{"product_id":"politics-and-privilege-rory-mcveigh-9780231217217","title":"Politics and Privilege: How the Status Wars Sustain Inequality","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the United States, the bottom 50 percent of households hold only 1 percent of the nation's wealth. Scholars and commentators have long viewed democracy as the antidote to economic inequality, but US electoral politics bears little resemblance to a struggle between the haves and the have-nots. What makes extreme disparities of wealth and income so persistent, and why has the political process failed to address the problem? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBased on data from an innovative experiment, this book presents a bold new theory that shows why American politics revolves around status differences, not class conflict. Analyzing a sample of nearly 2,600 participants, the authors investigate whether Americans are more likely to support a social-change organization if it explicitly opposes racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and religious bigotry or if it focuses exclusively on economic equality. Drawing on the results, they argue that privileged groups' desire to preserve their status is the primary obstacle to forming progressive alliances. Status hierarchies are at the heart of political polarization, which stalls legislative efforts to reduce economic inequality or tackle pressing issues such as climate change, gun violence, and access to health care. Rigorous and timely, \u003ci\u003ePolitics and Privilege\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates why an agenda that simultaneously addresses economic and status inequalities is essential to progressive politics today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rory McVeigh, William Carbonaro, Chang Liu\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231217218\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231217217\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/25\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Rory McVeigh","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46962486706431,"sku":"9780231217217","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b93d5069-a7c1-45cb-bd22-a24e354a7b66.jpg?v=1750651592","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/politics-and-privilege-rory-mcveigh-9780231217217","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}