"In Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality, the authors argue that a culture of individualism in the U.S. limits the pressure politicians face to develop robust social policies. This individualism combines with racism and features of the political system to help perpetuate high levels of poverty and inequality"--.

• Contents
• Chapter One. The Problem withAmerican Individualism
• Part I. SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVES
• Chapter Two. The American Inequality Palette
• Chapter Three. Social Psychological Functions of Inequality Beliefs
• Chapter Four. In Conversation
• Part II. INDIVIDUALISM ON THE GROUND
• Chapter Five. Cleaning the Ivory Tower
• Chapter Six. Paved with Good Intentions
• Part III. THE BIG PICTURE
• Chapter Seven. Inequality Beliefs and Social Justice
• Afterword
• References
• Index
• About the Authors