Privileges of Wealth

Robert B. Williams is Professor of Economics at Guilford College, USA.

• 1 Cracks in the American Dream 2 A primer on household wealth 3 Pathways to wealth accumulation 4 Recognizing our past 5 Evidence of wealth privilege 6 Three views of the American Dream 7 Resilience and wealth privilege 8 The spiral of privilege and policy 9 The White plutocracy system

'Robert Williams’ new book, The Privileges of Wealth: Rising Inequality and the Growing Racial Divide, is an effective, comprehensive, and empirically grounded exposition of the theory of wealth privilege.' - American Review of Political Economy'The Privileges of Wealth is the single most comprehensive examination of wealth inequality, chocked full of data gems, astute analysis, well-written, and accessible to all who struggle with Gini Coefficients. Robert B Williams’s book makes impressive sense because of its clarity, command of the facts, and, most of all, concern for social justice. All readers, whatever their political views, will find their thinking about wealth inequality challenged due to its breadth and scope and the data explored. After reading this book, it is near-impossible to continue denying the toxic consequences of historic income and wealth inequality. The data on group-based wealth disparities cannot be ignored and profoundly challenges the American Dream and meritocratic sensibilities.' — Thomas M Shapiro, Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy, Director, Institute on Assets and Social Policy, The Heller School for Social Policy, Brandeis University, USA‘This book ties together an examination of historical and contemporary policy, insights from economic theory, and detailed quantitative evidence to describe the key forces shaping wealth distribution in the US. It provides an accessible presentation of these issues that will be of wide interest.’ – Thomas N. Maloney, Department of Economics, University of Utah, USA"Robert Williams’ new book, The Privileges of Wealth: Rising Inequality and the Growing Racial Divide, is an effective, comprehensive, and empirically grounded exposition of the theory of wealth privilege." - Michael J. Murray, Bemidji State University