Discusses the causes of inequality, including unjust and irresponsible economic policies and misguided priorities, and offers suggestions to help the United States become a more fair and equitable society. --Publisher's description.

Prelude: Showing cracks. The economic consequences of Mr. Bush ; Capitalist fools ; The anatomy of a murder: who killed America's economy? ; How to get out of the financial crisis -- Part I: Big think. Of the 1 percent, by the 1 percent, for the 1 percent ; The 1 percent's problem ; Slow growth and inequality are political choices, we can choose otherwise. ; Inequality goes global ; Inequality is a choice ; Democracy in the 21st century ; Phony capitalism -- Part II: Personal reflections. How Dr. King shaped my work in economics ; The myth of America's golden age -- Part III: Dimensions of inequality. Equal opportunity, our national myth ; Student debt and the crushing of the American Dream ; Justice for some ; The one housing solution left: mass mortgage refinancing ; Inequality and the American child ; Ebola and inequality -- Part IV: Causes of America's growing inequality. America's socialism for the rich ; A tax system stacked against the 99 percent ; Globalization isn't just about profits, it's about taxes too ; Fallacies of Romney's logic -- Part V: Consequences of inequality. The wrong lesson from Detroit's bankruptcy ; In no one we trust -- Part VI: Policy. How policy has contributed to the great economic divide ; Why Janet Yellen, not Larry Summers, should lead the Fed ; The insanity of our food policy ; On the wrong side of globalization ; The free-trade charade ; How intellectual property reinforces inequality ; India's patently wise decision ; Eliminating extreme inequality: a sustainable development goal, 2015-2030 ; The postcrisis crises ; Inequality is not inevitable -- Part VII: Regional perspectives. The Mauritius miracle ; Singapore's lessons for an unequal America ; Japan should be alert ; Japan is a model, not a cautionary tale ; China's roadmap ; Reforming China's state-market balance ; Medellín: a light unto cities ; American delusions down under ; Scottish independence ; Spain's depression -- Part VIII: Putting America back to work. How to put America back to work ; Inequality is holding back the recovery ; The book of jobs ; Scarcity in an age of plenty ; Turn left for growth ; The innovation enigma -- Q&A: Joseph Stiglitz on the fallacy that the top 1 percent drives innovation, and why the Reagan Administration was America's inequality turning point.