{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in African American Studies","slug":"new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","podcast_index_feed_id":614218,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT9884742733","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/6ec4ef18-f161-11e8-aa0f-cb6d12c6835d/image/5571090387754d767d98f7128343781c.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1943,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: newbooksnetwork.com Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-06-27T14:21:48.015468+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218"},"episode":{"title":"Gary Hoover, \"Ladder or Lottery: Economic Promises and the Reality of Who Gets Ahead\" (U California Press, 2026)","slug":"gary-hoover-ladder-or-lottery-economic-promises-and-the-reality-of-who-gets-ahead-u-california-press-2026","published_at":"2026-05-30T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/gary-hoover-ladder-or-lottery-economic-promises-and-the-reality-of-who-gets-ahead-u-california-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK4486337527.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK4486337527.mp3","summary":"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, accessible to all no matter where they start? Or rather a lottery in which many will buy a ticket but only a few will find success? And how can we best align social promises with our lived economic realities? Gary Hoover is Executive Director of the Murphy Institute, Professor of Economics, and Affiliate Professor of Law at Tulane University. Dr. Zachery Williams is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of African and African American Studies at LSU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportin…","meta_description":"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 q…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4338,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/episodes/gary-hoover-ladder-or-lottery-economic-promises-and-the-reality-of-who-gets-ahead-u-california-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/gary-hoover-ladder-or-lottery-economic-promises-and-the-reality-of-who-gets-ahead-u-california-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}