Saving Horatio Alger: Equality, Opportunity, and the American Dream

by Richard V. Reeves

Americans celebrate the Horatio Alger ideal, that all individuals can succeed by their own efforts in a level playing field, yet social mobility rates in America are now lower than those in Europe, risking America becoming an ossified, class-based society. Richard Reeves argues in this Brookings Essay that Alger is on the ropes, that the ideal of American egalitarianism is threatened by a variety of forces related to income, wealth, family structure and education. And yet the answers do not lie in the European model. Instead, Reeves argues, reviving the promise of the American Dream requires a quintessentially American solution, saving Horatio Alger.

THE BROOKINGS ESSAY: In the spirit of its commitment to high-quality, independent research, the Brookings Institution has commissioned works on major topics of public policy by distinguished authors, including Brookings scholars. The Brookings Essay is a multi-platform product aimed to engage readers in open dialogue and debate. The views expressed, however, are solely those of the author. Available in ebook only.

Genres: Politics

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2014

Reviews

[Kevin Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this essay after reading over two dozen books and dozens and dozens of online articles on the topics it covers. I might have saved myself a lot of work if I had found this first! But then I probably wouldn't have understood it so well. This is probably a great primer for anyone who wants to learn more about what's going on in our economic world these days.