The Shrinking American Middle Class : The Social and Cultural Implications of Growing Inequality

Highlights concerns about the impact of a falling standard of living in America as 40 million 'tradable jobs' are digitized and outsourced off shore. The United States lost one third of its factory jobs in the past decade as jobs were outsourced offshore, mostly to Asia. Jobs that require a college degree are next to go. China will award six times as many degrees this year as they did ten years ago and any job that can be digitized will be 'tradable'. Estimates of the number of vulnerable jobs range from a low 11 million to a staggering 56 million 'middle class' jobs. The median United States household income has already dropped by seven percent since 2000 and without dramatic changes in the American workforce that trend will become a disaster for middle class Americans

The United States lost one third of its factory jobs in the past decade as jobs were outsourced offshore, mostly to Asia. Jobs that require college are next to go. China will award six times as many degrees this year as they did ten years ago and any job that can be digitized will be "tradable." Estimates of the number of vulnerable jobs range from a low 11 million to a staggering 56 million "middle class" jobs. The median American household income has already dropped by seven percent since 2000 and without dramatic changes in the United States workforce that trend will become a disaster for middle class Americans.

Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-9 Income Distribution and Social Justice....Pages 11-23 The Dangers of Growing Inequality....Pages 25-38 How Did This Happen?....Pages 39-51 Problems with Outsourcing Offshore....Pages 53-65 The Chinese Juggernaut....Pages 67-83 Problems Facing China’s Growth....Pages 85-97 India....Pages 99-113 The Suggested Solutions?....Pages 115-129 Inequality in a Globalized Economy....Pages 131-139 Slowing Down the Shrinkage....Pages 141-154 Political Reform and Progressive Taxation Can Reduce Inequality....Pages 155-169 Back Matter....Pages 171-200 This book examines concerns about the impact of a falling standard of living in America as 40 million 'tradable jobs' are digitized and sent to offshore outsourcing. Dramatic changes are necessary to make the American workforce more attractive to global employers and Davey offers some very insightful and innovative strategies for bringing about those changes and possibly saving many of the middle class jobs that are otherwise heading offshore Income distribution and social justice The dangers of growing inequality How did this happen? Problems with outsourcing offshore The Chinese juggernaut: how did they get where they are? Problems facing China India: English speakers and a demographic dividend The suggested solutions? The myth of educational reform Inequality in a globalized economy Slowing down the shrinkage Political reform and progressive taxation can reduce inequality.