Illusions of Opportunity

出版者:W. W. Norton & Company; 1st ed edition

作者:John E. Schwarz

页数:237

出版时间:September 1997

价格:0

装帧:Hardcover

isbn号码:9780393045345

具体描述

From Library Journal

Schwarz (political science, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson) presents a lucid and engaging argument that the current "healthy" economy falls seriously short in providing opportunity for all citizens to achieve a decent life?the author's "moral bottom line." The book extends his previous analysis of working poverty with Thomas J. Volgy in The Forgotten Americans (LJ 9/15/92) and draws on the historic benefits of government spending he demonstrated in America's Hidden Success (Norton, 1988. rev. ed.). A significant contribution is the historical background that puts government economic involvement into the context of the political philosophy of the nation's founders. The author notes that the traditional American ethic of hard work, honesty, and persistence is sustainable only in the presence of opportunity that allows the virtuous to attain a rising, if modest, standard of living. He also persuasively criticizes current government calculations of unemployment and poverty. Highly recommended for all libraries.?Paula Dempsey, Loyola Univ., Chicago

Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Louis Uchitelle

The author, John E. Schwarz, a political scientist at the University of Arizona, sets forth what he considers a just and imperative goal. Economics in his scheme becomes a tool for achieving the goal, and a means of gauging how far short we fall. Schwarz attempts, in effect, to meld economics and moral standards....

From Kirkus Reviews

An academic's arresting appraisal of what he deems a serious lack of employment opportunity in a booming domestic economy. Drawing mainly on statistical data, Schwarz (coauthor of The Forgotten Americans, 1992, etc.) makes a persuasive case for the proposition that there's a serious shortage in the US of adequate jobs--defined as full-time, year-round positions that provide base- line compensation or better (at least $7.60 per hour in 1994 dollars). All told, he concludes, the gross deficit of jobs that pay an adequate (i.e., living) wage aggregates 15.7 million. In the author's book, this shortfall puts paid to any comforting notion that America is a land of opportunity in which the industrious can get ahead and provide their families with basic necessities (which include medical care and recreation). He goes on to note that breadwinners who can't make ends meet are neither unskilled nor uneducated; indeed, two-thirds are high-school graduates and one- third have at least some college. Arguing that an affluent society owes its working poor a helping hand, Schwarz (Political Science/Univ. of Arizona) proposes a series of government actions to offset the economy's persistent inability to generate enough good jobs and make the needy employed minimally self-sufficient. Among other initiatives, he recommends: indexing the minimum wage so it could not fall below 47 percent of the average pay of nonsupervisory personnel; expanding earned-income tax credits on a sliding scale; subsidizing private enterprises that allocate profits to creating new jobs at above-average rates; enhancing employment opportunity in the public sector; providing health-care coverage to the working poor; and establishing apprenticeship programs. The author also offers suggestions as to how these efforts might be underwritten. A timely reminder that the blessings of America's good times remain unequally distributed. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Book Description

How America ended up with a deficit of sixteen million adequate jobs, hurting nearly a quarter of American families. The "American dream" and the immigrant's vision of America as "the land of opportunity" both depend on the idea that everyone in this country who works hard can support a family and get ahead. Yet, as John Schwarz makes clear, even thirty years ago opportunity in America was drying up--to the point that, today, nearly a quarter of American families that depend on employment to sustain themselves can't find adequate work, despite tremendous economic growth. Illusions of Opportunity reveals how this happened--and how the signs have been consistently misread, manipulated, or ignored by leaders across the political spectrum. Schwarz's provocative and original new research demonstrates that, rather than global competition or suffocating governmental interference, the real culprits are too many people competing for too few good jobs, high productivity outpacing low wage increases, and pay raises disproportionately benefiting the highest earners. The belief that all citizens should be able to sustain themselves and their families and communities decently is one that Americans regardless of political affiliation still share. Schwarz shows how the loss of opportunity has led to social decay, and how--with a better understanding of the problems we face--we might make the American dream a reality again.

作者简介

About the Author

John E. Schwarz is the author of America's Hidden Success and The Forgotten Americans, both published by Norton. He is professor of political science at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

用户评价

“Illusions of Opportunity”这个名字，就像一股清流，在当下这个充满“成功学”和“内卷”论调的书市中，显得格外独特。我们每天都在被各种信息轰炸，被鼓励去抓住每一个“风口”，去成为那个“站在风口上的猪”。然而，这种无休止的追逐，是否真的带来了我们想要的幸福和满足？我常常感到疲惫，也开始反思，那些我们拼命追逐的“机会”，真的是我们内心深处所渴望的吗？还是我们被外界的声音裹挟，被一种无形的压力推着向前？这本书的标题，仿佛是在轻声提醒我们，慢下来，去审视那些我们以为是机会的东西。它是否会引导我们去质疑那些被奉为圭臬的成功法则？是否会揭示那些“机会”背后隐藏的代价？我猜想，它并非一本枯燥的理论书籍，而更像是一次深刻的自我对话，一次对“机会”定义的重新审视。我期待着它能给我带来一种卸下焦虑的力量，让我不再焦虑于“错过”什么，而是更专注于“拥有”什么，并从根本上理解，真正的机会，或许并不在于追逐，而在于创造和发现。

“Illusions of Opportunity”，这个书名，就像一颗投入平静湖面的石子，瞬间激起了我心中层层涟漪。我总觉得，在这个信息爆炸、节奏飞快的时代，我们似乎被剥夺了深入思考和审慎选择的机会。每天都有无数的新闻、新的趋势、新的“发财之道”涌入我们的视野，鼓励我们去抓住“稍纵即逝”的机遇。然而，我常常会感到一种莫名的焦虑，仿佛自己错过了什么，或者正在被一些虚幻的“机会”所误导。这本书的标题，恰恰触及了这种隐秘的担忧。我猜想，它可能不是一本教你如何“抓住”机会的书，而更像是一本帮助你“看穿”机会的书。我希望它能够深入浅出地分析，为什么我们会如此容易被所谓的“机会”所迷惑，以及这些“幻觉”是如何形成的。它会是关于理性与感性的碰撞，是关于现实与理想的权衡。我渴望在这本书中找到一种清醒的力量，让我能够在这个充满诱惑的世界里，保持内心的宁静和判断力，去识别那些真正有价值的道路，而不是被虚假的繁荣所迷惑。

“Illusions of Opportunity”，这个书名，总让我想起那些曾经的雄心壮志，那些以为只要努力就能抵达的远方。记得大学毕业那会儿，感觉全世界都在向我招手，各种实习、工作机会扑面而来，每一个都打包着光鲜亮丽的许诺。我像海绵一样吸收着，忙碌着，以为自己正在一步步攀登人生的巅峰。然而，回过头来看，有多少曾经以为是绝佳机会的跳板，最终却成了原地踏步的绊脚石？又或者，那些看起来无比艰难的选择，反而打开了意想不到的道路？这本书，就像一位睿智的长者，用一种温和却犀利的方式，提醒着我，很多时候，我们所谓的“机会”，可能只是我们内心渴望的投射，是社会期望的影子。我好奇作者是如何剖析这些“幻觉”的，是通过心理学的洞察，还是社会现象的分析，亦或是结合了人生哲理的感悟？我非常期待能够在这本书中找到共鸣，理解那些让我们心甘情愿沉溺于机会的“幻象”背后的驱动力，并学会如何在真实的世界里，找到那些真正有价值、可持续的发展路径，而不是被表面的光鲜所蒙蔽。

这本书的名字，"Illusions of Opportunity"，光是听着就让人心里泛起一种复杂的情绪。最近日子过得有些迷茫，总感觉在生活和工作中，无数扇门在我面前打开，每一个都闪烁着诱人的光芒，似乎都能通往更好的未来。可是一旦我迈出一步，想要抓住那些“机会”，却发现它们像镜花水月，触碰到的只有虚无，或者说，那扇门背后的现实，与我最初的想象大相径庭。我常常陷入一种自我怀疑，是不是自己的判断力出了问题，是不是那些所谓的“机会”本身就是个骗局。这本书的标题，就像是直戳了我的痛点，仿佛作者洞悉了我内心的挣扎。我期待它能为我揭示一些关于“机会”本质的真相，帮助我拨开眼前的迷雾，更清晰地认识那些看似美好的事物。或许，它不是一本教我如何抓住机会的书，而是一本教我如何辨别、如何不被虚假的表象所迷惑的书。我希望在阅读的过程中，能够获得一种智慧，一种更加成熟和理性的视角，去审视那些生活中不断涌现的选择，而不是盲目地追逐那些最终可能导向失望的幻影。它会是一次内心的探索，一次关于现实与欲望的深刻对话。

“Illusions of Opportunity”，仅仅是看到这个书名，我就感到一股强烈的吸引力。这不仅仅是因为我对“机会”这个概念本身充满了好奇，更是因为“幻觉”这个词，精准地描绘了我近年来在生活和职业道路上所经历的一些困惑。我常常会看到一些闪闪发光的可能性，觉得那就是我一直在寻找的“机会”，满怀憧憬地投入其中，却发现最终的结果并非如预期般美好。有时候，是期望过高，有时候，是低估了现实的复杂性，有时候，甚至怀疑自己是否一开始就站错了队伍。这本书，让我觉得它可能是在试图揭示那些隐藏在“机会”表象之下的真实面貌，帮助我们区分真正的机遇和那些虚假的承诺。我期待它能够提供一些全新的视角，让我们能够更清晰地辨别那些并非真正对我们有利的“机会”，从而避免不必要的浪费和失望。也许，这本书会是一面镜子，让我们看到自己在追逐机会过程中的盲点和误区，并引导我们找到更适合自己的方向，而不是一味地随波逐流。