Privatization of Risk Book Series

Edited by Craig Calhoun and Jacob S. Hacker

Decades of aggressive privatization have shifted the burden of risk from government and institutions to individuals and families. As a result, many Americans now find themselves unable to cope with the financial strains of finding and keeping a job, managing health care and prescription drug costs, recovering from natural disasters and emergencies, preparing for retirement and old age, and sustaining their wealth and investments. In their new book series, the Social Science Research Council and Columbia University Press confront these developments and offer fresh solutions to the problems caused by the privatization of risk in America. Drawing on the expertise of dozens of America's leading social scientists, these books are a "must read" for policy specialists and concerned citizens alike.

The book series is a product of the SSRC's Privatization of Risk Project, which is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

• Bailouts: Public Money, Private Profit

  ed. Robert E. Wright, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2009.

  This volume examines a number of contemporary and historical bailout
  efforts and asks the question: Is it wise to rescue private businesses with public money?

  Buy on Amazon | ISBN: 978-0-231-15055-2

• Health at Risk: America’s Ailing Health System — and How to Heal It

  ed. Jacob S. Hacker, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2008.

  This volume shines a spotlight on the privatization of risk and America’s healthcare system, bringing the latest research to bear on questions of healthcare policy and dysfunction.

  Read the introduction.

• Laid Off, Laid Low: Political and Economic Consequences of Employment Insecurity

  ed. Katherine S. Newman, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2008.

  In this volume, economists, sociologists, and public policy experts reveal the perils of the American labor market.

  Read the introduction.

  Buy on Amazon | ISBN: 978-0-231-14605-0

• Pensions, Social Security, and the Privatization of Risk

  ed. Mitchell A. Orenstein, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2009.

  This volume explores the increasing risks borne by today’s workers as they try to plan for the future. It provides concrete solutions for shoring up America’s broken pension and Social Security system.

  Read the introduction.

  Buy on Amazon | ISBN: 978-0-231-14602-9

Forthcoming

• The Risks of Prescription Drugs

  ed. Donald W. Light, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2009.

  This volume examines the underlying shifts in the burdens of risks borne by individuals in the world of pharmaceuticals. It argues that commercialized medical knowledge and the rapid increase of drugs prescribed have saddled patients with increased hidden risks and produced an epidemic of harmful side effects.

• Disaster and the Politics of Intervention

  ed. Andrew Lakoff, New York: SSRC/Columbia University Press, 2009.

  This volume takes up the issue of catastrophic events and the increasing vulnerability of citizens. How can thoughtful policy interventions improve our capacity to withstand natural and man-made disasters?