Rebooting Capitalism: How We Can Forge a Society That Works for Everyone

by Anthony Biglan

Since the mid-twentieth century, free-market ideology has undermined the economic well-being and social fabric of American life. An unprecedented, extremely effective and largely invisible effort by a small network of billionaires and corporate capitalists has mesmerized Americans with the narrative that the selfish pursuit of personal wealth will benefit everyone. As a result, our public policies have increased poverty, devastated the environment, hollowed out the middle class, and inflamed divisions throughout our society. In REBOOTING CAPITALISM Anthony Biglan presents an evolutionary analysis of capitalism and draws on his deep understanding of human behavior to present a forceful, inspiring, and actionable plan to reshape our economic system to ensure that all members of society thrive. Building on his last book, The Nurture Effect, he presents a comprehensive, evidence-based approach for addressing our most urgent problems and evolving a society that works for all.

300 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2020

About the author

Anthony Biglan, Ph.D. is a Senior Scientist at Oregon Research Institute and the Co-Director of the Promise Neighborhood Research Consortium. He has been conducting research on the development and prevention of child and adolescent problem behavior for the past 30 years. His work has included studies of the risk and protective factors associated with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; high-risk sexual behavior; and antisocial behavior. He has conducted numerous experimental evaluations of interventions to prevent tobacco use both through school-based programs and community-wide interventions. And, he has evaluated interventions to prevent high-risk sexual behavior, antisocial behavior, and reading failure.

In recent years, his work has shifted to more comprehensive interventions that have the potential to prevent the entire range of child and adolescent problems. He and colleagues at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences published a book summarizing the epidemiology, cost, etiology, prevention, and treatment of youth with multiple problems (Biglan et al., 2004). He is a former president of the Society for Prevention Research. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention, which recently released its report documenting numerous evidence-based preventive interventions that can prevent multiple problems. As a member of Oregon’s Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, he has helped to develop a strategic plan for implementing comprehensive evidence-based interventions throughout Oregon.

Reviews

[Justin Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who needs reaffirmation of how broken our country is. Biglan dissected different components of our society and explained concisely where the problem lies and how to fix them. His academic background relates to behavior analysis, which is why I was encouraged to read this book for my conceptual behavior analysis course. It thoroughly reflects a behavior analytic view of the world, and proposes change that's based on, to some extent, the principles of human behavior.

One drawback I felt constantly while reading is the prolonged emphasis on our systems flaws, and the lack of focus on the precise change that's needed. I understand that the problem is complex, change is slow, and behavioral sciences don't have the answers to some of the problems yet. However, the tone of the book leans towards overly idealistic in my opinion, and I recommend readers to be more pragmatic when taking in these messages.

[Hugh Simonich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read from a man who has been around and knows his stuff. Biglan not only lays out the history and significance of wordly problems, but discusses solutions. He's the creator of ValuestoAction.org and a large part of the prosocial movement in behavioral science.