The Competition Solution: The Bipartisan Secret Behind American Prosperity

by Paul A. London

This book examines America's economy over the past several decades and the sources of our recent success and comes to surprising conclusions about what we can learn from it.

227 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2005

Reviews

[Paul Szydlowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent a day with the author, Paul London, at the kickoff event for No Labels at Columbia University in 2010. A Harvard economics PhD, former member of Hillary Clinton's healthcare task force and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), we began talking during a morning break, then spent the rest of the day discussing health care, deficits, the financial collapse, TARP and the slow decline of the AEI (he said it once was fun when it was truly a think tank, but outside money was ruining it). My favorite moment was when he asked my background and I told him I was a dry cleaner. He was dumbfounded. I liked that.

This book - remember, it was written by a former Clinton aide - argues that competition, not tax or monetary policy, was responsibile for the growth in the 1980s and 1990s. The eye-opener, confirmed by personal research, is that much of that competition was made possible by deregulation during the Carter years, including oil, transportation and communication (remember Ma Bell?). An early entrant in the education of yours truly that made me stop seeking to view everything through partisan lenses.

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased cause he's my father but this is a very clearly written book. A narrative on economics in the US.