The Ends of Freedom: Reclaiming America's Lost Promise of Economic Rights

“This is the book that throws down a forceful gauntlet on how, at last, to create an equitable America.” —William A. Darity Jr., Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Duke University

For some Americans, freedom means the provision of life’s necessities, those basic conditions for the “pursuit of happiness.” For others, freedom means the civil and political rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights and unfettered access to the marketplace—nothing more. As Mark Paul explains, the latter interpretation has all but won out among policymakers, with dire repercussions for American society: rampant inequality, endemic poverty, and an economy built to benefit the few at the expense of the many.

Paul shows how economic rights—rights to necessities like housing, employment, and health care—have been a part of the American conversation since the Revolutionary War and were a cornerstone of both the New Deal and the Civil Rights Movement. By drawing on FDR’s proposed Economic Bill of Rights, Paul outlines a comprehensive policy program to achieve an enduring version of American freedom.

Replete with discussions of some of today’s most influential policy ideas, The Ends of Freedom is a timely call to reclaim the idea of freedom from its captors on the political right—to ground America’s next era in the country’s progressive history and carve a path toward a more equitable nation. “An excellent resource for policymakers, students, activists, and citizens interested in achieving the promise of democracy.” —Mehrsa Baradaran, University of California, Irvine School of Law

“Paul’s book is a welcome contribution to thinking about policies that might help build a more just, freer society.” —Jacobin

© 2024 The University of Chicago Press (Ebook): 9780226826295

Release date

Ebook: 31 May 2024