The Crisis of the MiddleClass Consti..., Ganesh Sitaraman
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The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution
Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic

Author: Ganesh Sitaraman

Narrator: MacLeod Andrews

Unabridged: 12 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/14/2017


Synopsis

In this original, provocative contribution to the debate over economic inequality, Ganesh Sitaraman argues that a strong and sizable middle class is a prerequisite for America’s constitutional system.

A New York Times Notable Book of 2017
 
For most of Western history, Sitaraman argues, constitutional thinkers assumed economic inequality was inevitable and inescapable—and they designed governments to prevent class divisions from spilling over into class warfare. The American Constitution is different. Compared to Europe and the ancient world, America was a society of almost unprecedented economic equality, and the founding generation saw this equality as essential for the preservation of America’s republic. Over the next two centuries, generations of Americans fought to sustain the economic preconditions for our constitutional system. But today, with economic and political inequality on the rise, Sitaraman says Americans face a choice: Will we accept rising economic inequality and risk oligarchy or will we rebuild the middle class and reclaim our republic?
 
The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution is a tour de force of history, philosophy, law, and politics. It makes a compelling case that inequality is more than just a moral or economic problem; it threatens the very core of our constitutional system.

Author Bio

Ganesh Sitaraman is Professor of Law and Director at the Program on Law and Government at Vanderbilt Law School. He is also cofounder and Director of Policy for the Great Democracy Initiative and a columnist at the Guardian U.S. He served as Policy Director for Elizabeth Warren during her successful Senate campaign and as her Senior Counsel in the Senate. He is the author of The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic, a New York Times notable book.

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