I've known for months that this book was in the publisher's hands, and it's finally out: Income and Wealth, by Alan Reynolds.
Income distribution is the topic that invariably comes up in tandem with "economic growth"—but I've been holding off commenting much about the distribution question until I could get my hands on this book.
Alan Reynolds is one of my favorite authors, because he deals in facts and logic, not political agendas (visible or hidden). Especially when the topic is economics, that's like finding a diamond in the rough. I'm almost halfway through the book, and it's every bit as good as I'd hoped and expected. I'll write a summary after I finish, but I wanted to get this recommendation up now, in case you're running short on reading material. In my opinion, it is worth every dollar.
If you're expecting confirmation of the gloomy conclusions typically derived from statistics about income distribution, you are in for a big surprise. In any case, I couldn't resist pulling the following quote out of his Introduction, because it summarizes what I like best about Alan Reynolds:
I accept nothing as an article of faith. I want to hear the logic and see the evidence. And you should demand nothing less. In the absence of logic and evidence you should not give a hoot about my opinion. Reality is not a matter of opinion.
More later, after I've finished reading it.
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[Full disclosure: 1: He lists my blog in the appendix. 2: If you and one other person each buy the book by clicking through the link above, I will make enough money from Amazon to go to Starbucks and buy a medium regular coffee if Republicans retain a majority, or a small coffee plus a donation to my personal tax-hike-abatement fund if Democrats achieve a majority.]
