Promotional Information

Economist Joshua Gans and Australian Parliament member Andrew Leigh argue that equality should not be sacrificed for the amazing technological innovations of the last two decades.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Price of Progress
Chapter 2 Renaissance or Dark Age?
Chapter 3 Superpowers or Annihilation?
Chapter 4 Does Innovation Require Inequality?
Chapter 5 Does Innovation Cause Inequality?
Chapter 6 Encouraging Innovation
Chapter 7 Providing Insurance
Conclusion
Notes
Index

About the Author

Joshua Gans is Professor of Strategic Management and holds the Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. He is the author of The Disruption Dilemma (MIT Press), Prediction Machines, and other books.

Andrew Leigh is a Member of the Australian House of Representatives, a former economics professor, and author of Battlers and Billionaires, Randomistas and other books.

Lawrence H. Summers is Charles W. Eliot Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University. He served as Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration and as Director of the National Economic Council in the Obama administration.

Reviews

So much government policy is developed through a myopic view that people only do things for profit and that the more profit they can make the more likely they will be to pursue innovation. Gans and Leigh provide a strong counter to this, arguing that while innovation is a key to driving productivity, the improvements in living standards that should flow as a result can only come if governments pursue policies that aim 'to boost both innovation and equality.'—The Guardian—
Gans and Leigh are alarmed by the winner-take-most phenomenon that characterises many parts of the tech industry. They call for a wide range of reforms, from banning non-compete clauses in work contracts and easing the process for university loans, to reducing sexual harassment in the workplace to boost the number of women in tech—The Economist—
Written in a snappy style leavened with pop culture references, this is not just a book for policy wonks.—Sydney Morning Herald—