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Cheating on every level--from highly publicized corporate scandals to Little League fraud--has risen dramatically in recent decades. Why all the cheating? Why now?
You're standing at an ATM. It can't access account information but allows unlimited withdrawals. Do you take more than your balance? David Callahan thinks most of us would.
Callahan pins the blame on the dog-eat-dog economic climate of the past two decades. An unfettered market and unprecedented economic inequality have corroded our values, he argues--and ultimately threaten the level playing field so central to American democracy itself. Through revealing interviews and extensive data, he takes us on a gripping tour of cheating in America and offers a powerful argument for why it matters.
Lucidly written, scrupulously argued, The Cheating Culture is an important, original examination of the hidden costs of the boom years.
List of contents
contents
Preface vii
"Everybody Does It"
Cheating in a Bottom-line Economy
Whatever It Takes
A Question of Character
Temptation Nation
Trickle-down Corruption
Cheating from the Starting Line
Crime and No Punishment
Dodging Brazil 259
Sources 297
Endnotes 303
Index 337
About the author
David Callahan is cofounder and director of research at the public policy center Demos. The author of five books, he has published articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today, and has been a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. He received a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University and lives in New York City.
Summary
Cheating on every level––from highly publicized corporate scandals to Little League fraud––has risen dramatically in recent decades. Why all the cheating? Why now?
You're standing at an ATM. It can't access account information but allows unlimited withdrawals. Do you take more than your balance? David Callahan thinks most of us would.
Callahan pins the blame on the dog-eat-dog economic climate of the past two decades. An unfettered market and unprecedented economic inequality have corroded our values, he argues––and ultimately threaten the level playing field so central to American democracy itself. Through revealing interviews and extensive data, he takes us on a gripping tour of cheating in America and offers a powerful argument for why it matters.
Lucidly written, scrupulously argued, The Cheating Culture is an important, original examination of the hidden costs of the boom years.
Additional text
PRAISE FOR KINDRED SPIRITS
"As Americans wrestle with how to fix what has gone wrong in the system of corporate governance, the message that can be taken from Kindred Spirits is that there may be no quick fixes."--The New York Times
"David Callahan gives us an intriguing, incredibly detailed look at the values, work ethic, and creative minds that characterized this group of businessmen."-USA Today
