السياسات والامتيازات .. كيف تُديم حروب المكانة عدم المساواة

In the United States, families in the bottom half of the population own only 1% of the country's wealth. Scholars and commentators have long viewed democracy as the ideal solution to economic inequality, but American electoral politics bears little resemblance to the struggle between rich and poor. What makes the huge disparities in wealth and income persist to such an extent, and why has the political process failed to address this problem? Based on data from an innovative experiment, this book offers a bold new theory explaining why American politics revolves around differences in social status, not class struggle. Analyzing a sample of nearly 2,600 participants, the authors examine whether Americans are more likely to support an organization for social change if it explicitly opposes racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and religious intolerance, or if it focuses exclusively on economic equality. Based on the findings, they argue that the desire of privileged groups to maintain their position is the main obstacle to the formation of progressive coalitions. Social hierarchies are at the core of political polarization, which hinders legislative efforts to reduce economic inequality or address pressing issues such as climate change, gun violence, and access to health care. In its nuanced and timely style, Politics and Privilege demonstrates the importance of an agenda that simultaneously addresses economic and social disparities in progressive politics today.