Gene Sperling was director of the National Economic Council under both President Obama (2011-2014) and President Clinton (1997-2001). Sperling is the author of The Pro-Growth Progressive (2005) and What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence for the World's Best Investment (2004, 2015); founded the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution; has been a senior economic advisor on multiple presidential campaigns; and was a consultant on NBC's The West Wing for four seasons.
One of Amazon's best Business and Leadership books of 2020 so
far
“Sperling makes a forceful case that only by speaking to matters of
the spirit can liberals root their belief in economic justice in
people’s deepest aspirations—in their sense of purpose and
self-worth.” —The New York Times
“As the coronavirus pandemic devastates the economy and
unemployment claims surge to epic heights, economist Sperling
argues that numbers don’t tell the whole story . . . prescient.”
–The National Book Review
“Gene Sperling draws a compelling case for looking beyond the
numbers to the nature and quality of work in the twenty-first
century. His clear-eyed, sharp analysis demands a close read by
policy makers and the rank and file alike. Economic Dignity shakes
up static debates about education, tax policy, labor, and American
values, and it should galvanize actors across the political
spectrum to reexamine our common purpose. In turn, this thoughtful
take reminds us of our capacity for progress when we put people at
the center—and defend the dignity of all.” —Stacey Abrams
“In a time of ever more powerful technologies and growing economic
uncertainty, we need to be clear on our values. Gene Sperling shows
why economic dignity should be our end goal and provides a
compelling program to bring it within the grasp of all Americans.
Economic Dignity is a must-read for every policymaker, economist
and citizen.” —Erik Brynjolfsson, professor at MIT and co-author of
The Second Machine Age
“Gene Sperling, one of the nation’s most distinguished public
servants, reminds us that while money matters, life is about much
more, and proposes that policymakers focus on dignity, that
economic dignity ‘should be the North Star to guide our journey’
toward greater justice. This book is an exemplary guide toward
policies that promote not just employment and good wages, but also
the life of purpose and meaning that has been lost to so many
Americans in recent decades.” —Professor Sir Angus Deaton, Nobel
Laureate in Economics 2015
“Sperling’s call to make economic dignity our North Star provides a
powerful moral frame for guiding economic policy that can be
unifying for all progressives—even when we don't agree on every
solution. Sperling rightly stresses that we need bold steps to
ensure what he calls an ‘economic dignity wage’ and economy that
provides true first and second chances, and that government must
play a far bigger and smarter role in ensuring the innovation,
worker power, and skills we need to make economic change work for
the many and not just the few. Sperling is one of the most
important economic thinkers of our time.” —Ro Khanna, member of
Congress
“Never have I come across a book that is so intellectually
engaging, deeply compassionate, and solutions oriented at the same
time. Economic Dignity is all of those things on a topic as
encompassing and defining as the economy.” —Ai-jen Poo,
Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance
“Economic Dignity points us beyond our fixation on GDP to the ends
economic policy should serve—promoting the dignity of work and the
well-being of families and communities. Gene Sperling reconnects
economics to moral and civic purpose and offers a framework for a
much-needed debate about how to help those left behind by the
winner-take-all economy of recent times. A healthy economy not only
delivers the goods, he reminds us; it also provides the basis for
mutual respect among citizens.” —Michael J. Sandel, author of
What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets
“Gene Sperling gets it. He understands that the Dignity of Work
isn't just a political slogan -- it's an ethos; it's who we are as
progressives, and it's how we must govern. Defining and fighting
for that dignity is at the heart of today's economic debates, and
that makes Gene Sperling essential reading.” —Senator Sherrod
Brown
“Sperling shows that the question of modern politics is not growth
or equity, but growth and equity. Not only that, he shows that with
a focus on economic dignity, town can be united with city; rural
with urban; young with old; and North with South, as these values
transcend both place and identity. It is for that reasonthat this
book will end up as required reading this year on both sides of the
Atlantic.” —David Muir, The New Statesman
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
