The Unfair Trade, Michael J. Casey
The Unfair Trade, Michael J. Casey
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The Unfair Trade
How Our Broken Global Financial System Destroys the Middle Class

Author: Michael J. Casey

Narrator: Lloyd James

Unabridged: 14 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/29/2012


Synopsis

A wake-up call for middle class Americans who feel trapped in a post-crisis economic slump, The Unfair Trade is a riveting exposé of the vast global financial system whose flaws are the source of our economic malaise. Our livelihoods are now, more than ever, beholden to the workings of its imbalances and inequities.
 
The trillions of dollars that make up the flow of international finance—money that is often steered away from the people who deserve it the most—have not just undermined the lives of working and middle class Americans. It is a world-wide phenomenon that is changing the culture of Argentina; destroying the factory system in Northern Mexico, enabling drug cartels to recruit thousands of young men into their gangs; that has taken down the economies of Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Greece, and possibly Italy; and is driving American companies such as a 60-year-old family owned manufacturer of printed circuit boards to shutter all but one of its factories.
 
Veteran journalist Michael J. Casey has traveled the world—from China to Iceland, Spain to Argentina, Indonesia to Australia—recounting extraordinary stories about ordinary people from one continent to another whose lives are inextricably linked.  By tracing the flow of money and goods across the world, he illustrates how an American homeowner's life is shaped by the same economic and social policies that determine those of a low wage migrant worker on an assembly line in China. This combination of financial acumen, narrative-driven reporting, and compelling story-telling gives The Unfair Trade a unique human angle.
 
Casey shows that our economic problems are largely caused by political agendas that prevent the free market from encouraging fair competition and impeding the allocation of resources. Until governments work together to make this global system more efficient—until China removes incentives for its citizens to save excessively, for example, or the U.S. ends the de facto subsidies enjoyed by politically powerful banks—the global playing field will remain lopsided, job creation will lag, and our economies will be vulnerable to new crises.

About Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Casey is a managing editor and columnist covering global financial markets at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. He is a regular commentator on the Wall Street Journal's News Hub and a frequent guest on Fox Business. Previously, he was the Dow Jones bureau chief and principal correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Argentina. Michael is the author of Che's Afterlife: The Legacy of an Image. Michael lives in Pelham, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ray on March 28, 2013

Books dealing with economic issues always challenge me. To me, they tend to be dry, academic, mundane. Yet economic issues affect us all, so having an understanding of the issues is important. So I continue to try reading various books on the economy in an attempt to better understand today's econom......more

Goodreads review by Michael on December 16, 2012

Michael J. Casey does something few economists have endeavored to do by going beyond America to capture the truly global nature of the economy. Moving beyond America's shores, Casey travels to such diverse locales as Juarez Mexico, Iceland, the mines of Southern Australia and Peru, and the cattle ran......more

Goodreads review by Helen on February 05, 2025

Reading this put together the bits and pieces of headlines I've read over the years--manufacturing leaving the US and settling in Asia, the 2008 real estate crash, the rise in inequality of incomes, the falling behind of the regular American worker, the disappearing middle class--for which I was ver......more

Goodreads review by Helen H Cho on February 05, 2025

Reading this put together the bits and pieces of headlines I've read over the years--manufacturing leaving the US and settling in Asia, the 2008 real estate crash, the rise in inequality of incomes, the falling behind of the regular American worker, the disappearing middle class--for which I was ver......more

Goodreads review by Chris on June 25, 2020

I listened to the audio book and it's spot on and accurate. If you want to truly understand how and why we experienced the 2008 economic class and why our politicians have done nothing about it then please read this book. Globalism isn't the solution to America's economic problems. Look at Europe and......more