Sign-In
Cart
Rents: How Marketing Causes Inequality
Hardcover
EconomicsGeneral Political SciencePoverty & Social Work
Publisher Price: $29.00
ISBN13: 9781732511217
Publisher: Beccaria Books
Published: Sep 6 2018
Pages: 350
Weight: 1.30
Height: 0.94 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
A surprising new explanation for the radical growth of income inequality--and a new strategy for stopping it.
Income inequality has risen dramatically since the 1970s. But why, exactly? In Rents, Gerrit De Geest argues that the main cause is advances in marketing. Marketers have become better at causing and exploiting market distortions in legal ways. The legal system tries to prevent the deliberate creation of market failures, but it has not evolved at the same speed. Business schools have outsmarted law schools.
Over the time span 1970-2015, the impact of marketing on the economy has steadily increased, transforming competitive markets in less competitive ones by making prices less transparent, splitting informed and uninformed consumers, making products incomparable, locking in consumers, or exploiting psychological biases. This has increased the amount of artificial profits in the economy--called rents in economic jargon.
The result? Using a novel method, De Geest estimates that rents now amount to 35 percent of the economy. This means that out of every $100 you spend, on average $35 goes to profits that could not have been made in perfectly competitive markets. That was only $20 in 1970. The book shows how getting wealthy has become less a matter of working hard than of capturing rents.
A book that will explain both why your boss makes many times your salary and why the prices you pay for groceries keep changing.
If you have a favorite brand of cars, airlines, aspirins, or smart-phones, then you are part of the problem of income inequality. This is the startling message of Gerrit De Geest's remarkable book. It will change your view of consumerism, the source of wealth, and the uneasy role of business schools in the modern economy. It is a book that will also make you a more interesting dinner companion!--Saul Levmore, William B. Graham Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Law School
This is one of those rare books that fundamentally change the way you look at the world. Marketing professors, De Geest argues, teach businesses how to exploit consumers. As a result, you pay too much for virtually every product and service you purchase. Once the book makes you see the problem, you cannot unsee it, and it is everywhere! A provocative new theory of what goes wrong in the modern economy and why some people make so much more money than others.--Giuseppe Dari Mattiacci, Professor of Law and of Economics, University of Amsterdam
Could the rising inequality in our society be the result of clever marketing ploys taught in business schools? Gerrit De Geest has written an original and powerful work on how so much creative and entrepreneurial effort is aimed at destroying the forces of competition, raising prices, and diverting value from people to firms. A law professor's indictment of the law's ineptitude in defending against greed, Rents sheds important new light on one of the biggest policy challenges of our time.--Omri Ben-Shahar, Kearney Director of the Coase-Sandor Institute for Law and Economics, University of Chicago
In this captivating book, Professor De Geest highlights the underappreciated link between marketing and inequality. ... Novel and important, I highly recommend this book.--Oren Bar-Gill, W.J. Friedman and A.T. Friedman Professor of Law and Economics, Harvard Law School
Gerrit De Geest is the Charles F. Nagel Professor of International and Comparative Law at Washington University School of Law. Before moving with his family to St. Louis, he was a professor at the Utrecht School of Economics and president of the European Association of Law and Economics.
1 different editions
Also available
Also in
Poverty & Social Work
The Agrarian Seeds of Empire: The Political Economy of Agriculture in Us State Building
Bauerly, Brad
Paperback
The New Science of Giambattista Vico: Unabridged Translation of the Third Edition (1744) with the Addition of Practic of the New Science
Vico, Giambattista
Paperback
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Paperback
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There
Zidar, Owen
Zwick, Eric
Hardcover
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Hardcover
Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth--And What to Do about It
Moyn, Samuel
Hardcover
Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
Benner, Katie
Green, Erica L.
Hardcover
City on the Edge: Technology, Politics, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco
Weber, Jonathan
Hardcover
Aristocracy, American Style: Class Privilege and the Persistence of Elite Power
Isenberg, Nancy
Hardcover
The Middle-Class New Deal: Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream
Dickerson, A. Mechele
Paperback
Anti-Fascist Economics: In Defense of Affordability, Dignity, and Democracy
Weber, Isabella
Hardcover
Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America
Phillips, Steve
Hardcover
Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past
Brown, Dorothy A.
Hardcover
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America (20th Anniversary Edition)
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People
Kidder, Tracy
Paperback
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
Banerjee, Abhijit V.
Duflo, Esther
Paperback
Marked by Time: How Social Change Has Transformed Crime and the Life Trajectories of Young Americans
Sampson, Robert J.
Hardcover
Overcoming Binge Eating: The Proven Program to Learn Why You Binge and How You Can Stop
Fairburn, Christopher G.
Paperback
Reclaiming Your Community: You Don't Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One
Carter, Majora
Paperback
Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain's Capacity for Change
Kearney, Breanne E.
Lanius, Ruth A.
Harricharan, Sherain
Paperback
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process
McWilliams, Nancy
Paperback
Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child's Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore
Powell, Bert
Hoffman, Kent
Cooper, Glen
Paperback
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
Miklowitz, David J.
Paperback
Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See
Miller, Jim
Davis, Mike
Mayhew, Kelly
Paperback
Charlie Kirk Quotes: The Courageous Life and Legacy of Charlie Kirk Founder, Turning Point USA the Unauthorized Version
Butler, Michael D.
Cohen, Felicity Graham
Paperback
DBT Skills in Elementary Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving in Grades K-5 (DBT STEPS-E)
Dexter-Mazza, Elizabeth T.
Rathus, Jill H.
Mazza, James J.
Paperback
Smart But Scattered Teens: The Executive Skills Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential
Dawson, Peg
Guare, Colin
Guare, Richard
Paperback
Talking to My Daughter about the Economy: Or, How Capitalism Works--And How It Fails
Varoufakis, Yanis
Paperback
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow
Rollnick, Stephen
Miller, William R.
Hardcover
Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Elliott, Andrea
Paperback
Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass 25th Anniversary Edition
Dalrymple, Theodore
Paperback
Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet
Collins, Chuck
Hardcover
The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality
Sunkara, Bhaskar
Paperback
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Emdr) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures
Shapiro, Francine
Hardcover
The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty
Morduch, Jonathan
Schneider, Rachel
Paperback
Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West
Farrell, Justin
Paperback
Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World
Powell, John A.
Menendian, Stephen
Hardcover
The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math
Garcia, Antero
Dick, Alix
Hardcover
Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor
Sparkly Kat, Alice
Paperback
The Death and Life of Gentrification: A New Map of a Persistent Idea
Brown-Saracino, Japonica
Hardcover
Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone
Jaffe, Sarah
Paperback
Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice: Putting Theory into Action
Capous-Desyllas, Moshoula
Morgaine, Karen
Paperback
10th Anniversary Edition The Life You Can Save: How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty
Singer, Peter
Paperback
The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide
Thrasher, Steven W.
Paperback
Introduction to Social Work: Social Workers Effecting Change in Our World
Ritter, Jessica A.
Paperback
Program Evaluation: A Practical Guide for Social Work and the Helping Professions
Royse, David
Paperback
The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math
Dick, Alix
Garcia, Antero
Paperback
The Mismeasurement of America: How Outdated Government Statistics Mask the Economic Struggle of Everyday Americans
Ludwig, Gene
Hardcover
The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World
Burgis, Ben
Beggs, Mike
Sunkara, Bhaskar
Paperback
Decolonizing Wealth, Second Edition: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance
Villanueva, Edgar
Paperback
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power
Mask, Deirdre
Paperback
Practical Handbook of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support: Building Integrated Academic and Behavioral Success in Schools
Brown-Chidsey, Rachel
Wilkinson, Sarah
Paperback
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns
Colburn, Gregg
Aldern, Clayton Page
Paperback
Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Therapist Manual
Monson, Candice M.
Chard, Kathleen M.
Resick, Patricia A.
Paperback
What We Inherit: How New Technologies and Old Myths Are Shaping Our Genomic Future
Trejo, Sam
Martschenko, Daphne O.
Hardcover
The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances
Fagan, Kevin
Paperback
When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself
Corbett, Steve
Fikkert, Brian
Paperback
Your Defiant Teen: 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship
Barkley, Russell A.
Robin, Arthur L.
Paperback
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North
Adams, Michelle
Hardcover
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor
Eubanks, Virginia
Paperback
The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid
Clinton, Chelsea
Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Anna
Hardcover
Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell): My Decade Fighting for the Labor Movement
McAlevey, Jane
Ostertag, Bob
Paperback
Dbt Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (Dbt Steps-A)
Dexter-Mazza, Elizabeth T.
Miller, Alec L.
Mazza, James J.
Paperback
You Are Not Your Trauma: An ACT Guide for Healing from Within
Walser, Robyn D.
Westrup, Darrah
Paperback
Trauma Stewardship, Revised and Updated: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
Burk, Connie
Van Dernoot Lipsky, Laura
Paperback
Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity
Appelbaum, Yoni
Hardcover
Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America
Atuahene, Bernadette
Hardcover
Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents
Cohen, Judith A.
Mannarino, Anthony P.
Deblinger, Esther
Paperback
We Shall Not Bow Down: Children of Color Under Siege: An Invocation to Resistance
Kozol, Jonathan
Paperback
Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)
Lisec, Joshua
Posobiec, Jack
Hardcover
Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity
Appelbaum, Yoni
Paperback
Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction
Wewiorski, Nancy J.
Tourse, Robbie W. C.
Hamilton-Mason, Johnnie
Paperback
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
Hobbs, Jeff
Paperback
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth
Smarsh, Sarah
Paperback
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
Pickett, Kate
Wilkinson, Richard
Paperback
White Poverty: How Exposing Myths about Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy
Barber, William J., II
Paperback
Fighting for a Foothold: How Government and Markets Undermine Black Middle-Class Suburbia
Simms, Angela
Paperback