First published 1989
Alan Blinder arrives in Washington as a Princeton economist thrust into the messy world of policy making. He faces off against supply-side theorists who promise tax cuts will pay for themselves while Keynesian colleagues warn of mounting deficits. Cabinet meetings turn into intellectual battlegrounds where academic theories collide with political reality. Blinder must choose between pure economic logic and pragmatic compromise as recession threatens and unemployment climbs. His relationships with fellow advisors fracture under pressure from lobbyists, senators, and a president demanding simple answers to complex problems. The young economist discovers that good policy and good politics rarely align, forcing him to question whether academic brilliance can survive the Washington machine.
Genres: political-science, politics, economics, non-fiction, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: Washington
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
199 pages · Hardcover · Harvester Wheatsheaf