The Future of U.S. Capitalism

It explains what will happen to US enterprise, markets, and the government in forthcoming decades.

Frederic L. Pryor (Author)

9780521023962, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 June 2006

464 pages, 16 b/w illus. 29 tables
23 x 15 x 2.9 cm, 0.705 kg

'A very clear analysis … The author maintains his statements with a huge number of charts, diagrams and a large bibliography, providing the interested reader with supplemental information. The book looks at the US from a novel viewpoint and leads to reviewing commonly accepted opinions on the US economy.' Kyklos

This multidisciplinary book looks at the long-term forces that are shaping the most important economic institutions in the US in the coming decades. The style is lively and clear, with a series of appendices focusing on technical issues of interest to specialists. The author foresees a declining rate of growth, a widening of the inequalities of income, and an increasing share of individual markets taken by a small number of large corporations. Combined with declining social solidarity and trust in government, he foresees an ever harder edge to the way in which capitalism will function in the future. The economic role of government will decline in the fields of stabilization and regulation, but government expenditures will become higher due to the aging of the population. This provocative book looks at the US from a novel viewpoint and shows how many commonly accepted views of the US economy need to be revised.

Acknowledgements
Part I. Introduction: 1. Setting the stage
Part II. Internal Influences on the Economic System: 2. Saving and economic growth
3. Economic fluctuations and financial crises
4. Economic inequality
5. Globalization
Part III. External Influences on the Economic System: 6. Natural resources and the environment
7. Social factors
8. Political factors
Part IV. Changes in Crucial Economic Institutions and Organizations: 9. Evolution of business enterprises
10. Evolution of market competition
11. Evolution of government regulation and ownership
12. Evolution of government spending
Part V. Summary: 13. Whither US capitalism?
Appendices
Bibliography
Indexes.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Economics [KC], Politics & government [JP], Social research & statistics [JHBC], Regional studies [GTB]