Unequal democracy : the political economy of the new gilded age / Larry M. Bartels.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [305]-316) and index.

1. The New Gilded Age -- 2. The Partisan Political Economy -- 3. Class Politics and Partisan Change -- 4. Partisan Biases in Economic Accountability -- 5. Do Americans Care about Inequality? -- 6. Homer Gets a Tax Cut -- 7. The Strange Appeal of Estate Tax Repeal -- 8. The Eroding Minimum Wage -- 9. Economic Inequality and Political Representation -- 10. Unequal Democracy.

"Unequal Democracy debunks many myths about politics in contemporary America, using the widening gap between the rich and the poor to shed disturbing light on the workings of American democracy. Larry Bartels shows that increasing inequality is not simply the result of economic forces, but the product of broad-reaching policy choices in a political system dominated by partisan ideologies and the interests of the wealthy." "Unequal Democracy is social science at its very best. It provides a deep and searching analysis of the political causes and consequences of America's growing income gap, and a sobering assessment of the capacity of the American political system to live up to its democratic ideals."--BOOK JACKET.