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

This is an interesting (and short) book about economic and social stagnation in the US -- making the case that it in fact exists, and some plausible reasons for why (supported with evidence), and then general depressing consequences of that. Then, a final chapter of why this can't continue and why something worse is likely.

I actually think something entirely different is much more plausible (something approaching speciation; a remnant of humanity remaining ossified and eventually dying miserably, while something new reaches escape velocity), but the "mass destruction and end of the world" seems like a plausible alternative. Cowen's "soft" return to dynamism seems very implausible, however -- things can continue on the current path for show more many more decades, but the change will come from fracture or destruction. show less

Overall it was good and I did learn a few things. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

Tyler Cowen describes why he thinks America is slowing down and that current elites (and non-elites) are digging themselves in to resist change. He cites a lot of factors, from the general prosperity of America to assertive mating and NIMBYism as both contributing to and being exacerbated by this trend.

American public schools, and most of the private ones I have looked into, are terrible at history. They might be particularly bad at relatively recent history. I was born in 1978 and had no idea how violent the decade of my birth had been. ROTC buildings were burned and blown up, there were thousands of domestic bombings, armed resistance groups were all show more over the map. None of my history teachers ever mentioned any of that. They generally veered in the opposite direction and characterized anti-war protests as gentle love-ins. Civil rights marches were described as triumphs of non-violence, and the race riots of the 60s and 70s went unmentioned.

I'll reveal my own ignorance, but in his discussion of "why we don't riot anymore," he brings up neo-Nazis in Skokie and Chicago, IL in the late 70s. It blew my mind a little. I had always wondered why the Blues Brothers were running from Nazis and had assumed they just made good villains; but no, there really were Nazis in Chicago at the time.

I think it’s a very interesting book and I think Tyler Cowen is a really smart guy. I am not sure I have thought about the problems he discusses enough to agree with him. His basic thesis is that America is becoming more cautious and less dynamic than it has been in the past.

He blames much of this problem on America's success and that part I am fairly certain I agree with. It is hard to grow fast when the country is already among the wealthiest in the world. I remember another economist saying that growth comes from moving workers (citizens) from lower to higher value activities. A lot of that has been done in America and is continuing to be done. A second success related driver he cites is that we may be too comfortable and satisfied to strive for more. This could be true, but America still has many people living in poverty. If the complacent class is developing in other countries, and he offers few reasons why that wouldn't be the case, it seems that the reduction in dynamism he discusses is a global phenomenon.

He spends a lot of time discussing the general decline in American mobility. Americans are much less likely to move than they were in previous generations and are also less likely to move up or down the income distribution. I know a lot about the former and have been moving for work reasons all my adult life. I don't doubt his data and my own experience agrees that Americans don't move around much. I really don't understand why. For many Americans a move would significantly increase their income without requiring additional training.

Pointing out problems is interesting, solving them is more interesting. I think this is where the book is weak. Cowen proposes some imaginary futures where the trends he describes end or reverse themselves, but he doesn't explain how the US would get there. It's a minor flaw. show less

I won this in a GOODREADS giveaway. Ok, maybe I am being a bit cruel but my first thought was, "Someone got their freshman essay published!" Interesting perspective; well conveyed. One good thing: this title will look great on any office shelf.