The Wall and the Bridge
WARNING
You are viewing an older version of the Yalebooks website. Please visit out new website with more updated information and a better user experience: https://www.yalebooks.com
Fear and Opportunity in Disruption’s Wake
Glenn Hubbard
View Inside
Format: HardcoverPrice: $28.00
An informed argument for an economic policy based on bridges of preparation and adaptation rather than walls of protection and exclusion
“When technological change and globalization in recent decades brought frustration over the resulting losses to jobs and communities, there were no guardrails to get these workers back on track. As this compelling book shows, our nation is going to need bridges to help people get through the unavoidable transformations.”—Edmund Phelps, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Economics and author of Mass Flourishing
Free-market economists often have noted that there are winners and losers in a competitive capitalist world. The question of how to deal with the difficult real-life consequences faced by the losers, however, has largely been ignored. Populist politicians have tried repeatedly to address the issue by creating walls—of both the physical and economic kinds—to insulate communities and keep competition at bay. While recognizing the broad emotional appeal of walls, economist Glenn Hubbard argues that because they delay needed adaptations to the ever-changing world, walls are essentially backward-looking and ultimately destined to fail. Taking Adam Smith’s logic to Youngstown, Ohio, as a case study in economic disruption, Hubbard promotes the benefits of an open economy and creating bridges to support people in turbulent times so that they remain engaged and prepared to participate in, and reap the rewards of, a new economic landscape.
Glenn Hubbard, Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics and dean emeritus at Columbia Business School, was chairman of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers from 2001 through 2003.
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
