The Zero-Sum Solution: Building a World-Class American Economy

407 Pages·1985·13.456 MB·English

by  Lester C. Thurow

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(continued on back flap)

ALSO BY LESTER C. THUROW
Poverty and Discrimination
Investment in Human Capital
The Impact of Taxes on the A1nerican Economy
The Economic Problem (with Robert L. Heilbroner)
Generating Inequality: The Distributional Mechanisms of the Economy
The Zero-Sum Society: Distribution and the Possibilities for Economic
Change
Five Economic Challenges (with Robert L. Heilbroner)
Economics Explained (with Robert L. Heilbroner)
Dangerous Currents: The State of Economics
The Management Challenge: fapanese Views
LesCt.eT rhu row
BuialW doirnldg- Class
AmerEiccoanno my
SIMON AND SCHUSTER NEW YORK
Copyright© 1985 by Lester C. Thurow
All rights reserved
including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form
Published by Simon and Schuster
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Simon & Schuster Building
Rockefeller Center
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
SIMON AND SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Designed by Eve Kirch
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Th urow, Lester C.
The zero-sum solution.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. United States-Economic conditions-1981-
2. United States-Economic policy-1981-
1. Title.
HC106.8.T5 1985 338.973 85-14480
ISBN: 0-671-55232-5
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book benefited from 1nany conversations with my colleagues at
MIT. Various arguments were shaped on the basis of presentations to
a wide variety of groups. But perhaps most of all I should thank my
secretary, Mary Lane, for putting up with me during the process of
writing it.
OTTO ECKSTEIN
A Great Teacher, A Good Friend, A Super Human Being
PREFACE
In1 97Iw9 r oatb eo otkh waates n tiTthe lZeerod-Su m Society when
iwta psu bliisn1h 9e8dA0 tt. h cee nwtaetsrh teh etshiAasmt e rica
facaes deo tfs trucptruorbalsleu mcashss, l opwr oducgtriovwitthy,
whossoel utrieoqnutsih rsaeitdg nieficcoannoltmo iscbs ede iss trib­
utetdop olitpiocwaelirlnfytu elgr reosuItpa sr.g utehdAa mte ricans
woubledb etotfeifrnt hleo nrgui nsf o lutweirofeno su nbdut,th at
signigfircoauonpfAts m eriwcoaunblsedw orosfeif nt hseh orrutn .
Imfo rien vesitnmp elnaatnn ted q uipwmaepsna tor ftt hseo lution
tot hper oducptriovbilAtemyme ,r iwcoaunhlsad v teoc onsulmees s
top ermmiotri en vestTmheonwsthe.ow oubledf ortcoec do nsume
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impolsoesu speostn h em.
Thleo sismepso uspeodAn m eribcyea fnfsto osr otlstv heep irro b­
lemwso ubleda tl eaas,stl aarstg hebe e negfiatisfn oesrdo msei gnifi­
canpte roifot di me-htehnteci eTth el Zeer o-Sum Society. America
muspta tshsr oauz gehr o-ssoucmit eort eys teocroen opmriocs perity.
Thabto opkr ovotkwerode actMiyou nnsf.r icernidatlriygc use d
thattht eh ewsaiwssr onTgh.eA meripcraonb wlaetsmo mou ch
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Myf riecnrdilatygi rcewsei dtt hht eh ebsuittsh outghhaItht a d
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