I’d recommend Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital in the 21st Century’ if you’re into the deep economics side of all this. Its a bit dense, but really hammers home the point that the period from ~1940 - 1980 in the US was the ONLY period where wealth inequality was declining and therefore it was easier for people to believe that we lived in a meritocracy of some kind where ‘adding value’ at work actually did lead to added wages. That period has ended, and now inequality and trickle-up economics are reaching all time highs, with no apparent limit in sight.
I’d recommend Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital in the 21st Century’ if you’re into the deep economics side of all this. Its a bit dense, but really hammers home the point that the period from ~1940 - 1980 in the US was the ONLY period where wealth inequality was declining and therefore it was easier for people to believe that we lived in a meritocracy of some kind where ‘adding value’ at work actually did lead to added wages. That period has ended, and now inequality and trickle-up economics are reaching all time highs, with no apparent limit in sight.