The Expendables
2020
by Jeff Rubin
The Expendables: How the Middle Class Got Screwed By Globalization offers a provocative and far-reaching analysis of the economic forces that have marginalized the middle class in the developed world. Jeff Rubin, former CIBC World Markets Chief Economist, presents a compelling case that the decline of the middle class was not only predictable but is a direct consequence of policy choices that favored globalization.
Through a detailed exploration of trends such as stagnant wages in North America since the 1970s, the collapse of union membership, and the shift away from full-time employment, Rubin illustrates the retreat of the middle class. He highlights how agreements like NAFTA and global economic policies such as deregulation and tax legislation that favor the wealthy have contributed to this erosion.
Rubin's argument is not only economic but also touches on the political backlash seen in events like Brexit, the rise of Donald Trump, and the growth of populism in Europe. He suggests that resolving these issues will require rethinking the fundamental ideas about capital and labor that have shaped the current system.
The Expendables is a critical examination of the developed world's economic landscape, offering insights that are both humane and rigorous, and calling for a more equitable future.
Caste
2020
by Isabel Wilkerson
Beautifully written, original, and revealing, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is an eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences peopleâs lives and behavior and the nationâs fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about peopleâincluding Martin Luther King, Jr., baseballâs Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many othersâshe shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day.
She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences peopleâs lives and behavior and the nationâs fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about peopleâincluding Martin Luther King, Jr., baseballâs Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many othersâshe shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day.
She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
2030
2020
by Mauro F. Guillen
Once upon a time, the world was neatly divided into prosperous and backward economies. Babies were plentiful, workers outnumbered retirees, and people aspiring towards the middle class yearned to own homes and cars. That worldâand those rulesâare over. By 2030, a new reality will take hold, and before you know it:
There will be more grandparents than grandchildren
The middle-class in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will outnumber the US and Europe combined
The global economy will be driven by the non-Western consumer for the first time in modern history
There will be more global wealth owned by women than men
There will be more robots than workers
There will be more computers than human brains
There will be more currencies than countries
According to Mauro F. Guillen, the only way to truly understand the global transformations underwayâand their impactsâis to think laterally. That is, using peripheral vision, or approaching problems creatively and from unorthodox points of view. Rather than focusing on a single trendâclimate-change or the rise of illiberal regimes, for exampleâGuillen encourages us to consider the dynamic inter-play between a range of forces that will converge on a single tipping pointâ2030âthat will be, for better or worse, the point of no return.