{"product_id":"9798216394297","title":"Fighting for the American Dream From Blue-Collar Kid to Maverick Economist, The Battle to Defend Working Families","description":"\u003ch1\u003eFighting for the American Dream\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFrom Blue-Collar Kid to Maverick Economist, The Battle to Defend Working Families\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCharles J. Whalen\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eBusiness \u0026amp; Economics \/ Labor \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExplores the decades-long erosion of the American Dream from the  author's perspective: a working-class kid who became a celebrated  economist dedicated to advancing the interests of struggling workers,  while also caught in the same currents of job insecurity and downward  mobility as the people he aimed to defend.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorker insecurity, increasing inequality, and downward mobility in our current era contrast sharply with expanding prosperity and opportunity in the first three decades after World War II. What happened? And what can we do to revitalize the American Dream, reduce worker precarity, and foster broadly shared prosperity? \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this historical account of a protracted and expanding national crisis, intertwined with a personal story about growing up in a work-obsessed family and pursuing a career devoted to addressing that crisis, Charles J. Whalen grapples with the social forces that sever the link between hard work and employment success. He exposes the obstacles that mar the path of many people seeking job opportunities and traces the fading of the American Dream, ultimately encouraging readers to take a fresh look at the current economic situation and championing a more constructive set of public policies to shape the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eCharles J. Whalen \u003c\/b\u003eis a research fellow at The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, University at Buffalo. His career spans four decades, including work at the Congressional Budget Office,\u003ci\u003e BusinessWeek\u003c\/i\u003e, and Cornell University. Whalen's eight academic books include \u003ci\u003eReforming Capitalism for the Common Good\u003c\/i\u003e (Edward Elgar, 2022).\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e03 September 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9798216394297\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e368\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24.8\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51333857443980,"sku":"9798216394297","price":31.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_339fb39d-77a3-4029-b301-342a810fef30.jpg?v=1783617131","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9798216394297","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}