The United States since 1980 (The World Since 1980)

Good compact survey of economic and political trends since 1980. Baker correctly (I believe) sees that date with the election of the arch-conservative Ronald Reagan as a watershed year. The narrative follows chronologically from the 1980 threshold and its background in the feckless Carter administration. Graphs and tables are included to buttress his points but do not disrupt the flow. It's not a polemical or particularly partisan work, though a critical undercurrent is sensed from time to time. Social issues such as gay rights, abortion, and other leading movements including the rise of religious fundamentalism are also discussed but not emphasized. There's not a lot of depth, though he's clearly most comfortable discussing causal factors shaping economic policy. Thus considerable light is shed on economic policy, particularly during the Reagan years. Put in perspective, the rightward swing over the past 25 years is unmistakable, as business backers see an opportunity to jettison or fatally weaken decades of fettering regulation. Now is a good time-- with the Bush debacle-- to get a handle on what this swing has wrought. Baker's handy little tome is a good place to start. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 Tables......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 15 1 Turning Away: The United States Breaks Ranks......Page 17 Changing the Ground Rules and Tilting the Field......Page 19 The United States and the Other Rich Countries: 1980 and 2005......Page 21 Trends in Wage Inequality......Page 22 Unionization Rates......Page 24 Noneconomic Measures of Well-Being......Page 26 Productivity, Employment, and Output......Page 35 Labor, Leisure, and the Environment......Page 42 The United States Goes Its Own Way......Page 44 Freeing Some Trade, Protecting Some Workers......Page 45 Immigration and the Supply of Labor......Page 49 Labor-Management Policies......Page 51 Federal Reserve Board Policy......Page 53 Industry Deregulation and the Minimum Wage......Page 55 Tax and Transfer Policy......Page 57 The End of the Postwar Golden Age......Page 60 The United States and the World in the Post-Vietnam Era......Page 64 The Economic Crisis of 1979–1980......Page 72 3 The Reagan Revolution: Running to the Right......Page 76 The 1980 Election......Page 77 The General Election......Page 80 The Reagan Economic Agenda in Action......Page 81 Reagan and the Unions......Page 84 The Federal Reserve Board and Inflation......Page 87 Social Welfare Protections......Page 89 Reagan and Social Policy......Page 91 Environmental Policies in the Reagan Years......Page 96 Reagan and the World......Page 97 The United States and Central America......Page 100 The Middle East......Page 103 Terrorism and Grenada......Page 106 Politics in the Reagan Era......Page 108 Tax and Spending Policy in the Later Reagan Years......Page 113 4 The Reagan Revolution Becomes Institutionalized......Page 116 U.S.-Soviet Relations in the Late Reagan Years......Page 120 The 1988 Presidential Campaign......Page 122 The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe......Page 125 The Winding Down of Conflicts in Central America......Page 127 The First Iraq War......Page 130 The Collapse of the Soviet Union......Page 135 Trouble at Home......Page 137 The Battle over the Supreme Court......Page 139 The Rodney King Incident......Page 141 The 1992 Election......Page 143 The Early Clinton Years......Page 145 The Battle over NAFTA......Page 147 Striking Out on Health Care......Page 149 5 The Republican Tidal Wave and the Clinton Boom......Page 152 Clinton and the Republican Congress: Triangulation......Page 154 The 1996 Election......Page 158 The Clinton Boom Takes Off......Page 159 Politics in the Second Clinton Administration......Page 166 The Impeachment Scandal......Page 168 Foreign Policy in the Clinton Years......Page 170 The War over Kosovo......Page 175 The 2000 Election......Page 178 The Long Florida Count......Page 180 6 The Bush Administration and the War on Terrorism......Page 184 The September 11 Attack......Page 187 The Buildup......Page 193 The War......Page 196 The Economy in the Bush Years......Page 199 The Buildup to the 2004 Election......Page 204 The Drive to Privatize Social Security......Page 208 The Rest of the Second-Term Agenda......Page 210 Demographics......Page 218 The Status of Women......Page 223 The Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities......Page 229 The Status of Gay-Lesbian Rights......Page 234 Trends in Religious Practices......Page 237 The Media in the Internet Age......Page 239 Major Trends in Health......Page 243 America and the World......Page 245 Epilogue: Different Directions, Missed Opportunities......Page 253 Bibliography......Page 261 Index......Page 272 This Book Describes The Sharp Right Turn The United States Has Taken Following The Election Of Ronald Reagan As President In 1980. It Details How The Policies Pursued By The Reagan Administration Were A Break From The Policies Pursued By Prior Administrations And The Policies Pursued In Other Wealthy Countries. The Reagan Administration Policies Had The Effect Of Redistributing Both Before- And After-tax Income Upward, Creating A Situation In Which The Bulk Of The Economic Gains Over The Last Quarter Century Were Directed To A Small Segment Of The Population. The Analysis Explains How Both Political Parties Have Come Largely To Accept The Main Tenets Of Reaganism, Putting The United States On A Path That Is At Odds With Most Of The Rest Of The World And Furthermore Is Not Sustainable. The Book Also Describes The Major Developments In U.s. Foreign Policy, Politics, And Society Over The Last Quarter Century.--book Jacket. Turning Away : The United States Breaks Ranks -- Setting The Scene : The United States In 1980 -- The Reagan Revolution : Running To The Right -- The Reagan Revolution Becomes Institutionalized -- The Republican Tidal Wave And The Clinton Boom -- The Bush Administration And The War On Terrorism -- The United States In 2005 : The Impact Of The Last Quarter Century. Dean Baker. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 245-255) And Index. This book, first published in 2007, describes the sharp right turn the United States has taken following the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. The treatment details how the policies pursued by the Reagan administration were a break from both the policies pursued by prior administrations and those pursued in other wealthy countries. The Reagan administration policies had the effect of redistributing both before- and after-tax income upward, creating a situation in which the bulk of the economic gains over the last quarter century were directed to a small segment of the population. The analysis explains how both political parties have come largely to accept the main tenets of Reaganism, putting the United States on a path that is at odds with most of the rest of the world and is not sustainable. This provocative book describes the sharp right turn the United States has taken following the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980. The treatment details how the policies pursued by the Reagan administration were a break from both the policies pursued by prior administrations and those pursued in other wealthy countries. The Reagan administration policies had the effect of redistributing both before- and after-tax income upward, creating a situation in which the bulk of the economic gains over the last quarter century were directed to a small segment of the population. The analysis explains how both political parties have come largely to accept the main tenets of Reaganism, putting the United States on a path that is at odds with most of the rest of the world and is not sustainable.