The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream

Facebook matches us to just about everything else.Of course, this “matching culture” brings tremendous positives: music we like, partners who make us happy, neighbors who want the same things. But, according to Cowen, there are significant collateral downsides attending this comfort, among them heightened inequality and segregation and decreased incentives to innovate and create.The Complacent Class argues that this cannot go on forever. Our willingness to move, take risks, and adapt to change have produced a dynamic economy and a tradition of innovation from Ben Franklin to Steve Jobs.The problem, according to legendary blogger, economist and best selling author Tyler Cowen, is that Americans today have broken from this traditionwe’re working harder than ever to avoid change. We’re more comfortable. I am at round-the-clock Cowen saturation right now."--Malcolm Gladwell Since Alexis de Tocqueville, restlessness has been accepted as a signature American trait. The only way to avoid this difficu

. Harris chair in economics at George Mason University. TYLER COWEN (Ph.D.) holds the Holbert L. He has written regularly for The New York Times and contributes to a wide number of newspapers and periodicals. He is the author of a number of explanatory and text books, including The Complacent Class, as well as writing the mos

Lacking in focus America has become complacent, says Tyler Cowan. We don't move as much as we used to, we're not as upwardly mobile as we used to be, and we're pretty much okay with that. Except when we're not. Only 50% of 18 year old Millenials have a drivers' license, down from 83% a few decades ago. A frighteningly large percentage of young African American men are in prison. Cowen's narrative jumps around like this. We're comfortable in our complacency. There's a big resurgence of violent protest. There's a massive amount of uncounted productivity in the Int. "Three Stars" according to robert h ross. All over the place not focused enough. but raised some interesting ideas.. A. T. Yoshida said A Lot of Interesting Thoughts. Cowen's work here is engaging and interesting. The challenge is that there are a lot of questions raised here that don't have good answers or, in many cases, answers at all. For example, the social and economic effects of sorting - in all sorts of areas of life - present a clear challenge to many democratic ideals, but it isn't at all clear that there is much to do except buckle in and enjoy the ride.

No one but Cowen would ask, 'Why Americans stopped rioting and instead legalized marijuana.' He admires risk-taking, and he likes restlessness, and he thinks the United States needs lots more of both. Sunstein, Harvard University, and author of #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media"A book that will undoubtedly stir discussion"--KirkusPraise for The Great Stagnation 9780525952718 6/9/11 "Cowen’s book… will have a profound impact on the way people think about the last thirty years."Ryan Avent, Economist"Tyler Cowen may very well turn out to be this decade's Thomas Friedman."--Kelly Evans, The Wall Street Journal. And his brilliant new book, The Complacent Class