Rational Exuberance: The Influence of Generation X on the New American Economy

by Meredith Bagby

A lot of the arguments passionately advanced by Meredith Bagby in Rational The Influence of Generation X on the New American Economy , will infuriate (or at least baffle) those not born between the years 1965 and 1976. But that's beside the point. Bagby herself is a proud member of this maturing generation, and as an economist--as well as a regular on CNN's Financial News Network--she's developed strong opinions on the fiscal future of a population that reportedly believes more strongly in the current existence of UFOs than the long-term existence of Social Security. With the help of cutting-edge compatriots like pollster Kellyanne Fitzpatrick, presidential-speech writer Jeff Shesol, Wall Street Journal reporter Steve Frank, Cybergrrl marketing maven Aliza Sherman, and a host of other successful twentysomethings, Bagby looks into the political, social, educational, and occupational leanings of her peers with an eye toward the economic impacts that they're likely to have in coming years. Her insights into Gen-X thinking on employment and entrepreneurship, ads and the media that carry them, and consumer staples such as homes, cars, clothes, food, and drink, should prove intriguing whether you're on the inside or the outside of this up-and-coming generation. --Howard Rothman

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Meredith Bagby is the author of The New Guys: The Astronauts That Changed the Face of Space Travel. She is a partner at Big Swing Productions, a film and TV production company. Bagby's previous books include We’ve Got Issues, Rational Exuberance, and The Annual Report of the United States of America. Bagby was a senior film development executive at DreamWorks SKG, a reporter and producer for CNN, and a teaching fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Her education includes Columbia Law School and Harvard College.