Contours of Descent

A major new book by the eminent US economist Robert Pollin ... does an excellent job of demystifying the true nature of boom and bust in the US and clearly identifying the effects on different sectors of US society as well as on the rest of the world. In addition to this critical assessment, Pollin goes beyond analysis in seriously putting forward alternative economic policies. What is even more important is that he manages to do this in a lucid and highly readable style, which makes the book very approachable for the non-economist. -- Jayati Ghosh * Frontline *
I strongly urge you to read Robert Pollin's Contours of Descent. -- Alexander Cockburn * The Nation *
This is a book sophisticated enough to be of interest to those with economics training, but written in a comprehensible and popular style, so that without sacrificing rigor it will be accessible to any interested reader. -- Edward S. Herman * Monthly Review *
Pollin is a people's economist who presents complex economic issues in a comprehensible form and helps the reader sift through the class biases of conventional economics. -- Jerry Kloby * Shelterforce *
Robert Pollin has succeeded admirably in debunking the celebratory tone that seemed to have infected most journalists and too many economists during the late 1990s. -- Michael Meeropol * Challenge *
Contours of Descent is lucid economics as if reality matters. Cutting through the myths, hype and diversionary corporate-side indicators, Professor Pollin lays out an agenda to turn around the economy that is increasingly disconnecting from millions of workers and their well-being. A laser-beam exposure of globalization as defined by the World Bank, the IMF, Alan Greenspan and the corporate supremacists. -- Ralph Nader
Robert Pollin's readable and sharply argued book is an excellent guide to the reality of recent US economic policy and its global implications. -- Andrew Glyn, Oxford University
Pollin writes with great clarity and a total lack of dogmatism ... Above all, Pollin is committed and he does not pull his policy punches. -- John King * Journal of Australian Political Economy *
This insightful book dissects the consequences of the neoliberal revolution of the 1990s, and offers valuable lessons for the neophyte and professional economist alike. -- Professor Dani Rodrik, Harvard University
Professor Pollin is one of the leading heterodox economists in the US. His rigorous and insightful analysis convincingly demonstrates that Clinton and Bush as well as the IMF have each followed fundamentally similar neoliberal economic policies to the detriment of people in the US and the developing world. Importantly, the book also outlines an alternative policy program for building a prosperous US and world economy. It is a 'must read' for those who wish to understand recent developments in the US and the world economy. -- Professor Ajiit Singh, Cambridge University
Contours of Descent does a great job in making current U.S. and global economic issues accessible to the average reader. Pollin presents a clear discussion of what he terms 'the Marx Problem,' 'the Keynes Problem,' and 'the Polanyi Problem,' as they apply both in the U.S. under Clinton and Bush, and in the developing countries. Most importantly, the book ends by demonstrating that 'another path is possible'-sketching a workable egalitarian policy agenda in both the U.S. and developing country context, focused on full employment, defending workers rights, and regulating financial markets. -- Professor Lourdes Beneria, Cornell University