Makers and Takers

In her book Makers and Takers, Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar explores the forces that shaped the 2016 presidential election, one thing is clear: much of the population believes that our economic system is rigged to enrich the privileged elites at the expense of hard-working Americans. This is a belief held equally on both sides of the political spectrum. One key reason, says Foroohar, is the fact that Wall Street is no longer supporting Main Street businesses that create jobs for middle and working-class people. Her in-depth reporting and interviews at the highest rungs of business and government show how the “financialization of America”—the phenomenon by which finance and its way of thinking have come to dominate every corner of business—is threatening the American Dream.