Description
Book SynopsisExplores the very meaning of happiness and prosperity in America. This title explains how increased concentrations of income and wealth at the top of the economic pyramid have set off expenditure cascades that raise the cost of achieving many basic goals for the middle class.
Trade Review"A compact example of a professional economist brilliantly deploying the tools of social science to illuminate the human condition.” * New York Times *
"This is an excellent book, written in an easy, understandable manner, alive with important examples of how our society spends its money and who are the winners and losers." * Booklist *
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Falling Behind is a short book in pages, but not in insight or wisdom. If you have not read a previous Frank book, now is the time.” * BeyondChron *
Table of ContentsPreface to the 2013 Edition Preface to the 2007 Edition 1. Introduction 2. Recent Changes in Income and Wealth Inequality 3. Inequality, Happiness, and Health 4. Envy or Context? 5. The Rising Cost of Adequate 6. Why Do We Care about Rank? 7. What Types of Consumption Are Most Sensitive to Context? 8. How Can Middle-Class Families Afford to Keep Up? 9. Smart for One, Dumb for All 10. Looking Ahead 11. Lessons for Public Policy 12. Reflections Notes References Index
