Gary Hoover, "Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead" (U California Press, 2026)

About this episode

Gary Hoover discusses his book exploring whether the economy functions as a ladder for upward mobility or a lottery of chance.

In Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead (University of California Press, 2026) , Gary Hoover asks the reader a simple question: Is our economy a ladder or a lottery? Are people able to control their position on the economic spectrum by their actions? Some argue that, in our market-based economy, if you play by certain rules and make certain choices, you'll achieve upward mobility no matter what economic position you were born into. Drawing on his vast economic expertise, Hoover explores what this "social contract" requires of its citizens, and what it offers in return. Hoover shows how civil unrest is often directly related to broken society-level promises, exploring protest movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, the Arab Spring, and student debt forgiveness as case studies. He also predicts where future protests can be expected if results promised are not results delivered. This insightful and data-driven book tackles challenging issues around income inequality, health care, and artificial intelligence, and ultimately equips readers to answer these pressing questions: Is our social contract a ladder to higher economic standing…

People in this episode

Host: Marshall Poe

Guest: Gary Hoover

Topics covered

• economic mobility
• income inequality
• social contract
• civil unrest
• protest movements

Keywords

• economic promises
• upward mobility
• social contract
• income inequality
• protest movements

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of California Press

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