Synopsis
"Jeff Madrick makes a convincing case for the active role of government in the growth of our modern economy and our shared prosperity. Contrary to the ideology that has dominated debate in recent times, he challenges us to think anew about the responsibilities that government should meet in today's competitive global economy. As Madrick makes clear, government at its best can bring progress and greater opportunity to all citizens in countless ways that private markets can't provide, and it can do so without impairing the indispensable role of those markets."—Senator Edward M. Kennedy
"Madrick presents a well-reasoned, empirically supported argument for undoing the damage that too many years of mindless government bashing have inflicted on our capacity to achieve important societal goals."—Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA)
"Jeff Madrick makes a lucid and compelling case for why growth and prosperity depend on an effective and active government. Read this book and then go tell market fundamentalists why they're so fundamentally wrong."—Robert B. Reich, University of California, Berkeley; and former U.S. secretary of labor
"Jeff Madrick calls the bluff of those who claim that larger government has to be bad for growth. He serves notice that we must now switch from such conventional mantras to reviewing the facts about modern government. The book's balanced review of American history makes it clear that 'productive government investment' is not a contradiction in terms."—Peter Lindert, University of California, Davis
"This timely book describes the stagnation of living standards in middle America and places an agenda for reform squarely within the American heritage."—Avner Offer, University of Oxford
The New York Times - David Kusnet
Researched and written before last summer, this fact-filled and well-reasoned book reads like an artifact from a time capsule. Before the financial crisis, most policy makers and opinion leaders smugly assumed that the economy would remain on an even keel, so Madrick felt he had to make a vigorous argument that economic problems required government action. Now, his book seems almost too logical and levelheaded to attract a large audience in this time of anger and anxiety.