The Conscience of a Liberal | Paul Krugman

The Conscience of a Liberal | Paul Krugman | Highly recommended for all Americans, liberal or otherwise

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The Conscience of ...

	The Conscience of a Liberal Paul Krugman W. W. Norton, 2007 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 80 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This wholly original new work by the best-selling author of The Great Unraveling challenges America to reclaim the values that made it great.

With this major new volume, Paul Krugman, today's most widely read economist, studies the past eighty years of American history, from the reforms that tamed the harsh inequality of the Gilded Age to the unraveling of that achievement and the reemergence of immense economic and political inequality since the 1970s. Seeking to understand both what happened to middle-class America and what it will take to achieve a "new New Deal," Krugman has created his finest book to date, a work that weaves together a nuanced account of three generations of history with sharp political, social, and economic analysis. This book, written with Krugman's trademark ability to explain complex issues simply, will transform the debate about American social policy in much the same way as did John Kenneth Galbraith's deeply influential book, The Affluent Society.

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Finally some good news!

I pretty much read only non-fiction, which is usually very informative but highly depressing. Krugman somehow manages to cover the modern American political state of affairs without depressing me. In fact this book is very hopeful in specific ways and overall quite uplifting.

In modern American political discourse, it seems common for any statistic that supports an ideological position to be used to further that point of view. Krugman takes the opposite tack: citing relevant and logically coherent information to describe in context where we are and how we got here. He then uses the same reasonable approach to outline achievable solutions to the problems of inequality that we face. It's nice to see the fixes as well as the problems.

I just hope Barak read this too.

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Highly recommended for all Americans, liberal or otherwise

This is a must-read book for all Americans. Of course it's for liberals who are looking for a deeper understanding of their causes -- the last chapter is essentially a manifesto and call to arms -- but also, perhaps surprisingly, it would be a worthwhile read for moderate Republicans who have been left wondering what the heck happened to their party. I have some conservative-leaning friends who have lamented the way the term "Republican" has become a badge of shame, stating that their families have always been Republican and that they're good people. The history Krugman presents in this book may provide an oddly soothing answer to people in such a situation -- while also, no doubt, making them even angrier than their Democratic friends!

Finally, it would be a good read for people who do still consider themselves conservatives or Republicans and who think liberals are wrong but can't pinpoint why -- perhaps, again, just because they've just been raised to think badly of "liberalism." Maybe I'm hopelessly optimistic, but I like to think that at least some of those people would change their mind after reading this, because I do believe a majority of Americans share these core "liberal" values.

The highlights of this book for me were its excellent, easy-to-follow presentation of a history, its strong, sensible arguments in favor of universal health care, its great articulation of the core liberal belief of limiting the extremes of poverty and (to do so) of over-the-top wealth -- made especially powerful in light of Wall Street's latest disaster -- and, finally, the way he addresses the role of partisanship in today's society. Very, very good stuff. Highly recommended!

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Nice Work

I recommend this book to liberals. For conservatives, I recommend the info on income distribution, particularly pages 124-136, and the chapter on health care. To be critical, and hopefully useful, I lament the following: 1) saying hyperinflation just kind of happened from 1965 to the `80's isn't good enough for an economist. Were higher wages a factor? Please explain. 2) Married couples are working about 1,000 hours more today than in 1976. Why isn't this mentioned? 3) Are we more in debt today than in 1973? This info would have been interesting. 4) Why begin the recent period in 1973, if arguing that conservative politics changed the economy for the worse? Isn't 1980 a genuine (not convenient or reverse engineered) starting point? 5) The author capitulates to conservatives by using the term "welfare state" Has welfare ever been more than 4% of GDP (not including Social Security)? "The welfare state" is propaganda and plays into the hands of Reagan Republicans. 6) Perhaps ten times, Mr. Krugman says general negative statements about conservatives. This is both preaching to the choir and the pot (liberal establishment) calling the kettle black, and harms our chances of gaining support from independents and moderate conservatives.

Overall, a very useful and readable book. I could say a hundred positive things. Better the book should be read.

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Krugman Liberal Views

This book is a good read, but to many would appear to be just a very long version of many an article Mr. Krugman has written for the New York Times. If you like his op-eds, you will likely be a fan of the book. If you are less enthused by his writings, this is probably not the book for you.

A decent history of the New Deal in practice

Economist Paul Krugman offers an 8 chapter history of the New Deal with the remaining chapters amounting to a "to do" list for a coming progressive majority in Congress and the White House.

I certainly enjoyed his stories of growing up with the relative income equality of the 50s and 60s. Interestingly, the New Deal was a product of global economic recession, and - with no global economic shock appearing on the horizon - I'm not sure that his dream of a liberal renaissance can be realized.

Krugman prefers to isolate racism and not religious conservatism as the reason for America's reluctance to go as far as other advanced countries in its adoption of a social safety net. To some extent, the next few national elections will either substantiate or refute this premise.

Krugman also tends to demonize those he calls "Movement Conservatives" a bit. But, if you enjoy politics and economics, I think you will enjoy this book.

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