Galbraith: The Affluent Society & Other Writings, 1952-1967(ISBN=9781598530773)pdf/txt下载_在线阅读全文

内容简介

　　Incisive and original, John Kenneth Galbraith wrote with aneloquence that burst the conventions of his discipline and won areadership none of his fellow economists could match. This Libraryof America volume, the first devoted to economics, gathers four ofhis key early works, the books that established him as one of theleading public intellectuals of the last century. In AmericanCapitalism, Galbraith exposes with great panache the myth ofAmerican free-market competition. The idea that an impersonalmarket sets prices and wages, and maintains balance between supplyand demand, remained so vital in American economic thought,Galbraith argued, because oligopolistic American businessmen neveracknowledged their collective power. Also over- looked was the waythat groups such as unions and regulatory agencies react to largeoligopolies by exerting countervailing power--a concept that wasthe book's lasting contribution.

<p>　　Incisive and original, John Kenneth Galbraith wrote with an
eloquence that burst the conventions of his discipline and won a
readership none of his fellow economists could match. This Library
of America volume, the first devoted to economics, gathers four of
his key early works, the books that established him as one of the
leading public intellectuals of the last century. In American
Capitalism, Galbraith exposes with great panache the myth of
American free-market competition. The idea that an impersonal
market sets prices and wages, and maintains balance between supply
and demand, remained so vital in American economic thought,
Galbraith argued, because oligopolistic American businessmen never
acknowledged their collective power. Also over- looked was the way
that groups such as unions and regulatory agencies react to large
oligopolies by exerting countervailing power--a concept that was
the book's lasting contribution.<br />
　　The Great Crash, 1929 offers a gripping account of the most
legendary (and thus misunderstood) financial collapse in American
history, as well as an inquiry into why it led to sustained
depression. Galbraith posits five reasons: unusually high income
inequality; a bad, overleveraged corporate structure; an unsound
bank- ing system; unbalanced foreign trade; and, finally, "the poor
state of economic intelligence." His account is a trenchant
analysis of the 19299 crisis and a cautionary tale of ignorance and
hubris among stock- market players; not surprisingly, the book was
again a bestseller in the wake of the 2008 economic collapse.<br />
 　　In the Affluent Society, the book that introduced the
phrase "the conventional wisdom" into the American lexicon,
Galbraith takes on a shibboleth of free- market conservatives and
Keynesian liberals alike: the paramount importance of production.
For Galbraith, the American mania for production continued even in
an era of unprecedented affluence, when the basic needs of all but
an impoverished minority had easily been met. Thus the creation of
new and spurious needs through advertising--leading to
skyrocketing</p>

显示全部信息

Galbraith: The Affluent Society & Other Writings, 1952-1967(ISBN=9781598530773)

发布书评

相关图书推荐