fellow at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) in Bonn, Germany, writes regularly for popular audiences, and is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. Strain is frequently interviewed by major media outlets, speaks often to a variety of audiences, and has testified before Congress. He holds a PhD in economics from Cornell University and lives in Washington, DC.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael on September 02, 2020

In his book, Michael Strain attempts to disprove the conventional rhetoric on both sides of the isle in which many claim that the American Dream is dying. The book is a quick read and the author does a good job of making the economic arguments digestible for a wide audience. With regard to the subst......more

Goodreads review by John on March 30, 2025

Figures lie and liars figure. That’s the old saw. And it will be on the lips to any readers of this book who are governed by preconceived notions of the state of the American economy and how it affects those at all income strata. But the evidence is clear, as economist Michael Strain asserts in this......more

Goodreads review by Paul on May 16, 2021

[Imported automatically from my blog. Some formatting there may not have translated here.] This short book by (168 print pages, including end matter) was published in late February. It's by economist Michael R. Strain, who works for the American Enterprise Institute. I got the Kindle version for a m......more

Goodreads review by Todd on August 18, 2020

The book is a thorough look at income, wage, employment data. It was published just before the COVID-19 pandemic, so it lacks that but the analysis of the long run trends is very much still valid. The results show the American Dream is alive and well for most of us. Wages are up, income is up, gener......more

Goodreads review by Yama on July 16, 2024

I spent a week with Dr. Strain at AEI where, among other readings, we read and discussed this. While certainly I have ideological differences with him and AEI, I will say that Dr. Strain's writing style is something every single economist and public intellectual can and should adopt. Straight to the......more