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Shortchanged by Howard Karger
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Shortchanged

Best Seller
Shortchanged by Howard Karger
Hardcover $24.95
Sep 11, 2005 | ISBN 9781576753361

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  • $24.95

    Sep 11, 2005 | ISBN 9781576753361

    Buy from Other Retailers:

Product Details

Praise

“A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the impact of predatory economic practices on the poor and credit-challenged in the United States.”
—Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1997)

“Like such classics as Nickel and Dimed, this book is a wake up call for action to redirect our economy towards fairness and ethics.”
—John de Graaf, coauthor of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

Shortchanged exposes a side of American economic life that would appall even the most cynical observers. Its incisive analysis offers powerful and somber insights into the underworld of predatory finance capitalism. It is rich in detail, eloquent and steadfast in its commitment to change. It deserves to be widely read.”
—James Midgley, Specht Professor and Dean, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley

“If you think you know all about the credit industry and how the poor are getting ripped off, think again. Howard Karger’s masterful new book shows how the poor and middle class are being conned by increasingly clever scams….This book is highly recommended to all those who care about social justice.”
—Steven Rose, PhD, Professor of Social Work, George Mason University

Shortchanged charts the perfect economic storm…financial deregulation, predatory companies, and consumer vulnerability… It is required reading for anyone concerned about economic justice in America.”
—David Stoesz, Ph.D., Director, policyAmerica

Table Of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

Part I: Overview of the Fringe Economy
1: America’s Changing Fringe Economy
2: Why the Fringe Economy Is Growing
3: Debt and the Functionally Poor Middle Class

Part II: The Fringe Sectors
4: The Credit Card Industry
5: Storefront Loans: Pawnshops, Payday Loans, and Tax Refund Lenders
6: Alternative Services: Check-Cashers, the Rent-to-Own Industry, and Telecommunications
7: Fringe Housing
8: Real Estate Speculation and Foreclosure
9: The Fringe Auto Industry
10: The Getting-Out-of-Debt Industry

Part III: Looking Forward
11: What Can Be Done to Control the Fringe Economy?
Glossary
Notes
Index
About the Author

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