Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age

This book, now in its revised, updated, and expanded second edition, examines the widening gap between the rich and the poor in America.

Larry Bartels uses extensive data to demonstrate how economic inequality is exacerbated by partisan politics and the political power of the wealthy.

The book includes new chapters on the political economy of the Obama era, analyzing the impact of the Great Recession, the 2008 election, and the partisan gridlock of Obama’s second term.

It also delves into tax policy, partisan differences in economic performance, the struggle to raise the minimum wage, and inequalities in congressional representation.

Bartels challenges common assumptions about why many voters seem to vote against their own economic interests and highlights the barriers to change posed by partisan ideologies and the interests of the wealthy.