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The Future of Success
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The Future of Success

Robert B. Reich
Knopf, 2002
First Edition: 2000
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Editorial Rating

6

Recommendation

Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich, who served during the Clinton administration, hasn’t really unearthed any strikingly original discoveries in his look at the new economy, but the sheer power of his intellect allows him to follow well-documented trends to fresh conclusions. After restating the many economic benefits that technology has wrought in the past decade, Reich moves to the topic that arouses his deepest interests: the changing dynamics of the labor market and the implications of these changes for unskilled workers. His take on the diminished importance of the family and the undermining of social relationships is very interesting. He says these trends have turned community into a kind of commodity that can be bought and sold. Although he prepared the book during the high-tech boom, he foreshadows the bursting bubble, using examples from familiar news stories in novel ways to support his analysis. getAbstract.com recommends this thoughtful book to anyone concerned about the future of work or workers, both skilled and unskilled. Will your job survive?

Summary

What Hath the New Economy Wrought?

The new economy is bringing an array of first-time deals and choices to your doorstep. You can choose among innovative work assignments, fresh consumer goods, flexible business arrangements, new kinds of investments and even distinct communities to join - if you have the right resources and abilities.

This economic growth is driven by technology, including new developments in data management, mass transport and communication, among other elements in the social infrastructure. Technological innovations make it possible to locate and obtain better deals from all over the world - and to change from one deal to an even better one. The result is vastly more competition among sellers, as manufacturers jostle for market position. They rush to cut costs, add consumer value and create innovative, competitive products. This boom in production means that you can buy better products and services more quickly and less expensively.

This dynamism has created a windfall of economic benefits but, like other storms, it includes some disruptive gusty weather. These innovations affect aspects of modern life beyond products and services, and have...

About the Author

Robert B. Reich is a Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as Secretary of Labor under U.S. President Bill Clinton. He is co-founder and national editor of The American Prospect, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He has written several books, including Locked in the Cabinet, The Work of Nations and The Resurgent Liberal.

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